Pegas Align Components – User Guide
Pegas Align Components — User Guide
Version 1.0 · Fusion 360 Add-in · Pegas Tools
Version 1.0 · Fusion 360 Add-in · Pegas Tools
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Installation
- First Launch & License
- The Interface at a Glance
- Parameter Reference
- Axis Align — Chain Snapping along X / Y / Z
- Face Align — Point-to-Point on Planar Faces
- Account Tab — License, Info, Settings
- Tips, Limitations and Troubleshooting
1. Introduction
Pegas Align Components is a professional utility that lets you fusion 360 align multiple components in seconds. Built for woodwork layout, assembly design, and cnc nesting part layout fusion 360 preparation, it allows you to arrange parts for cnc routing and axis align components without joints.
When designing flat-pack cabinet panels or wood projects, one of the biggest time-wasters is figuring out how to align multiple parts in one plane flat pack layouts require. Designers often want to stop manual component dragging cabinet maker tasks that are tedious and error-prone. Instead of manually moving elements, you need a quick way for stacking boards in cad without joints woodworking setups can utilize.
By directly modifying transforms, it functions as a fast face to face alignment tool fusion 360 with optional automatic component spacing fusion 360 controls. It allows you to snap components flush flat pack layouts, apply a chain align bounding box woodworking method, and quickly align parts in one plane mdf sheets require. This speeds up your wooden board layout alignment cabinet maker tasks when you need to quickly align parts in one plane fusion 360 during layout assembly.
Multi-Unit Support (mm/inches) in v1.1
Version 1.1 features full multi-unit support. The add-in automatically detects if your Fusion 360 document is set to millimeters or inches and scales all parameters, tolerances, and UI dialog parameters accordingly. A units indicator is displayed in the window header.
2. Installation
- Download the add-in folder and place it under your Fusion 360 add-ins directory:
- Windows:
%appdata%AutodeskAutodesk Fusion 360APIAddInsPegas_Align_Components - macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Autodesk Fusion 360/API/AddIns/Pegas_Align_Components/ - Restart Fusion 360.
- Open
Utilities → Add-Ins → Scripts and Add-Ins(shortcutShift+S). - In the Add-Ins tab, select Pegas Align Components and click Run. Tick Run on Startup if you want it to load automatically.
After Run, a button appears in the PEGAS tab of the Design workspace (Pegas-branded panel) and also in the standard Utilities → Scripts and Add-Ins panel. Click either to open the palette.
3. First Launch & License
Pegas Align Components is free. There is no paid tier and no trial timer. The licence check exists only for usage analytics, so we can see how many people are using the add-in and which features matter.
On first launch, the add-in starts in trial mode, which for this product is unlimited and unrestricted. You may optionally register a free key from pegastools.com for analytics, but every feature is fully available without one.
If the add-in cannot reach the licence server, it falls back to a 7-day offline cache and keeps working. There is no situation where the licence layer can block you from using the alignment tools.
4. The Interface at a Glance
The palette opens on the right side of Fusion. It has three tabs at the top:
– Axis Align — chain snapping along an axis.
– Face Align — point-to-point face alignment.
– Account — licence status, info, and the debug log toggle.
At the bottom of the palette is a status log line. Every action (a successful alignment, a warning, an error) writes a short message there. Successful messages are green, warnings are orange, errors are red. The log only appears after the first message.
The currently active tab and your last-used axis / gap settings are remembered between sessions.
5. Parameter Reference
The following parameters are used in the Axis Align and Face Align palettes:
| Parameter | Type | Default | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axes (X, Y, Z) | Checkboxes | X checked | Any combination | Selected axes along which components or faces will align. At least one must be checked. |
| Gap (mm) | Value Input (mm) | 0 | Any real number | Spacing distance applied between adjacent chained components (Axis Align) or between mover and master planes (Face Align). |
| Pick components… | Selection | None | 2+ Occurrences | Select components in the viewport in the order they should be chained. The first selected is the fixed master. |
| Pick faces… | Selection | None | 2+ Planar Faces | Select planar faces. The first selected face is the master; movers align coplanar with it. |
| Reverse direction | Checkbox | Unchecked | Checked / Unchecked | Toggles the chain direction (+ or – side of the axis) during Axis Align. |
6. Axis Align
Use this when you have two or more components in a row and want them to sit flush against each other along one axis, with an optional gap.
How it works
The first component you pick is the master — it never moves. Each subsequent component is treated as a mover, and is snapped against the component before it in the chain, not against the master. This means three components picked in order A, B, C become a chain: B snaps to A, then C snaps to the new position of B.
The direction of snapping (does the mover go to the + side or the − side of the master on that axis?) is detected from the very first pair using their original positions, before any movement happens. The same direction is then used for every subsequent step. This keeps the chain straight and predictable.
If the automatic direction picks the wrong way, tick Reverse direction and run again — the whole chain flips to the opposite side.
Step-by-step
- Open the palette and stay on the Axis Align tab.
- Tick one or more axes: X, Y, or Z. You can combine them — if you tick both X and Y, the chain snaps on both axes (useful for grids).
- Enter a Gap in millimetres (0 = touching, no gap). The gap is applied between each pair in the chain, not just once.
- Click Pick components…. A small Fusion selector opens. Click components in your design in the order you want them chained. The first one you click is the master; pick at least two. Press OK when done.
- The selected components appear as a list in the palette, numbered, with the first marked master (orange) and the rest mover (cyan).
- If you think the direction will be wrong, tick Reverse direction.
- Click Apply chain align. Components move. The log line shows
Aligned N pair(s).
7. Face Align
Use this when you want to quickly align parts in one plane fusion 360. By selecting a master plane (a face of one component), you can snap one or more parts coplanar with it along the chosen axis.
How it works
Unlike Axis Align, Face Align is not a chain. The first face you pick is the master and stays in place. Every other face you pick is a mover — its parent component is translated so the face’s representative point matches the master face’s point on the chosen axes. The mover faces do not snap to each other.
If you also enter a Gap, the mover is then pushed away from the master plane by that distance, preserving its original side. This is useful for leaving a glue or fit allowance between two parts.
Step-by-step
- Switch to the Face Align tab.
- Tick the axes you want to align on. Most of the time this is a single axis — the one perpendicular to your master plane.
- Enter a Gap in millimetres if you want spacing; leave at 0 for fully coplanar.
- Click Pick faces…. The selector opens with the planar-face filter. Click the master face first, then click every mover face. Press OK.
- The list shows the master face (orange) and movers (cyan).
- Click Apply face align. The log shows
Aligned N face(s).
8. Account Tab
The Account tab carries everything that is not core alignment:
– License status — a coloured dot (green = active, cyan = trial, orange = expiring, red = invalid) with a status line and an (offline) indicator if we are running from the offline cache.
– License key field — paste a key here and click Activate.
– Deactivate this machine — releases the licence seat so it can be moved to another computer.
– Documentation — opens the documentation in your default web browser.
– Write verbose debug log — when enabled, detailed logs are recorded.
9. Tips, Limitations and Troubleshooting
Tips
- Run on Startup in Add-Ins keeps the button always available without manual Start each session.
- The palette can be docked or floated. Docked on the right is the recommended layout.
- For repeat operations on the same set of components, the picked list is preserved across
Applyruns. - Comparing Layout Alternatives: When considering the fusion 360 arrange command vs align feature or comparing external sheet nesting tools like deepnest vs fusion 360 layout scripts, Pegas Align Components provides a much faster and simpler way to align and space components manually without needing high-tier subscription extensions.
Limitations
- The add-in moves components directly via their transform, not by adding joints. The movement is captured in the design timeline as a Move feature.
- Components driven by joints, motion links, or as-built joints may snap back when Fusion re-evaluates the assembly. Free them first, or break the joint, before aligning.
- Bounding boxes used in Axis Align are axis-aligned to the world (not the component’s local frame). If your component is rotated at an odd angle, the bounding box will be larger than the part itself, and snap distance will reflect that.
- Face Align needs planar faces. Curved surfaces are not selectable.
- A single Apply moves components in one batch. To undo, use Fusion’s standard Undo (Ctrl+Z).
Troubleshooting
- Nothing happens when I click Apply. Check the log line at the bottom — it usually shows a warning like “Pick at least 2 components.”
- A component snapped to the wrong side. Tick Reverse direction in Axis Align and Apply again.
- The button does not appear after install. Make sure the add-in is set to Run in scripts and add-ins.
- The palette UI is broken or unstyled. Re-install the add-in by replacing the folder.
Debug log
To troubleshoot issues, a debug log can be generated:
– When the checkbox is disabled (default), logging is completely inactive.
– When the checkbox is enabled, the old log file is automatically erased, and a new trace is recorded.
– The checkbox is temporary: restarting Fusion 360 automatically disables logging.
– How to use: Enable the checkbox, reproduce the issue, then copy debug/debug.log from the add-in folder and send it technical support.
© Vikky Unipessoal LDA, Portugal. All rights reserved.