Align two surfaces

This aligns the surface edges along their lengths.

1. Choose Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 ❒.
2. Click the edge of the first surface you want to align.
3. Click the edge of the second surface.
   TipIf it’s easier, you can click an isoparametric curve close to the edge you want to align. Make sure to click an isoparametric curve running in the same direction as the edge you want to align.
   NoteThe align tool cannot reshape trim edges for alignment.

Align a surface edge to an entire curve

This aligns the length of the surface edge to the length of the curve.

1. Choose Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 ❒.
2. Click the edge of the surface you want to align.
3. Click the curve.

Align a curve end to a surface edge, isoparametric curve, or curve-on-surface

This aligns the end of the curve to the end of the surface curve.

1. Choose Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 ❒.
2. Click the curve close to the end you want to align.
3. Click the surface edge, isoparametric curve, or curve-on-surface.

Align two curves or curves-on-surface

1. Choose Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 ❒.
2. Click the first curve close to the end you want to align.
3. Click the second curve close to the end you want to align.
   NoteYou can only align curves-on-surface on the same surface.

Choose an Alignment Type

The different alignment type options have different uses in different scenarios. You may often find yourself applying one type of alignment, saving the alignment with the Accept button, and applying another type of alignment “on top” of the first.

Refer to the online help for Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 for tips on using the different alignment types.

Manually control the alignment

The surface control manipulators let you directly edit the skew, tangent scale, and curvature scale at points along the aligned edge.

1. Set the Modify option to First.
2. Set the Continuity to Tangent or Curvature.
3. Under Surface 1,
   • Turn on the Show Manipulators option.
   • Set the Manipulators option to the number of manipulators you want along the aligned edge.
4. Do any of the following with a manipulator:
   • To change the skew, drag the rotation arc or click one of the axis lines.
   • To change the tangent scale, click the box on the arrow and then drag left or right.
   • To change the curvature scale (when Continuity is set to Curvature), click the circle on the arrow and then drag left or right.

Use different settings at the beginning and end of an aligned edge

You can have separate controls for the alignment type, skew, tangent scale and curvature scale at the beginning and end of the aligned edge.

1. Set the Modify option to First.
2. Under Surface 1, turn on Show Manipulators.

Align two objects while only allowing the CVs to move along one direction

1. Choose Object Edit > Align > Align 2008 ❒.
2. Set the Alignment Type to Directional.
3. Click a reference vector to use as the direction along which CVs may move, or type a vector value into the Directional Align Vector boxes under Alignment Type Options.
   TipYou can create a reference vector with the Construction > Vector tool.
4. Click the first curve, curve-on-surface, or surface edge.
5. Click the curve, curve-on-surface, or surface edge to align to the first.
   TipRemember that this alignment type only allows the CVs to move along a single direction. Some of the controls in the Align window (such as Skew) may behave counter-intuitively because the CVs are so constrained.

What if...?

I want to undo changes I’ve made

Click Revert in the options window. This will revert the surfaces to the last time you clicked Accept, or if you haven’t clicked Accept, to the unaligned state or to the state at which the file was opened.

I want the objects to align at the interior of a surface or curve?

Use the Join Parameter option to move the align point back from the end/edge of an object.

The Join Parameter option is in the object’s section of the option window (such as Curve 1 or Surface 1).

There is no isoparametric curve available where I want to align a curve?

Do one of the following:

• Use Object Edit > Patch Precision to increase the number of descriptive isoparametric curves on the surface.
• Use Object Edit > Insert to insert an edit point isoparametric curve.