Suspend Snapping

[BG]

Be good if the suspend snapping worked with the Selection Tool. Even with the ` key pressed, it still snaps to objects.

Thanks

[Benson Shaw]

With the ` key depressed, My Select tool induces highlighting when cursor hovers over an object, but no snaps or extensions eg to/from 2d or 3d endpoints. Snaps are suspended. Well, OK, I guess I can select a highlighted object. Did you want highlighting to switch off, too?

-B

Edited December 6, 2013 by Benson Shaw

[PVA - Admin]

On Win7 64bit here, using Vectorworks 2014 SP2, snapping is indeed suspended in testing.

Does the Snapping palette gray out as expected while pressing ` or does it stay active for you?

[BG]

Hi Jim

The palette does grey out. It only seems to be the selection tool that is still able to snap & select objects even with the pallete greyed out.

With other tools, when you press the ` button, you can't snap to anything, which is ideal.

Thanks

Brett

[Benson Shaw]

Jim and others may have a different take, but here are a couple questions and more discussion:

Are you finding that the little red snap squares appear and extension lines display when snaps are suspended? That's not proper function. I've not seen it. Try a system restart.

But are you seeing the following? If so, it is normal, proper behavior:

When snaps are suspended, the Select tool highlights objects and can make selections, drag, etc. (but no red squares cursor snap cues or extension lines)

The select tool has a "box" of effectiveness (snap radius), user defined in prefs. I think it defaults to 5 pixels square. Anyway, it can detect/acquire/select objects which intersect the box whether snaps are active or not.

Suspending snaps, either with ` key or disabling all the snap palette choices, only defeats the acquisition and marking of snap points (the little red squares), cursor cues and extension lines. Snap suspension does not defeat the Select tool's ability to select.

Same for tools which include the feature to cmd click for selection while the tool is enabled. Eg the Rotate tool. If the Rotate is enabled and no object is selected, press cmd while in the tool to select an object to rotate - this temporarily enables the Select tool (watch the Basic Palette).

In the Rotate tool example:If Snaps are off (via palette, or ` key), pressing the cmd key enables highlighting and selection, but not snaps, cursor snap cues or extensions.

HTH

-B

[BG]

Hi Benson

Thanks, the behaviour is as you described. "Snap suspension does not defeat the Select tool's ability to select".

I would have thought with no snaps turned on, then you wouldn't be able to snap or select anything.

Not sure about how others would prefer it, but I'd like this added as a preference so that snap suspension actually suspends all snapping & selecting.

Thanks for the reply.

Brett

[Benson Shaw]

I'm curious. Why would suspending the selection features be an advantage or desired functionality?

-B

[BG]

Hi

One instance is where you have a solid filled or hatched area with some objects on top but within this area. You want to draw a marquee around those objects but you can't because the first click of the marquee selects the filled area. If you could suspend snapping for the first marquee click, then the filled area wouldn't be selected.

That's one example that comes up regularly.

Brett

[Benson Shaw]

For that one, press the Shift key and hold it until the marquee is complete. The filled object is not selected even if the marquee starts and ends inside the filled object. But the interior objects within the marquee are selected.

There may be other techniques for the other situations.

-B

[Jonathan Pickup]

BG, use the B key to remove the fill in the object.

[BG]

Thanks Benson, so simple, all these years using VW & I didn't know the shift key did that...

Awesome

[Benson Shaw]

BG, you are not alone. This same question was in a thread a number of years ago, and so many of us, myself included, were slapping our foreheads and groaning that we didn't know the process even though it was in the manuals (the printed ones and the pdf). Anyway, Vectorworks always has loads to learn.

-B

[Jonathan Pickup]

Anyway, Vectorworks always has loads to learn.

Attending REGULAR training will help to learn these techniques. You should look to attend a local user group, or an online group that meets on a regular basis.