How to rotate a mesh so it's aligned with an Edge?

[hisham_jaffar]

Hello everyone,

I am on the extrusion challenge part of the course and I have been stuck on a problem for hours. So with respect to the picture attached below, I have a cylinder (marked in blue) that I would like to lie flat in a way that it’s parallel to the edge(marked in red). Like somehow rotate it and make it perfectly parallel to the edge.

[FedPete]

The simplest way is to do it manually!

• Go in front view numpad 1. - Puts you in orthographic mode
• Then in object mode select your blue marked cylinder
• Rotate cylinder on the Y-ax so it matches the slope/angle of your roof.
• Use scale szz to make the cylinder longer shorter (if you need this)
• Press shift c to place your 3D cursor in the world 0,0,0 location
• Go in to TOP-view, press numpad 7 - Puts you in orthographic mode
• Set ‘Transform pivot point’ to 3D-Cursor
• Select blue marked tube in Object mode and Rotate z-ax, to the right spot
• Use Alt d to duplicate and press IMMEDIATELY r z, to rotate on the z-ax for more beams.

[NP5]

Turn on snapping by edge.
Tick align rotation to target.
Grab cylinder, snap it to an edge, preferably one that lines up with the Y or X world axis.

Now it may well not be lined up perfectly centrally with the edge but the alignment will be right. You can then easily grab and move in each axis in turn until it does. (the point of choosing an edge that is on the X or Y axis.)

When you have that one in place, you can set and place your origin point or 3d cursor as a pivot point and rotate array, or copy then rotate one at a time to fill in the whole tent.

Though I saw you get answered in discord. Here is better but may have a bit of a delay.

[FedPete]

Much better sollution!