To snap an object as you draw it, drag in the drawing window and release the mouse button when the snap point in the target object becomes highlighted.

To set snapping options

1Click View ` Snap to objects setup.

2In the Snapping modes area, enable one or more of the mode check boxes. If you want to enable all snapping modes, click Select all.

If you want to disable all snapping modes, but without turning off snapping, click

Deselect all.

3Choose one of the following snapping options from the Snapping threshold list box:

•Low — activates a snap point when it is four screen pixels away from the pointer

•Medium — activates a snap point when it is eight screen pixels away from the

pointer

• High — activates a snap point when it is sixteen screen pixels away from the pointer

You can also

Display or hide snapping mode indicators	Enable or disable the Show snap location
	marks check box.
Display or hide screen tips	Enable or disable the Screen tip check box.

Using dynamic guides

You can display dynamic guides to help you precisely move, align, and draw objects relative to other objects. Dynamic guides are temporary guidelines that you can pull from the following snap points in objects — center, node, quadrant, and text baseline. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects” on page 84.

As you drag an object along a dynamic guide, you can view the object’s distance from the snap point used to create the dynamic guide, and place the object precisely. You can use dynamic guides to place objects in relation to other objects as you draw them. You can also display intersecting dynamic guides and then place an object at the intersection point.

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A dynamic guide was pulled from a node in the bolt on the left. The screen tip beside the node displays the angle of the dynamic guide(0º)and the distance between the node and the pointer (1.5”). The bolt on the right was dragged along the dynamic guide and positioned precisely 1.5 inches away from the node used to generate the dynamic guide.

Dynamic guides contain invisible divisions called ticks to which your pointer gravitates. Ticks let you move objects with precision along a dynamic guide. You can adjust tick spacing to suit your needs, and you can disable snapping to ticks. You can set other options for dynamic guides. For example, you can choose to display dynamic guides at one or more preset angles, or at custom angles you specify. A preview of the angle settings you choose is available. When you no longer need a dynamic guideline at a certain angle, you can delete the angle settings. You can also display dynamic guides that are extensions of line segments.

An example of a dynamic guide that is an extension of a line segment

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You can turn off dynamic guides at any time.

To enable or disable dynamic guides

• Click View ` Dynamic guides.

A check mark beside the Dynamic guides command indicates that dynamic guides are enabled.

You can toggle dynamic guides on and off by clicking the Dynamic guides button on the property bar or by pressing Shift+Alt+D.

To display dynamic guides

1With dynamic guides enabled, click a drawing tool.

2Move the pointer over and then off an eligible snap point of an object.

3Repeat step 2 with other objects to display other dynamic guides.

The snap points you point to are registered in a queue and are used to create dynamic guides.

The eligible snap points — node, center, quadrant, and text baseline snap points — display only when the corresponding snapping modes are activated. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects” on page 84.

To avoid displaying too many dynamic guides, you can clear the queue of points at any time by clicking in the drawing window or pressing Esc.

You can use the snap points you registered to display intersecting dynamic guides. To do this, you first display a dynamic guide and then move the pointer along the dynamic guide to where an intersecting dynamic guide would display from a registered snap point.

To place an object in relation to another object

1 With dynamic guides enabled, select an object.

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If you want to move the object by a specific snap point, move the pointer over the snap point until the snap point becomes highlighted.

2Drag the object to an eligible snap point of the target object.

3When the snap point of the target object becomes highlighted, drag the object along the dynamic guide to position it.

To draw an object in relation to another object

1With dynamic guides enabled, click a drawing tool.

2Move the pointer over an eligible snap point of an object.

3When the snap point becomes highlighted, move the pointer to display a dynamic guide.

4Move the pointer along the dynamic guide to where you want, and drag to draw an object.

To place an object at the intersection of dynamic guides

1With dynamic guides enabled, select an object.

If you want to move the object by a specific snap point, move the pointer over the snap point until the snap point becomes highlighted.

2Drag the object to an eligible snap point of another object, and drag to display a dynamic guide. Don’t release the mouse button.

3Drag the object to another eligible snap point, and when the snap point becomes highlighted, drag to display another dynamic guide to where the two dynamic guides would intersect.

4When the intersection point displays, release the mouse button.

Below is an example of using intersecting dynamic guidelines to position a washer in relation to two other objects — another washer and a bolt.

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