\documentclass[landscape]{article}
\usepackage[svgnames]{xcolor}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{backgrounds}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=.5,
show background rectangle,
background rectangle/.style={fill=black},
color=white,help lines/.style={color=lightgray,line width=0.2pt}]
\draw (0,14) node[anchor=north west] {{\bf text}};
\draw (0,13.5) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,13) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,12.5) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,12) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,1) node[anchor=north west] {{\bf Deliberately left blank}};
% bounding box
\draw[style=help lines] (11,0.5) rectangle (12.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (11.75,0.5) rectangle (13.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (14,0.5) rectangle (15.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (14.75,0.5) rectangle (16.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (17,0.5) rectangle (18.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (17.75,0.5) rectangle (19.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (20,0.5) rectangle (21.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (20.75,0.5) rectangle (22.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (23,0.5) rectangle (24.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (23.75,0.5) rectangle (25.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,14) -- (26,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,11) -- (26,11);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,7.5) -- (26,7.5);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,3.5) -- (26,3.5);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,1) -- (26,1);
\draw (11,0.5) rectangle (26,14);
\draw (14,0.5) rectangle (23,14);
\draw (17,0.5) rectangle (20,14);
\draw (12.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 1};
\draw (15.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 2};
\draw (18.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 3};
\draw (21.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 4};
\draw (24.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 5};
% blocks
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (11,13) rectangle (13.25,13.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (11.75,12.5) rectangle (16.25,13);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (14,12) rectangle (17.75,12.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (15.5,11.5) rectangle (20,12);
%\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17,11) rectangle (17.75,11.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (13.25,10) rectangle (16.25,10.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (14.75,9.5) rectangle (18.5,10);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17,9) rectangle (20.75,9.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (18.5,8.5) rectangle (22.25,9);
%\filldraw[fill=Silver] (20.75,8) rectangle (20,8.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (14,6.5) rectangle (20,7);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (19.25,6) rectangle (24.5,6.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (15.5,5.5) rectangle (17.75,6);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17.75,5) rectangle (20, 5.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (20,4.5) rectangle (22.25,5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (22.25,4) rectangle (24.5,4.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (11,2.5) rectangle (13.25,3);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (13.25,2) rectangle (15.5,2.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (15.5,1.5) rectangle (24.5, 2);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17.75,1) rectangle (24.5,1.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (24.5,0.5) rectangle (26,1);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
I don't really get the question so I hope this is what you wanted. If you include a full document (such that we copy paste and see the problem on our systems) things are much more easier.
Here, you can change the default setting within a scope but your block
style had a node distance
which was resetting every time it is issued. I've made it 2mm such that we can see the difference easier.
\documentclass[tikz]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows,shapes.geometric,positioning}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[decision/.style={diamond, draw, text width=4.5em, text badly centered, node distance=3.5cm, inner sep=0pt},
block/.style ={rectangle, draw, text width=6em, text centered, rounded corners, minimum height=4em, minimum height=2em},
cloud/.style ={draw, ellipse, minimum height=2em},
line/.style ={draw,-latex'},
node distance = 1cm,
auto]
\node [block] (1st) {1st};
\node [block, right= of 1st] (2nd1) {2nd1};
\begin{scope}[node distance=2mm and 10mm]%Here we change it for everything inside this scope
\node [block, above= of 2nd1] (2nd2) {2nd2};
\node [block, below= of 2nd1] (2nd3) {2nd3};
\node [block, right= of 2nd1] (3rd1) {3rd1};
\node [block, above= of 3rd1] (3rd2) {3rd2};
\node [block, above= of 3rd2] (3rd3) {3rd3};
\end{scope}
\node [block, below= of 3rd1] (3rd4) {3rd4};
\node [block, below= of 3rd4] (3rd5) {3rd5};
\path [line] (1st) -- (2nd1);
\path [line] (2nd1) -- (2nd2);
\path [line] (2nd1) -- (2nd3);
\path [line] (2nd2) -- (3rd3);
\path [line] (2nd1) -- (3rd1);
\path [line] (1st) -- (2nd1);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
Best Answer
By default,
beamer
centers the frame content vertically.By changing one y coordinate value, the picture size changes, and so does the vertical position then, because of the centering. By changing all y values in the same way, the picture size remains the same, so all is centered again.
You could leave at least one invisible node or coordinate unchanged, to see an effect of changing y values.
For example, add
and then change the other nodes - all will move then.
For complete top alignment, simply use the
[t]
option to the frame: