What is it?

Radial array - the thing that seems to be missing from Blender, but in every other 3D software.  There are ways to do it, but they mostly work on mesh data and don't create new objects.  

Step in, Flexible Radial Array.  Much like other 3D software it will allow you to make radial arrays of objects and still keep them as objects.  Make regular copies or make duplicates (instanced objects).  Perform aligning, rotating, scaling along the circle.  Make semi-circles and spirals.  It should contain everything you'd ever need in a radial array.

UI

Distribution Method

Distribute by total object count or relative step.

Copy Method

Make each object a straight copy or duplicate (instances).

Multi-Object Method

This option only appears if you have multiple objects selected.  Choose from Relational, Sequential or Random Sequential.

Align To

Align the whole array to the world, cursor, active object or the view.

Axis

Which axis to align the array to.

Radii Method

Use a single radii for the whole array, or interpolate in a linear way or a smooth way from start to finish.

Radius Start/End

Values for the start end of the radii.

Radius X/Y Scale

Alter the X or Y of the circle to allow you to make oval shapes.

Angle Total

How far round the circle you want to go.  Or go more than 360 degrees to make spirals.

Angle Offset

Rotate the start point of the array.

Height

Raise the array from start to finish.  Use this to make helix or spirals.

Align Array Objects

Make the objects align themselves to the circle, making them fan out.

Ignore Children

If some of the selected objects have children, then this will skip over them.  Otherwise the children will be included even if they are not selected.

Translation, Rotation, Scale Options

All three of these sections use the same basic options...

Method

Choose from Single, Linear or Smooth.

Start\End

The start and end  X,Y,Z values.

How to use

Very simply select some objects and fire up the operator.  Just play with the settings and you'll see the effects.  They should all be very obvious.

If you select multiple objects then they will all be used in the array.  They will maintain their spatial relationship to each other when they are used in the array.  no extra steps will be needed.

If you select an object and it has children, then they will also be used in the array.  You don't need to have the children selected for them to be used.  You can check the "Ignore children" option to bypass this behavior. 

Some examples

Simple array with each part of the boat as a separate object and setting the copies to align.

The same Benchy boat, but with the multi object method set to sequential.  Use it to distribute objects with slight variations, like fence posts or stone tiles.

Version history

• 1.0.0 Initial release
• 1.0.1 Moved addon to its own sub directory to avoid conflicts.  Please remove the old version before installing this one.  Corrected bad version string.

Documentation and help

If you would like to read the documentation, then please visit Here

If you have questions/bugs/suggestions, please contact me Here