Define snap settings

Tools tab > Drawing settings group > Osnap, OSNAP

Object snap is used to make it easier to enter points into exact locations. Object snap forces the picked point to a part of an object according to the selected object snap mode. So, if you want to draw a line that is attached to the endpoint of another line, select the object snap mode Endpoint. That forces the point into the endpoint of the line if the cursor is on the line. The point is marked with a diamond shape. If you then click to place a point, the point is inserted into the marked point, not the point where the cursor is.

The points that you enter using the keyboard are not affected by object snap.

Note that object snap forces the point to parts of the object that you indicate with your cursor. So, if you want to force the point to the center of a circle, you have to move the cursor over the circumference of the circle. If you move the cursor near the actual center of the circle, object snap does not force the point to it because you are no longer indicating an object with the cursor.

You can turn on object snap permanently or temporarily for one input.

Snap settings

Do the following:

1. Select Tools > Osnap. The Drafting settings dialog opens.

2. Select whether to turn object snap on or off.

3. If you want to see an indicator around the crosshair, do the following:

   1. Select Indicator.

   2. Select whether the indicator is shown as a box or a circle.

   3. Select Active if you want to mark the forced point with a diamond shape.

   4. Select Show mode icon in crosshair if you want to see the icon of the mode next to the crosshair. This is useful if you select multiple modes and want to know the mode that the object snap uses when it forces a point.

   5. Select Show snap coordinates in crosshair if you want to see the snap coordinates and not the cursor coordinates next to the crosshair.

4. Select the modes you want to use. You can select multiple modes. In this case, the program forces the point to the nearest point that fits some of the selected modes. It is not recommended to select other modes if you select the Nearest mode because the program would not look for other points than the nearest point.

5. Select the aperture of the indicator which defines how far away the cursor has to be from the object for object snap to work.

6. If you selected the Angle mode, enter the angle you want to use.

7. Select Snap point's Z coordinate to elevation, if you want that the forced point uses the selected elevation as its Z coordinate. If you leave the setting clear, object snap forces the point to the exact location of the point.

8. Select whether to exclude external reference elements from object snap.

9. Click OK.

You can also edit object snap settings by double-clicking the object snap icon in the lower right corner of the screen. You can also set the basic settings by right-clicking the snap icon. When snap is on, the icon is dark gray.

You can also turn object snap on and off by clicking on the object snap icon in the Basic 2 toolbar. When snap is on, the icon is surrounded by a box.

Object snap modes

The object snap mode defines the part of the object where the point is forced to when the cursor is on an object.

Endpoint	Forces points to the endpoints of objects, such as line start points and end points and polyline vertex points
Center	Forces points to line, arc, and circle centerpoints
Midpoint	Forces points to line midpoints, arc perimeter midpoints, and polyline segment midpoints
Intersection	Forces points to intersections between lines, polylines, arcs, circles, ellipses, splines, and circles
Nearest	Forces points to the nearest point of object
Node	Forces points to node points which are created using the POINT command (used in symbols to create 'grip' points) Forces points to points (POINT objects and basepoints of symbols, texts, attributes and tolerances).
Basepoint	Forces points to symbols and reference drawings basepoints
Angle	Forces points to an angle, so that when you point to a circle or an arc, the point snaps to the closest perimeter point (on the ring of the circle) set by the object snap angle
Perpendicular	Forces points to the perpendicular, so that when you point to a line, an arc, a circle, or a polyline segment, the point snaps to it perpendicularly
Tangent	Forces points to tangents, so that when you point to a circle or an arc, the point snaps to it tangentially
Apparent intersection	If two objects are not on the same plane, they may not have an actual intersection point. Forces points to the apparent intersections depending on the viewpoint. The resulting points are inserted into the current coordinate level.

Tip: Snap icons change to green when Snap point's Z coordinate to elevation setting is selected.

Temporary object snap

You can turn on temporary object snap for one input.

Do the following:

1. Press Shift and right-click at the same time.

2. Select the object snap mode you want to use for the next input.

   You can select the usual snap modes as well as additional modes, such as the middle of a rectangle or the midpoint between two points.

If permanent snap is on when you turn on temporary snap, it turns off for the duration of the input and then turns back on.

Temporary snap reversed state

You can temporarily reverse the state of object snap by pressing Ctrl. The state of object snap is reversed as long as you hold Ctrl down.