How to align buttons on keyboard design

SketchUp
1

Hi,
I’m trying to create a keyboard but I don’t know how to get the buttons to be aligned. I tried to align them with the ‘move’ tool, but it’s still crooked. Does anyone know how to solve this?

2

Use guidelines? (tape measure tool will place them) each key base should snap to it.
Make each button a group with a ‘hidden’ line that can snap to the adjoining one.
I would probably use a combination of these and simply moving in the correct axis and typing in a value.

Alternatively I’m sure that there is a plugin to align/distribute groups for you.

3

There are many ways to do it and many different keyboard layouts but it basically boils down to understanding, copy/move to create arrays.
Don’t try to drag the move tool, click and release to start, click and release or enter to finish a move. Tap Ctrl to copy with the move tool.

Here is rough copy of the keyboard I am typing this on.

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4

Personally I would have made one of those squares a component before making the array - then changes to one would populate them all. (And if I were cleverer I would make it a dynamic component that could put a specific letter on the key without making each resulting component unique)

BTW what’s the plugin you used for multi-select off-set? {nm looked closer at the animation - TIG SmartOffset}

5

First thing I said.^

And I was showing basic move copy array.

1 Like
6

Thanks for the animation, Box! It really helped me out!

7

I’m not sure how it helped you if you are now asking for a designer!

8

Hahahah))) no that’s another design, this one is pretty easy though.