Drag by grid increment

[Bruce Kieffer]

I give, what is the setting to drag by the setting I have for my grid? I have my snap grid set to 1/16", I want to drag objects by 1/16" increments, but I can't.

[Pat Stanford]

Check the Snap Grid constraint in the Snaps Palette. If it is not on turn it on.

Also check that you have not "Suspended" snapping. This is the tilde key in the standard workspace.

[Bruce Kieffer]

Hey Pat,

Snap to grid is on, and I have not suspended snapping.

Let me be a bit clearer. I believe my snap to grid is working, problem is my objects are not on the grid, nor do they stay on the grid. I've commented about this in the past. I can align an object to the grid in one view, change views, and the object is off the grid in that view. I then align the object to the gird, switch back to the original view, and the object is off the grid there. Also, I want to be able to grab an object anywhere and drag it along the grid in the fractional increments I have set in my snap to grid. None of this works (for me).

While writing this response I had to wonder if the problem is the Documents Prefs/Untis/Rounding Style setting which I have set as "exact as fraction/non-exact as fractions." I have it this way so when I dimension objects I can easily tell if I have an object sized incorrectly (not some multiple of an exact fraction). I'm going to test with Units set to Rounding Style/Fractions and see if that solves my snapping issue.

[Bruce Kieffer]

As I suspected, now VW may say I moved an object 1/8", but the reality is it is not exact, and if I set the units back to non-exact as fractions, then it shows me I'm making a non-exact move. Can't win!

[CipesDesign]

I nearly always just use the Move command. That way I can be as precise as I want. Dragging or nudging is very loose and not very accurate... Unless, you create a temporary line or other object as the drag-to point. I use this method a lot too. It's time consuming, but still way faster and many orders of magnitude more accurate than hand drafting.

[Bruce Kieffer]

I use the move command sometimes, but I still cannot get sue to the + - x y coordinates. I wish it said X up or down, and X right or left. Plus it's a lot more clicking and keystrokes than just dragging an object and watching the heads up display (if it worked).

[CipesDesign]

X/Y/Z has always been very logical and intuitive for me. Here's a quickie (I'm sure you know this already, but just in case): +X = Right; -X = Left; +Y = Up; -Y = Down. The really cool part, at least for me, is that you can use this same logic in the OIP. In other words, to move something 1/2" to the Right, simply click into the end of the string in the "X" field in the OIP and type "+.5", then hit tab or return. Voila! Move to the Left "-.5"... And so on. Doing arithmetic in the OIP is one of my favorite VW's things...

[Kevin McAllister]

Bruce,

Since you say you're changing views, am I correct in assuming you are working with a 3D object? I think you may have found a bug.....

Try this -

Create a 2d object (ie. a rectangle). Try dragging it with the grid snap on. It will move in increments of the grid regardless of whether it was aligned with the grid to begin with.

Now extrude your rectangle and try dragging it again. The first increment will snap to a grid line, and every grid line after that. So the 3D object is not actually moving by the grid increments, its being forced onto the grid.

In my opinion the 2D behaviour and 3D behaviour should be the same. (I also think the 2D behaviour is correct). This is a pretty serious bug for anyone that uses the grid.

(On another note, I inadvertently discovered a snap setting that may help both of us. In the Smart Cursor (Snap) Settings under General there is a new setting I never noticed before - Ignore Non Planar Snaps in Planar Contexts. I think its causing a lot of the inconsistencies we've both noted between 2D and 3D. I've only just turned it off, but already things seem better.)

Kevin

[Bruce Kieffer]

Peter,

I appreciate that Move is intuitive for you, but it won't be for me until it is right/left/up/down, or arrows.

[Bruce Kieffer]

Kevin,

You are correct about the unexpected move behavior. I'll try the snap setting adjustment. This problem goes back to my issues with all the goofy planes VW has, and that VW sees front view, right, left orthogonal, etc as 3D views when I see them as 2D.

[Bruce Kieffer]

Kevin,

Things are better now that I turned off Ignore Non Planar Snaps in Planar Contexts.