Draft Snap: Difference between revisions

From FreeCAD Documentation
Line 35: Line 35:


== Available snap options ==
== Available snap options ==

These tools are available in the Draft snap toolbar and in the [[Draft_snap_widget|Draft snap widget]].


<!--T:19-->
<!--T:19-->

Revision as of 09:18, 29 July 2021

This documentation is a work in progress. Please don't mark it as translatable since it will change in the next hours and days.

Description

The Draft Workbench tools allow you to pick points and distances by clicking on the 3D view with the pointer, or by entering coordinates in the task panel of the tool.

Another way of selecting points is by snapping. Snapping means "gluing" your next point onto an existing point or feature of another object.

Snapping is available with most Draft and Arch Workbench tools, and can be enabled and disabled globally with the File:Draft ToggleSnap.svg Toggle snap button, located in the snap toolbar: View → Toolbars → Draft Snap.

Line snapping perpendicularly to another line

Available snap options

These tools are available in the Draft snap toolbar and in the Draft snap widget.

  • File:Snap Angle.svg Angle: snaps to the special cardinal points of arc and circle segments, at multiples of 30° and 45°.

Advanced snapping

  • Press ` one or more times to snap to an object that is obscured by other geometry. This is called "snap cycling". Note that you must move the pointer by a small amount in the 3D view after pressing the key.
  • Additional snap points can be obtained by combining two snap options. For example combining Draft Snap Ortho and Draft Snap Extension will give you a snap point at the intersection of their imaginary lines.
  • Other snap points can be obtained by using Draft Constraints: by holding Shift, or pressing X, Y or Z.
  • Press Q to insert a "hold point" at the current location of the pointer. You can snap to the orthogonal axes of hold points, and to the intersections of these axes. If the Draft Snap Midpoint option is enabled, you can also snap to the midpoint between two hold points.

Notes

  • It is advisable to only activate the snap options you really need. Activating too many can slow things down.
  • It is not a good idea to have Draft Snap Near permanently active.

Preferences

See also: Preferences Editor and Draft Preferences.

  • When a Draft or Arch command requiring point input is active, the maximum distance at which Draft Snap Grid detects the intersections of grid lines can be changed by pressing [ (increase key) or ] (decrease key). This setting is stored: Tools → Edit parameters... → BaseApp → Preferences → Mod → Draft → snapRange. It can also be changed in the task panel of the Draft SelectPlane command.
  • To only snap when the Snap mod key is held down:
    • Uncheck: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Grid and snapping → Snapping → Always snap (disable snap mod).
    • The default Snap mod key, Ctrl, can be changed: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Grid and snapping → Snapping → Snap mod.
  • To only show the Draft Snap toolbar when a command is active:
    • Check: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Grid and snapping → Snapping → Show Draft Snap toolbar.
    • Check: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Grid and snapping → Snapping → Hide Draft Snap toolbar after use.
  • The snap symbols can be changed: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Visual settings → Visual settings → Snap symbol style.
  • The color of the snap symbols can be changed: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Visual settings → Visual settings → Color.
  • The mentioned single character keyboard shortcuts can be changed: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → User interface settings → In-Command Shortcuts.