Method to distribute objects evenly around a circle?

**zeedale** · 22 March 2012, 06:59 PM

Is there a method to evenly distribute objects around a circle? I understand the horizontal and vertical alignment tools, but I'm not sure how to apply them in this situation. Attached are a sample picture of what I want to accomplish and the .xar file (XDP7). Thanks.

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Circles01.xar

**steve.ledger** · 22 March 2012, 07:37 PM

The blend tool will help you with this.
Here's a quick clip to show how.

**zeedale** · 22 March 2012, 08:24 PM

The tutorial above is brilliant. Thank you very much, sledger!

One more issue, though, that perhaps may be a Xara bug:
1. Create an object and a group -- 1) one large circle, and 2)that group of small circles which you just evenly distributed.
2. Select the object and the group of circles.
3. Align them centrally, using the Object Alignment tool.

As you can see in my attachment, the result shows that the centering is a bit off.
Is this a Xara bug or do I need to do something else to align them centrally?

Click image for larger version.

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**steve.ledger** · 22 March 2012, 08:30 PM

Can't repeat that Zee. I get a perfectly centered result.

Can you attach your file?

**zeedale** · 22 March 2012, 08:34 PM

Sorry, attached is the .XAR file.
NotCentered.xar

**gwpriester** · 22 March 2012, 08:41 PM

Centers for me. I created a blend and created the blend path/circle to spit the difference.

**zeedale** · 22 March 2012, 08:53 PM

Hi, Gary. Yes, it does work for evenly distributing the small circles around the big circle. But then I took it a few steps further:
1. From your attachment, I converted the objects to editable shapes.
2. I ungrouped all the shapes, removed your text, and removed the extra overlapped circle. Also, I resized the large circle.
3. I regrouped all the small circles as one group. So now I have that group and the large circle left.
4. I selected both the large circle and the group.
5. I used the Object Alignment tool, and aligned centrally the large circle and the group.
6. The result is that the large circle is centered in the group, but not quite. It's a little off.

I've attached your file after having done the above steps.
CenteredNot01.xar

**steve.ledger** · 22 March 2012, 09:39 PM

Yep. I can repeat it now, even with a new file.
Seems like a bug.

**angelize** · 22 March 2012, 09:52 PM

Hello Zeedale,

I noticed in your profile you have web designer premium 7 so a quick way to get the alignment you are after with out needing the alignment dialogue would be to drop your group and circle into WD7premium (or if you have Designer Pro 7 just do it right there) and turn on the magic snapping then it's a simple matter of snapping your circle to the center of the page then snapping the group to the center of the page.

**PhilM** · 22 March 2012, 09:56 PM

Sorry but that's not a bug. It's aligning the bounds of the large circle to the bounds of the group correctly.

Note that the group is made of an odd number of objects so the distance from the rotation centre to the right edge is different from the distance from the centre to the opposite edge. It's like a tyre with a flat spot.

Edit: magnetic "smart" snapping will do the same thing. The flat spot will mean that the actual centre of the group is not where you imagine the centre is.

To force the group to have a centre where you think it should be you must include an invisible outer circle in the group.

Phil