Draft Snap

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Description

The Draft Workbench tools allow you to pick points, distances, radiuses, and angles graphically by clicking on the 3D view with the pointer.

However, when these parameters need to be precise, it is possible to enter the exact Draft Coordinates in the dialog for the tool.

Another way of selecting more precise points is by using 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:Snap Lock.svg Draft ToggleSnap button, located in the snap toolbar, which can be made active with the menu View → Toolbars → Draft Snap. Each snap method can be enabled or disabled individually by clicking the corresponding button on the toolbar.

While using many snapping methods at the same time can be useful to draw your objects in the desired positions, it can also be problematic if your cursor attaches constantly to the wrong points. If this is the case, try using only one snapping method at the time.

Line snapping perpendicularly to another line

Available snap locations

Advanced snapping

  • Additional snap locations can be obtained by combining two snapping methods, such as Draft Ortho and Draft Extension, that will give you a snap point at the intersection of their imaginary lines.
  • Other snap locations can be obtained by using Draft Constrains, that is, by holding Shift or pressing X, Y or Z while drawing.
  • Press Q while drawing to insert a "hold point" at the current location of the cursor. You will then be able to snap orthogonally to these hold points, and at the intersections of their orthogonal axes. If Draft Midpoint snapping is enabled, you will also be able to snap at the mid distance between any two hold points. introduced in version 0.17

Options

  • Toggle grid: turns the working plane grid on and off.
  • File:Snap Lock.svg Lock: turns snapping on and off globally.
  • The maximum distance at which a point is considered a snapping point is specified in the Draft Preferences, and can also be changed on-the-fly by pressing [ (increase) or ] (decrease) keys.
  • Pressing A while drawing locks the current angle of the line segment being drawn.