Using Position

This support article applies to the latest operating system for Origin: Inverness. If your tool isn’t on Inverness, learn how to update its operating system here 

Position allows you to lock an object in a precise location by entering dimensions relative to your grid’s (X,Y) axes.

You must create a Grid in order to use Position. Creating a Grid in your workspace makes it possible to place a design at a given location with a high degree of accuracy Learn more about Grid here.

How to use Position

The Position menu will look slightly different depending on the operation you are performing.

If you are creating an object or block of text, the Position menu will look like this...

If you are copying an object in your workspace or importing a design, the Position menu will look like this...

If you are creating a circle, rectangle, or block of text, you can click the “edit” button at the top of the Position menu to go back to the relevant creation menu and make alterations to your object. You can easily return to the Position menu by clicking the Position button again.

The X and Y buttons in the Position menu show a live read-out of your anchor point’s current location in your Grid.

A marker in the bottom left corner of the screen indicates the direction of your (X,Y) axes relative to Origin’s orientation. As you rotate Origin, the marker will update.

You can click the X and Y buttons to open the calculator and specify a new value. This will lock the object’s anchor point to the specified position.

You can use the calculator’s operation keys (+, -, x, /) to reposition an object relative to its current location.

If you lock a single axis, you can move Origin along the unlocked axis to place your object. This is particularly useful if you wish to position a series of objects at a given distance from the edge of your workpiece.

You can click the RESET button at any time to unlock your specified (X,Y) values and return the object to Origin’s position in your workspace.

Creating a New Grid

All objects in your workspace are positioned relative to the active grid’s X,Y axes. If you create a New Grid in a workspace which already contains placed objects, the objects will stay in the same location in your workspace, but their (X,Y) position will update relative to the new Grid’s coordinates.