Snapping Techniques

A variety of settings and options combine to facilitate drawing with snapping. Several types of snap types and snapping indicators assist with snapping. The snap loupe temporarily zooms into the drawing view near the cursor to obtain a snap in a complex drawing.

Snapping is used with the feedback segment preview line that displays while drawing with most tools. For example, when drawing a line, you may want it to be vertical, and also aligned with a point on your drawing. To do this, set a smart point (with extension lines) on the point to align to. Angle snapping should be enabled (because it snaps to the vertical) along with smart point snapping. The feedback segment of the line snaps to the vertical and to the smart point, and a second click finishes drawing the line.

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Several areas in the program control the various aspects of snapping.

Functionality
Location/Description

Enable/disable snapping tools

Snapping palette

Enable/disable individual snapping parameters

SmartCursor Settings dialog box

Change the appearance of snap points and indicators

Interactive Appearance Settings dialog box; Configuring Interactive Display

Enable/disable snap box, selection box, and acquisition hints

Interactive tab of Vectorworks preferences

Change the appearance of the snap box and selection box

Interactive tab of Vectorworks preferences

Save snap settings as a script

Custom Tool/Attribute command; Creating Custom Tool/Attribute Scripts

Change snapping shortcut keys

Keys tab of the Workspace Editor; Modifying Special Shortcuts

Snapping to objects in other layers or in classes or layers set to gray

Class and layer option commands; Setting Visibility with Class and Design Layer Options

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Concept: Snapping Indicators

Creating Vector Locks

Using the Snap Loupe

Setting Snapping Parameters

SmartCursor Cues

Vectorworks Preferences: Interactive Tab

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