Transform

The Transform tool changes the selected objects with typed values. It rotates, skews, scales, mirrors, offsets and buffers them. Use it when you need an exact move, rotation or size, not a mouse action.

Where to find it

• Menu: Options > Transform.
• Keyboard: Alt+T. The menu shows Alt+R for Transform by mistake. Alt+R opens Rules Check.
• The panel opens in a tab next to Project and Properties. The tab shows the plugin name.

Quick start

1. Select the objects to change in the Project tree.
2. Open the tool with Alt+T.
3. Keep Reference at Selection. Each action then uses the center of the selected objects.
4. To rotate, type an angle in Angle, then click Rotate. Positive values turn clockwise.
5. To move, type a value in X val or Y val, then click Offset X, Offset Y or Offset X/Y.
6. To scale, type a factor in X factor, then click Scale X. Keep Link on to scale both axes.
7. Check the result on the canvas. Use Undo if it is not what you need.

Screenshot placeholder: images/Transform-1.png — the Transformation panel with the Reference section and the Rotate and Scale frames.

Parameters

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
Reference (combo box)	The reference point for Rotate, Skew, Scale and Mirror. Offset does not use it. See the list below.	Selection
Value (point entry)	A point in the format X,Y. Shown when Reference is Point.	0, 0
Add	Fills Value from the clipboard. Shown when Reference is Point.	—
Type (Gerber / Excellon / Geometry)	The type of the reference object. Shown when Reference is Object.	Gerber
Object combo box (no label)	The reference object. Shown when Reference is Object.	—

Reference (combo values):

• Origin: The point 0, 0.
• Selection: The center of the bounding box of the selected objects.
• Point: A custom point. Type it in Value.
• Object: The center of the bounding box of the object you pick in the combo box.

Rotate

Parameter	Description	Default
Angle	The angle in degrees. Range -360 to 360. Positive values turn clockwise. Negative values turn counter-clockwise. Step 45. Wraps at the limits.	45
Rotate	Rotates the selected objects around the reference point. A value of 0 or 360 shows a warning.	—

Skew/Shear

Parameter	Description	Default
Link (checkbox)	Uses the X angle for both axes. The Y angle box is hidden while the link is on.	On
X angle	The skew angle on X, in degrees. Range -360 to 360.	0.0
Y angle	The skew angle on Y, in degrees. Range -360 to 360. Hidden when Link is on.	0.0
Skew X	Skews the selected objects on X around the reference point.	—
Skew Y	Skews the selected objects on Y around the reference point. Hidden when Link is on.	—
Skew X/Y	Skews on both axes. With Link on, the X angle is used for both.	—

Scale

Parameter	Description	Default
Link (checkbox)	Uses the X factor for both axes. The Y factor box is hidden while the link is on.	On
X factor	The scale factor on X. Range -1000000 to 1000000. A factor of 0 or 1 shows a warning.	1.0
Y factor	The scale factor on Y. Hidden when Link is on.	1.0
Scale X	Scales the selected objects on X around the reference point.	—
Scale Y	Scales the selected objects on Y around the reference point. Hidden when Link is on.	—
Scale X/Y	Scales on both axes. With Link on, the X factor is used for both.	—

Mirror

Parameter	Description	Default
Flip X	Mirrors the X coordinate over the Y axis.	—
Flip Y	Mirrors the Y coordinate over the X axis.	—

Offset

Parameter	Description	Default
X val	The distance to move on X, in mm (or inch in an inch project).	0.0
Y val	The distance to move on Y, in mm (or inch in an inch project).	0.0
Offset X	Moves the selected objects by the X val.	—
Offset Y	Moves the selected objects by the Y val.	—
Offset X/Y	Moves the selected objects by both values.	—

Buffer

Parameter	Description	Default
Rounded (checkbox)	On: the buffer has rounded corners. Off: the buffer follows the exact shape of each element.	On
Distance	The distance to grow (positive) or shrink (negative) each geometry element. In mm (or inch in an inch project). Range -10000 to 10000.	0.0
Buffer D	Applies the Distance buffer to the selected objects. A value of 0 shows a warning.	—
Value (percent)	Grows (positive) or shrinks (negative) each element by a percentage of its size. Range -100 to 1000 %.	100 %
Buffer F	Applies the Value buffer to the selected objects. A value of 0 shows a warning.	—

Buttons

Button	Description	Default
Reset Tool	Resets the tool parameters.	—

Advanced

• Reference Object. The reference is the center of the object's bounding box. It is not the center of the copper.
• Buffer F. The value is a percentage. A Value of 100 % makes the factor 2. A Value of -50 % makes the factor 0.5.
• Buffer and shape. The buffer does not keep the shape of the object. It grows or shrinks each element. Use Object Operations for other shape changes.
• CNCJob objects. Rotate, skew, scale and offset also change CNCJob G-code. Buffer does not apply to CNCJob objects.
• Units. Distance and X val / Y val use mm (or inch in an inch project). Angles are in degrees.
• Saved values. The boxes keep the values you type. The defaults come from the tools_transform_* preferences. See Preferences-Utilities.
• Tcl. The Tcl commands buffer, mirror, offset, scale and skew exist for these operations. There is no Tcl rotate command. See Tcl Command Reference.

See also

• Move — move by picking two points on the canvas.
• Align Objects — align objects by picked points.
• Object Operations — other object edits.
• Subtract — cut one object out of another.
• Tcl Command Reference