Electrical & Snaps

[Anonymous]

Recently started using electrical 2006. When drawing a schematic with Snaps ON & placing components at the selected Snap, how can you select components to scoot or anything else if you need to modify with the Snaps ON? If you turn the Snaps off & then grab it, then turn them back on, the object does not snap exactly where it would be if newly inserted.

[Anonymous]

One workaround might be to increase the snap density so that you can grab
things, even with snap on.

wrote in message news:4893962@discussion.autodesk.com...
Recently started using electrical 2006. When drawing a schematic with Snaps
ON & placing components at the selected Snap, how can you select components
to scoot or anything else if you need to modify with the Snaps ON? If you
turn the Snaps off & then grab it, then turn them back on, the object does
not snap exactly where it would be if newly inserted.

[Anonymous]

When you say density, do mean the spacing? I have tried to change several snap properties, even the spacing, but because the snap is ON, the pick box goes right to the center of the component. I can't use copy or anything. The only thing I have found to work is zoom really far out, and that is still not 100%.

[Anonymous]

Can you switch the snaps off and on with key F9?
(While you are scooting)

John

[Anonymous]

Yes, that is not a problem. You can turn the snaps off to grab the component, but where your pick box is located over the component is where it places it at the next snap when you turn the snap back on, so the center of the component is no longer located in the center of the snap. Copy component, seems to automatically move the pick point to the center, so if you turn the snaps off and on it works okay, it just doesn't work that way with every command.
I guess I'll just fight with it. The one thing I do to get around scooting the part to keeping the component center with the snap is to just do a stretch only in increments according to the snap spacing increments.

[Anonymous]

Rob.y

What is your snap set to?? It sounds as though the snap is just set too
large. Down towards the bottom of your screen there will be the "button"
that says snap (which may be where you have already been turning it off and
on), right-click on that button and select SETTINGS. Now look at the value
for SNAP. My initial thought here is that it is probably set to something
like .5 or larger. Try setting this to .125. A snap setting of .125 works
out pretty well, although there still may be times that you need to turn
snap of to quickly grab something, but it shouldn't be anything like the
problems it sounds like you are experiencing.

I hope this helps.

--
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Jared (Autodesk, Inc)
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wrote in message news:4894847@discussion.autodesk.com...
Yes, that is not a problem. You can turn the snaps off to grab the
component, but where your pick box is located over the component is where it
places it at the next snap when you turn the snap back on, so the center of
the component is no longer located in the center of the snap. Copy
component, seems to automatically move the pick point to the center, so if
you turn the snaps off and on it works okay, it just doesn't work that way
with every command.
I guess I'll just fight with it. The one thing I do to get around scooting
the part to keeping the component center with the snap is to just do a
stretch only in increments according to the snap spacing increments.

[testsubject]

Rob,

It sounds more like your problem has to do with were the ladder is placed relative to the snap points. I had this problem in the beginning. I eventually had to "move" all the ladders by grabbing the whole thing, picking a handle (like the insertion point of one of the components) turning on the snap and then placing the ladder based on the snap. This also requires that the snap grid is set to something that will line up with all the wires...

You might have to scoot a few lines around to get everything to line back up again after doing this.

Robert Hanrahan
ACE user since 1998

[quistjm]

I've had the same problem for years.
It doesn't matter what snap density,
spacing, or distance value you set.
If you Scoot something
(Snap on/Snap Off, it doesn't matter)
it's not going to drop back onto the
original Snap points unless you
Stretch Block an exact distance.

[Anonymous]

Hello,
My solution in not to use snaps at all.
Try setting your crosshairs to 100% of the screen, and use them to place the components. When you are right on the rung (wire) the crosshair line will disappear. You may get some wires that are truly at a slight angle, but it wont show on the finished plot.

Chad

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if you have had this resolved to your satisfaction but I'll add a little bit which I hope helps. Snaps on, Grid on, using "Object Snaps", ie. snap to center, snap to endpoint, etc, are important if you want a professional looking document with high quality. If you do not use a snap or grids or the Object Snap toolbar, then you are missing out on one of the basic productivity tools available. Dig into the help file, get a good reference manual to get a good handle on the basics. We often overlook the basics because the neat stuff grabs our attention. Don't pass the little things up. Good luck and if you have direct questions, e-mail me and we'll talk one on one.

[Anonymous]

Since I'm the guy that does the training here I see this once in awhile with the new users. They ALL are mechanical guys that have moved to ACADE from mechanical and to using grids 🙂

Make sure that when you set your grid spacing that you are using exact fractions (assuming US dimensions). Either enter 1/16 of an inch as .0625 and carry it all the way out or enter it as 1/16 and let ACAD do the math. If you don't the accumulated errors will have your entire grid and associated component placements off.

Also make sure your sheets are scaled and centered to the grid before you start laying rungs down. Actually creating a set of starter sheets with the grid on, sheet set and centered, all the wire layers set up, the title block set for autofill and plotter attributes set will save you hours of time in the future.

It DOES work as you expect, if it doesn't something is probably miss set.

Regards,
Steve

[Anonymous]

Have you tried the "move component" tool instead of scoot? I had the same problem with the "scoot" command when moving misplaced cable markers.

Using the "move component" tool allows me to turn snap off to select the component/block. The component/block is "picked up" from the original insertion point, so you can then turn snap back on to place the component/block.

I had to do this for a few multi-wire cables, and the snap on/off hotkey (F9) made quick work of things.

Hope that helps!

[pmccutcheon]

Yeah, normally keep the SnaptoGrid on.

Sometimes the running snap (OSNAP) creates more problems than it solves:
-example if you try to scoot and endsnap is on, your part tends to jump to the end of the line
-example: mid snap finds the middle of a line, even if it is off the grid, which you most likely don't want

Normally I do work with a limited number of OSNAPs enabled.
Its a one-function-key operation to toggle it off or on as required



Be careful that if you create custom blocks, they are created on the grid

If you copy/paste between drawings, the pasted result is frequently off the grid

[testsubject]

Having running snaps enabled also messes with inserting panel components. It is best to turn it off when doing this.

[pmccutcheon]

Yeah, there at least two places where OSNAP running snaps will cause problems:

1) If you are inserting shielded cable markers:
-imagine you have endpoint snap on
-suppose there are 5 wires
-you go to insert your cable marker, you click roughly in the middle of the wires
-autocad DOESN'T show the symbol for ENDP snap on your cursor, so you aren't clued in ~ bit of bug I'd say
-I think it also shows little "X" where you click after each child - but the ultimate location of the wire marker will be forced by ENDP snap -- so the little "x"s are a bit misleading

Panel layout, Insert from schematic, terminal
-again, suppose you mistakenly leave OSNAP on
-the automatic spacing option doesn't work - it looks like OSNAP over-rides the spacing you select
-anooyingly, there are several dialogs to work through to do the inserting - but you cannot toggle OSNAP off once you go past the first step, so you have to cancel, hit F3, tediously go thru the dialogs again

[testsubject]

I agree with you about inserting terminals in to the panel. It is a pain if you forget to turn off the snaps and then have to start over again.

[quistjm]

One option or workaround after scooting (snap on) ;
drop a component just above the location you need
and use "Align" to clean everything up, then delete.