How can I move and place items properly?

In Skyrim, is there a more convenient way to place items around instead of holding e, and trying to fidget them in the right direction?

Say I have a book, and I want align it on top of the desk like this:

+-----------------------------+
| |
| +-------+ |
| | book || |
| | of || |
| | lolz || |
| +______|| |
| |
+-----------------------------+

What is the easiest way of doing this?

10

4 Answers

I haven't tried it, but I found these commands:

GetPos <axis>
SetPos <axis> <value>
GetAngle <axis>
SetAngle <axis> <value>

with explanations near the bottom of this page that might help.

2

Placing items is really annoying. This is what I do to put something flat on a table surface:

• Drop the item on the floor. If it doesn't land flat, drop it again or fidget it flat.
• Walk around the item on the floor until the item looks to you like the orientation you want.
• Hold grab to pick it up in that orientation.
• Move the item into place.

1

The game sometimes throws your items around after you reload the house, to keep them in place you need to do the following:

1. switch to first person
2. place the item where you want it
3. save while you're in first person and looking AT the item (important)
4. reload save

it should stay in place after you do this.

1

1. getpos [axis] = returns the position in axis value of the selected object – getpos x
2. setpos [axis] [value] = sets the position of the selected object –setpos z 200
3. getangle [axis] = returns the angle of the selected object –getangle y
4. setangle [axis] [value] = sets the angle of the selected object –setangle x 45
5. rotate [axis] [value] = rotates the selected object manually –rotate x 45

Your axis are X,Y,Z

Helpful when placing or positioning objects:

1. disable = disable object (click on object first to retrieve item code)
2. markfordelete = permanently remove object (click on object first to retrieve item code)
3. player.placeatme [item_code] = place any object or item at your current position
4. tcl = toggle clipping, you won't collide with objects and gravity has no effect on you, allows you to place objects on high walls, ceilings and up in the air if you like
5. twf = toggle wireframe, gives you a wireframe perspective of your surroundings and objects

Objects can be placed regardless of clipping or collisions with other objects, but you may find that returning after the location cell has reloaded that these objects have moved again.
Circumvent this by "picking up" the item after positioning it through the console, then "dropping" it again. While doing this, take care not to shift or move the item (this can prove difficult sometimes), the method here is to "reset" the item with clipping and object collision on.

Clipping seems to toggle off once you start redefining an item's positioning with absolute values, you can leave your book half poking out the desk and walk out the building, it's fine - until you come back to find the book tossed across the room by physics. "Resetting" an object this way, after moving it around, can save you that surprise later.
I had to deal with this problem while attempting to place a map of the dragon burials on a table top, problem was my z axis value for positioning was actually clipping into the table surface, when I returned the map was lying beneath the table, as though it had "fallen through".

This doesn't seem to be the case with CONT objects like "apiaries" or "strongboxes".