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Inspiring
March 30, 2023
Answered

how distribute objects along part of a circle

  • March 30, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 2315 views

I'm trying to draw a scale for a rotary dial on a panel. The object is to distribute evenly along the path of *part of* a circle ten large scale markings (a 4mm straight path with a stroke) and 60 smaller ones (1.5mm long).

 

I have managed to discover (and get working) that the rotation tool lets you do this for a closed circle. It distributes the scale marks evenly at the intervals (in degrees) that I specify. So far so good.

 

The thing is that I want to distribute the scale marks along only a part of the circle. With the scissor tool I have cut a 50-degree portion out of the circle, creating an open path. The scale markings should be distributed evenly across this 310-degree remainder of the circle.

 

I tried with the blend tool after seeing some videos about that, but the scale mark segments are placed in an incorrect orientation on the path. They need to have their anchors on the path, pointing out in the opposite direction of the center of the circle. Like the rays of a sun drawn by a child...

 

Is there an automated way of doing this, or is manual and time consuming the only way to get this right?

 

For an idea of what I need I uploaded a screenshot of what I did with the Rotate tool with a 360/12 setting for distributing the large markings and a 360/60 setting for the small ones.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer kunlun121

What's the power duplicate method? Here is a screenshot of the path I want use as the basis. Similar idea as the other screenshot. Just part of a circle instead of a whole one.

 

The problem I had with the Rotate tool is that entering a value lower than 360 degrees somehow caused the circle to be less than round (so more oval).

3 replies

kunlun121Author
Inspiring
March 30, 2023

Using the Rotate tool on my partial circle and entering 310/10 for the distribution gives me this:

 

 

That is pretty good, but the markings now don't follow the circle anymore - towards the top. At the bottom they converge to the circle again.

Jacob Bugge
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 30, 2023

kunlun,

 

Are you after something like this (done with Blends, I have used 10 and 60 intervals rather than 10 and 60 markings which would give something strange)?

 

kunlun121Author
Inspiring
March 30, 2023

Yessir

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 30, 2023

Please show the actual thing that you want to accomplish. If it's just part of a cricle you can still use the power duplicate method. 

kunlun121AuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
March 30, 2023

What's the power duplicate method? Here is a screenshot of the path I want use as the basis. Similar idea as the other screenshot. Just part of a circle instead of a whole one.

 

The problem I had with the Rotate tool is that entering a value lower than 360 degrees somehow caused the circle to be less than round (so more oval).

Jacob Bugge
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 30, 2023

kunlun,

 

"The problem I had with the Rotate tool is that entering a value lower than 360 degrees somehow caused the circle to be less than round (so more oval)."

 

Maybe you are closer than you think with your simple rotation (of copies).

 

It is crucial that you rotate (copies of the original mark) round the centre of the original full circle