This article explains how to use the drawing snaps to the drawing.tool. When modeling your building in the drawing.tool, the snapping toggles allows for precisely placing lines, vertices, and objects on the canvas. Using the snapping toggles correctly when modeling will enhance drawing speed, efficiency, and accuracy.

Snap toggles, also known as object snaps, are constraints applied to the exact placement of an object on the canvas. When some snap toggles are active, moving the cursor near a specified point will allow easier selection of that point. Other snap toggles allow you to drag or draw an object along a constrained axis. All snap toggles can be helpful, however some snaps are more helpful for specific conditions over others.

When drawing a line, there will be multiple points to snap to on-screen at any given time. You can snap onto Endpoints, Lines, Grid, objects (Osnap), objects (OSnaps), along a constrained axis (Angles), and projection snapping (Ortho). Snap toggles are meant to be use together to provide an easy means of controlling the drawing experience on the platform.

Endpoint snapping is the ability to snap to vertices of lines and shapes. This is one of the default snaps. Endpoint snaps are especially useful when connecting walls and while aligning walls between floors. The solid lines mark the walls on the higher floor while the dotted ones mark the walls on the lower floor. It also allows for the ability to draw a new wall from an existing vertex. Endpoints appear as blue circles on the canvas.

Using Endpoint snaps

Endpoint snaps are most commonly used while creating geometry on the platform. When closing rooms it is especially helpful to keep Endpoint snaps on so that rooms close cleanly. We recommend keeping Endpoint snaps on when tracing an image.

Line snapping allows for snapping to any point on walls and lines. Lines that can be snapped to are highlighted in blue are made bold when they are selected. This is one of the default snaps.

Using Line snaps

Line snapping is useful when creating rooms that are not defined by another rooms endpoint. For example if you are dividing a room in the center. We recommend keeping Line snaps and using with Endpoint snaps.
​

Grid snapping allows for snapping to the visual grid on the canvas. A crosshair will show the snap location which will be either to the grid intersection, or half grids if zoomed in. The grid is 2 feet by 2 feet in IP and 1 meter by 1 meter in SI. Grid is not one of the default snaps.

Using Grid snaps

We recommend using Grid snapping for projects without an image or dxf background. Grid snaps should also be used alone, meaning that other snap options should be toggled off to avoid endpoints being placed in undesired locations.

4. Object

Object snapping (OSnap) allows for extending a line along the alignment of a current object. The OSnap will allow the next point to aligned with the object regardless of if there is a right angle created. This is not one of the default snaps.

Using Osnap

Object snaps are helpful when a project has many walls that are not at right angles. By turning on object snap you will be able to keep alignment with walls regardless of the complex angle required. Note, the entire project can also be rotated to allow drawing at right angles, therefore we recommend only using Osnaps if required for a specific portion of the building.

Angle snapping allows for drawing lines at specific angles. These angles are dependent on the your current zoom level and are displayed in the footer bar. Angle is one of the default snaps.

Using Angle Snaps

We recommend using angle snaps when creating geometry based on an image or CAD file. Zooming in will provide tighter angle snapping, however should there be a need for a different angle, this snap can be turned off temporarily.

Ortho snapping projects a right angle line in alignment with other walls and endpoints to assist with alignment or drawing rectangular spaces. When drawing a wall, a blue projection line appears when it intersects with the same x or y value of a nearby wall's endpoint. Ortho is one of the default snaps.

Using Ortho Snap

We recommend using Ortho snap when creating geometry based on an image or CAD file. By combining Ortho, Endpoint, Line, and Angle the majority of geometry conditions can be drawn quickly and cleanly!

Happy Modeling!