ℹ️ This feature is available to all users.
Sketching the foundations of 3D bodies requires accuracy. To be able to sketch with correct dimensions on the fly, use snapping guides as a visual aid.
In general, you can snap your sketch to any line, arc, intersection. Select in the title bar to access the settings for snapping.
These are the switches:
- Grid
If you turn this on, it forces your sketches to snap to a specific grid point. You’ll see a purple line like in this GIF, to guide your line. If you turn it off, then you can draw a line anywhere on the grid, without your line’s end point snapping to a grid point.
Turn on:
Turn off: -
Sketch Guide Lines
If you turn this on, you can see purple lines that are guides to ensure you’re moving your sketch lines horizontally or vertically or to a specific point (either along or at the end of a line, the center of an existing face or a sketch). It will also show you an extension of any existing lines, so you can make sure your sketch lines are equal, horizontal, vertical, symmetrical, tangent, perpendicular, or parallel, in relation to lines, points, and centers.
Also, a purple line will appear along your existing line when you select the line so you can see where the line would extend. If you draw an arc, then you’ll see two purple lines that represent the diameter of the circle when you select the arc. If you have multiple arcs, you can see purple lines that connect one arc’s center to the other arc’s center and points. - Sketch Guide Points
If you turn this on, you can snap to midpoints and endpoints of sketches. -
3D Guide Points
If you turn this on, you can snap to midpoints and endpoints of 3D bodies’ edges, centers of faces, arcs, holes, etc. - Guide Points
If you turn this on, the midpoints, endpoints, and centers will appear when you try to snap to it, or when you create a new shape. This switch can only be turned on if either or both Sketch Guide Points and 3D Guide Points are turned on. -
Snapping Hints
If you turn this on, you will see labels for snapping points, such as “endpoint,” “midpoint,” “sketch center.”
When you snap to a point on a line or arc, the snapping is indicated by a purple circle. When you snap to edges, that’s indicated by a purple cube.
You can only use snapping for connected sketches, but if you hover over another sketch, you can create a snapping relation with that, too.
Different type of snaps:
-
Line extensions
Select a line. You can immediately snap to its extension, too.
-
Splines
Guides can indicate the local minimums and maximums of your splines, helping you snap in relation to where your splines are. -
X-Y-Z axes
You can snap to the X, Y, and Z axes. When you snap to them, you can see the axis name. -
Midpoints
You can snap to midpoints, or the middle of a line. -
Sketch and face centers
If you create simple geometry—rectangles, circles, and triangles—the center is automatically created, and you can snap to them.