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Snap ON / Off AutoCAD 2012

24 REPLIES 24
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Message 1 of 25
HAZ
Contributor
10047 Views, 24 Replies

Snap ON / Off AutoCAD 2012

Is it any way to get old snap behavior activated in AutoCAD 2012?

I run some scripts which depend on the old snap behavior.

Best regards

HAZ

HAZ
24 REPLIES 24
Message 2 of 25
KevinLi-Autodesk
in reply to: HAZ

Hi,

 

If you use Autocad Electrical 2012, try to patch the hotfix from: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=16822624&linkID=9240738 to revert back to old behavior.

 

Regards,

Kevin Li

Kevin-Hongyuan Li
Software Quality Assurance Engineer
Design, Lifecycle and Simulation Product Group
Direct: +86 21 2039 6025
Email: Hongyuan.Li@autodesk.com
Autodesk, Inc.
NO. 130, Lane 91, E Shan Rd
Building 12, Floor 6,
Shanghai 200127, PRC
www.autodesk.com
Message 3 of 25
HAZ
Contributor
in reply to: KevinLi-Autodesk

Thank you for your suggestion, I acutely install this Hotfix, but it works on just some cases.

It doesn't activate the snap before start the command.

I acutely use Autocrat Electrical 2012, but in addition have many scripts which run on AutoCAD Electrical 2011 easily.

Some of these scripts count f.eks. 3 snap to right then do something (based on my defined snaps on active drawing).

I tried to find some setting in AutoCAD Electrical 2012 which can activate the snap like AutoCAD Electrical 2011, but no luck.

Do you have any other suggestion?

 

Regards HAZ

HAZ
Message 4 of 25
PatMurnen_Adsk
in reply to: HAZ

HAZ,

 

I apologize as the extent of what the hotfix addresses wasn't made clear. With the hotfix the Snap behavior works like this -

 

The current snap behavior works like this -

 

If no command is running the snap is not active.

 

If you are running a command and you are selecting components the snap is not active. This is seen as an improvement because many times when you are trying to select a component and the snap is active it is difficult to select right on the component.

 

If you are running a command and you are selecting a location, the snap is active.

 

In AutoCAD Electrical there are some commands that your one selection is used for BOTH selecting an object and a location at the same time, for example the multiple bus command. The hotfix supplied addresses these situations so that during these selections the snap is now active.

 

It has been logged that we need to supply a setting to control this so that if you want you can go back to the old behavior where the Snap can be on even when no command is active. If you have anything you want me to add to the logged issue indicating why the snap is important when no command is active or when selecting components, please post them here and I will make sure they are added to the logged issue. All feedback is appreciated.

 

Regards,

Pat Murnen



Pat Murnen
Principal Content Developer
Product Development – AutoCAD Product Line Group

Autodesk, Inc.

Message 5 of 25
HAZ
Contributor
in reply to: PatMurnen_Adsk

Hi and thanks for comments.

You see, I count the jumps all the time,, to place the symbol's at the right place.

I wish you had some settings under Option dialog box which can changes the behavior of the snap like the older versions of AutoCAD.

Regards HAZ

HAZ
Message 6 of 25
PatMurnen_Adsk
in reply to: HAZ

HAZ,

 

Thanks. I will add your comments to the logged issue.

 

Again, I apologize for this inconvenience,

Pat Murnen



Pat Murnen
Principal Content Developer
Product Development – AutoCAD Product Line Group

Autodesk, Inc.

Message 7 of 25
rellison
in reply to: HAZ

Like you, I use the old "jumpy cursor" to visually check alignments, etc. and I miss that behavior.  Workaround: invoke a command, like "line" or "point" to enter that mode, then cancel when finished counting jumps.

Message 8 of 25
post
in reply to: HAZ

Hi , i have so much trouble with this new autocad 2012 snap behavior, so i decided to uninstall the program and use 

2011 instead. For me this makes the 2012 version total useless.

I have used autocad since the 80's and this i for me the must stupid command change ever done.

Why is this done without even a choice to use the old snap behavior ? 

Message 9 of 25
dougmcalexander
in reply to: rellison

I agree that there should be a toggle to engage or disengage the new cursor action, but I'm not having any trouble with it at all, after the hotfix.  I am old school too; I use 100% crosshairs because of the advantages it offers for checking alignment.  But the new function turns on snap anytime I would be concerned about alignment anyway.  It is even on when I'm using Scoot, Move Component, or snapping the pick box to phase 1 when inserting a 3-phase wire bus.  Plus Electrical has the Align command, which can align everything from wire numbers to footprints, rendering the 100% crosshairs and snap as virtually obsolete. 

 

Electrical's "toolbox" goes way beyond the capabilities of standard AutoCAD's drafting engine. The problem is that experienced users of plain AutoCAD who switch to Electrical tend to approach things from their old "drafting engine" perspective rather than fully embracing the power tools provided in the Electrical menus.  Sure you can make your drawing look the way you want with the plain AutoCAD commands, but why not use the Electrical commands instead, since they get the same results with more speed and accuracy?  Electrical may call up a plain AutoCAD command, like trim, extend, stretch, join, etc., as part of a command string it is executing, but Electrical commands also execute subroutines that do such things as rejoining wires, retagging moved components, checking for wire type mismatches, etc., while also keeping the database up to date with the latest drawing data.

 

I must say that I am all about snap.  Ask anyone who has attended one of my training courses.  I push snap from the beginning.  Snap became a habit for me because the competitive software requires it.  If you "eyeball" a wire connection with one of the competitors and miss by so much as a pixel, your wire is not connected.  For this reason they force snap.  When Nate Holt originally developed "Wiring Diagram", now known as AutoCAD Electrical, he wanted to allow those who don't like snap, and you know who you are, the freedom to design without snap.  Nate simply made use of the trap distance function within AutoCAD's drafting engine.  Because of Nate's vision and insight, AutoCAD Electrical is very forgiving for those who prefer not to use snap, but also accommodates those of us who use it religiously.  The one time I turn off snap is when I'm trying to pick something such as attribute text so I can move it with the Move/Show Attribute command.  I sometimes miss the text when on snap. The new cursor function has cured that problem, and turns snap on automatically once I select the text.  I like this since it saves me from having to turn snap back on.

 

I think this is something new to be embraced.  I didn't like the Ribbon menu at first either, but now I wouldn't even consider going back to the old menu.



Doug McAlexander


Design Engineer/Consultant/Instructor/Mentor specializing in AutoCAD Electrical training and implementation support

Phone and Web-based Support Plans Available

Phone: (770) 841-8009

www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mcalexander-1a77623




Please Accept as Solution if I helped you. Likes are also much appreciated.
Message 10 of 25
post
in reply to: dougmcalexander

Hi, i use autocad electrical , but now back in version 2011 because 2012 electrical is total useless for me without the old snap behavior. I use 100% crosshair. And after about 30 years with autocad I cannot just change how I make drawings, and I have no time for that. My work as electric engineer travelling around the world is extreme stressful, and I don’t want my tools to make it even worse. I have often to make 500-1000 electric drawings for a project like all control systems and all electric installations for new factories, I must also work most of the weekends during a year , last year 211 days from home, so it cannot be too much to ask , give back the old snap behavior for us who needs it. I am sorry , I have no time for new courses or learn autocad all over again. I have no problems to understand some likes this new snap , but please give us who don’t,  the possibility to select the old snap behavior, I cannot be that difficult, it has worked for more than 30 years.

Message 11 of 25
dougmcalexander
in reply to: HAZ

I think Autodesk has indicated that they will try to restore the old snap behavior as an option. Just hang in there.


Doug McAlexander


Design Engineer/Consultant/Instructor/Mentor specializing in AutoCAD Electrical training and implementation support

Phone and Web-based Support Plans Available

Phone: (770) 841-8009

www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mcalexander-1a77623




Please Accept as Solution if I helped you. Likes are also much appreciated.
Message 12 of 25
nicklas
in reply to: HAZ

This drives me nuts as well. Why wasn't this fixed in Service Pack1?! A simple option when right clicking the grid snap at the bottom of the screen would be nice. I measure the distance when drawing before i use commands and I'm really annoyed by this. Please fix this ASAP Best Regards Nicklas
http://nirklars.wordpress.com
Message 13 of 25
post
in reply to: nicklas

To your information, very bad news, i just received an email from my Autodesk supplier who

told me that Aurodesk TOTAL ignore our needs for a working snap function, they will force  use to accept the EXTREEEEEME IRRITATING new command snap, they will not give us the snap back

in any case..

So for all of you that also need a working snap, there is no hope anymore.

For me I will have to live with autocad el. 2011 as long as I can. Sorry for Autodesk total

Ignoring all of us , by  removing one of the needed tools to make electric drawings and symbols.

What will be the next of useful commands to be removed to make our work even more difficult?

I really HATE this command snap.

 

Regards

Olav

 

 

Message 14 of 25
PatMurnen_Adsk
in reply to: post

AutoCAD Electrical has released Service Pack 1 for 2012. Here is one item from the readme file for this service pack.

 

Snaps

  • With Snap enabled, the cursor does not move to snap intervals.
  • Turning SNAPGRIDLEGACY ON will restore the old Snap behavior of the cursor when no command is active.
  • Restores legacy SNAP behavior during certain LISP-based selection commands.

 

So using the new system variable, SNAPGRIDLEGACY=1 you can get the 2011 Snap behavior.

 

The service pack can be downloaded from http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=17800098&linkID=9240738



Pat Murnen
Principal Content Developer
Product Development – AutoCAD Product Line Group

Autodesk, Inc.

Message 15 of 25
post
in reply to: PatMurnen_Adsk

Thanks Autodesk, for listening to us users that depended on a working grid snap.

I have now reinstalled AutoCAD el. 2012 and the grid snap is back, working perfect.

Good work, thanks again!!

 

best regards

Olav

 

Message 16 of 25
HAZ
Contributor
in reply to: PatMurnen_Adsk

Thank you Pat
It’s working now.
Best regards
Hamid

HAZ
Message 17 of 25
PatMurnen_Adsk
in reply to: HAZ

I am glad it is working. Since the AutoCAD Electrical service pack includes all the changes in the plain AutoCAD service pack you only have to load the AutoCAD Electrical service pack. But, make sure to read the AutoCAD service pack 1 readme along with the AutoCAD Electrical readme to see all the changes that are part of the service pack.

 

You can find the AutoCAD 2012 service pack 1 readme at http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=17692441&linkID=9240618

 

Regards,

Pat



Pat Murnen
Principal Content Developer
Product Development – AutoCAD Product Line Group

Autodesk, Inc.

Message 18 of 25
nicklas
in reply to: PatMurnen_Adsk

THANK YOU! Finally! Best Regards Nicklas
http://nirklars.wordpress.com
Message 19 of 25
Bob9495
in reply to: HAZ

Autodesk;  Your best customer base is people who have used your product for years.  In my case 20.  Your selling point is the flexibility of your software.  Why then change the SNAP function that came on one of your first releases without providing a simple switch to original SNAP?  GIVE US A SNAP OPTION!

Regards.

 

Bob  

Message 20 of 25
dougmcalexander
in reply to: Bob9495

I like the new snap action myself.  It allows me to grip objects that are off the snap/grid without having to toggle snap off every time.  I've heard that customers were asking for this and it seems that Autodesk responded.  But if you prefer the old way, type SNAPGRIDLEGACY at the command prompt and change the setting to 1 instead of 0.  Note: You must have SP1 installed.



Doug McAlexander


Design Engineer/Consultant/Instructor/Mentor specializing in AutoCAD Electrical training and implementation support

Phone and Web-based Support Plans Available

Phone: (770) 841-8009

www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mcalexander-1a77623




Please Accept as Solution if I helped you. Likes are also much appreciated.

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