Multiply & Distribute
Duplicates the selected object several times and distributes the copies in one step — horizontally, vertically, diagonally, in a circle, along an arc, as a grid, or along a selected guide line. The copies can be coloured and labelled sequentially at the same time.
The tool is on the PPPTools ribbon tab, in the Distribute group. It is available without limits from the Standard licence tier upwards.
Multiple objects & groups
A multi-selection or a group is treated as a single unit and duplicated as a whole. Exception: if a guide line (freeform or line) is selected, it acts as the path — see below.
The dialog
A live preview at the top shows how the copies will be arranged, coloured and labelled. It reacts instantly to every setting before anything is written to the slide.
Below it the settings are split into two columns: Arrangement on the left, Colour and Numbering on the right. At the bottom are ↺ Last (restores the settings you used last), Apply and Cancel.
Arrangement
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Copies | Number of copies to create. |
| Count original | Counts the source object as the first element of the series (affects colour and numbering). |
| Direction | Horizontal · Vertical · Diagonal · Circle · Arc · Grid · Path (Path only when a guide line is selected). |
| Spacing | Equal · Fixed (in points) · Stacked. |
| Grid | For “Grid”: number of columns plus horizontal and vertical spacing. |
| Radius / Arc | For “Circle” and “Arc”: radius and — for the arc — the swept angle. |
| Rotate | Rotates the copies to follow the arrangement (e.g. along the circle or path). |
| Hub | For “Circle”: keeps the original as the centre object (hub-and-spoke layout). |
| Shrink | Scales the copies down progressively, in percent. |
Along a guide line (path)
If a freeform or line is selected when you open the tool, it is recognised as a guide line and the Path direction becomes available. The copies are then distributed evenly along the line; with Rotate they align tangentially to the path.
Colour
The copies can be coloured using the same palettes as the Word Cloud and Puzzle tools.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Colour | Off · Gradient (smooth transition across the series) · Cyclic (palette repeats). |
| Palette | Choose from the PPPTools colour palettes. |
| Transparency fade | Fades the copies out progressively; the target is given in percent. |
Numbering
Each copy can be labelled automatically.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Label | Off · Numbers · Letters (A, B, C …) · Weekdays · Custom list. |
| Start value | First value of the series (e.g. start at 3). |
| Custom list | For “Custom list”: one label per line. |
Last used
The ↺ Last button restores the settings from your previous run — handy for repeating the same arrangement with a different object.