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This might be a pretty newbish question, but I've just started learning Blender and I'm having a really hard time doing some precision work. I have two objects and I'm trying to snap them to each other (using the snap settings) by their edges (illustrated in the picture), so I can later combine them into one. I tried many things, but none of them seem to work. Could you please help me, or give me a link to some good tutorial concerning that topic?

Thanks.

connect objects by edge

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7 Answers 7

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With the current snapping tools (this will hopefully be better one day), you have to join the objects first.

After joining the two objects CtrlJ, and entering edit mode you will be able to snap one edge (or vertex) to another.

Select all of one of the pieces L, and then make the edge you want to snap the active edge.

With snapping set to Edge and the Snap Target set to Active you will be able to snap the active edge to the other object.
snapping buttons in 3D view header

animated gif

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you so very much :D . I was sure I tried that approach before and it didn't work, but after reading your answer I tested it and it worked flawlessly :) . Thanks again and have a great day! $\endgroup$
    – Barker
    Commented Oct 10, 2015 at 18:07
  • $\begingroup$ SAVED MY DAY, thank you so much! $\endgroup$
    – imbr
    Commented Sep 5, 2020 at 12:24
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Select one cube, then enable the snap during transform option (click on the magnet icon), change the snap element to Vertex and snap target to Closest. Move the cube (G) along X,Y and Z axis until it snaps to the proper place. enter image description here

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You can do this with Mesh Align Plus (my addon). After installing the addon, either watch the steps in the GIF or read the text version below (there are multiple ways to achieve this, the method below matches point locations):

Aligning two objects by points

The feature you're looking for is the Quick Align Points operator in the 3D View > Tools Panel (T) > Mesh Align Plus Tab, in its own panel.

1. Pick a destination target (stationary point that you're aligning to)

  • In edit mode (Tab), right click to select the vert you want to align your object with
  • Hit Grab Destination

2. Pick a source target (point that will be aligned with the destination)

  • In edit mode (Tab), right click to select the vert that needs to line up with the destination when the alignment is applied. Leave it selected (and make sure "Auto Grab Source" is checked).

3. Apply the operation

  • Make sure the object you want to move is selected, and (in object mode or edit mode) hit Apply to: Object
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    $\begingroup$ I would suggest you not add the same (or nearly the same) "answer" to every question where your addon can be used. As it is now your answers are nothing more then a link and a gif. Please explain the important steps in text. Gifs are great, but should not make up then entirety of the answer. $\endgroup$
    – David
    Commented Aug 6, 2016 at 22:45
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    $\begingroup$ These answers aren't the same, they're disparate use cases (they use different parts of the addon and operate on different features on the mesh). I've added a text explanation as well, which should both provide extra detail and give some context. $\endgroup$
    – egtwobits
    Commented Aug 7, 2016 at 13:09
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For high precision work it's often useful to position the 3D cursor using Shift S to a specific vertex in edit mode.

Then, in object mode, change the origin of the object to the 3D cursor (ie the vertex position) using Shift CTRL ALT C (please change this shortcut to something sane).

Repeat for the other object.

Now simply change the position X Y Z coordinates in the Information panel to the same values to position them perfectly.

The snapping approach in the other answer is quicker but this approach is useful in many situations where you want precision /snapping is difficult due to complex mesh etc.

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Actually I found out that this can be done without any plugin installed or having your objects modified or merged. It's a bit tricky, so if You do it often it can be tedious.

  1. Get to edit mode select source target edge
  2. Snap 3DCursor to that edge (shift+s)
  3. Change Pivot Point to 3DCursor
  4. Enable Snap
  5. Change Snap Element to Edge
  6. Change Snap Target to Center
  7. Move object (restrict to x/y plane)

enter image description here

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It can be done without changing pivot point or origin, the thing is getting close before trying to snap. And doing the last step in Edit mode may be easier, especially if it's a more complex mesh.

In Object mode align object close to the object/place you want to snap to. Then turn on Snap, Snapping Edge or Vertex, Target Closest.

In Edit mode, Press A to Select All of your object. Important: Place your mouse cursor right at the place it should snap to. Use wire frame if needed. If you press G and if you're lucky, it should now just jump to place. If not, move closer by moving one axis at the time, like G-X, G-Y etc.

However, placing the mouse cursor on the right spot seems to be the trick.

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I haven't been able to get the snapping to work with edges in blender 3.6.2. After a while I tried snapping by vertices instead, and it works exactly as described in the accepted answer! Here's the settings that worked for me, in case someone is trying this with the same version.

Snap mode settings

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