Ortho, polar, tracking and grid

These status bar toggles help you place points accurately. Each one is switched with a function key or by clicking its button in the status bar.

Ortho

In the app: Help ▸ Show me

With Ortho on, the point following the previous one is restricted to horizontal or vertical. Use it for orthogonal lines and straight moves.

Polar tracking

In the app: Help ▸ Show me

Polar tracking shows a tracking line and a tooltip when the cursor is close to an angle that is a multiple of the increment, such as 45 degrees. Right-click POLAR to open the Drafting settings dialog and choose the increment angle (90, 45, 30, 22.5, 18, 15, 10 or 5 degrees). You can also type Additional angles, for example 12.5, 80.

Object snap tracking

In the app: Help ▸ Show me

With OTRACK on, rest the cursor briefly on a snap point (an endpoint, midpoint, centre and so on) to acquire it. Then move the cursor away: tracking lines run from the acquired point, and you can pick where two tracking lines cross, or a point in line with an existing feature. Rest on an acquired point again to release it. Acquiring needs object snaps to be on.

Typing a distance along the tracking line

While a tracking line is showing, type a distance on the command line and press Enter. The point is placed that distance along the line from its start.

Grid

In the app: Help ▸ Show me

F7 shows or hides the drawing grid. The GRID command sets it up:

• ON / OFF shows or hides the grid.
• Spacing, or just a number, sets the grid spacing and turns the grid on.
• Major sets how many grid lines make one major line (1 to 100).
• Style chooses Lines or Dots.

In a layout the spacing is in paper millimetres, separate from the model spacing.

Snap to grid

In the app: Help ▸ Show me

F9 makes the cursor jump to grid intervals. The SNAP command (SN) has ON, OFF and Spacing options. The snap spacing is the grid spacing: changing one changes the other.

See also: Display options, Keyboard shortcuts.