Object snaps

Object snaps (running snaps) pull the cursor onto exact points of existing geometry, such as the end of a line or the centre of a circle. While a snap is found, a coloured marker shows its kind and the point you click is the snap point, not the raw cursor position.

Turn snapping on and off

Press F3 or click SNAP in the status bar. In the app: Help ▸ Show me

The setting is remembered between sessions. Object snaps work in every command that asks for a point, including drawing and modify commands.

Running snap modes

These modes are available in the Drafting settings dialog:

Endpoint and Midpoint of lines, arcs and polyline segments.
Centre of circles and arcs, and Geometric centre of closed polylines.
Node (point objects).
Quadrant points of circles and arcs.
Intersection of two objects.
Extension: rest the cursor on the end of a line or arc to acquire it, then move along its extension.
Insertion point of blocks.
Perpendicular and Tangent, measured from the previous point.
Nearest point on an object.
Parallel tracking, parallel to an existing line.

Apparent intersection is listed but greyed out and marked "not yet": it is not available.

Drafting settings dialog

Open it by typing OSNAP (OS) or DSETTINGS (DS) on the command line, or by right-clicking SNAP or POLAR in the status bar. In the app: Help ▸ Show me

Tick Object Snap On (F3) to enable snapping.
Tick the modes you want running. Select All and Clear All change every mode at once.
Under Polar Tracking, set the on/off state, the increment angle and any additional angles (see Drafting aids).
Click OK. Cancel discards the changes.

Tip

Each mode shows its own marker in the dialog, and the same marker appears on the drawing, so you can learn the shapes there.

Snap markers

When the cursor is near a snap point, a marker appears. Its shape tells you which mode was found. Clicking accepts that point. If two modes are close together, move the cursor slightly until the one you want is shown.

Hovering over a snap point briefly can also acquire it for object snap tracking (see Drafting aids).

Note

Too many running modes can make the cursor jump to unwanted points. Keep only the modes you use most switched on, and switch snapping off with F3 when you need to pick free points.