topic Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode in AutoCAD Forum

Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

envision — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 23:38:03 GMT

Been designing with AutoCAD for 19 years... this one is new to me. Odd thing happening... try following this situation:

I use construction lines for many design processes. If I use a construction line as a guide, though, the line I am drawing on top of the construction line is not staying on the construction line... instead it follows the exact location of my crosshairs. So if my crosshairs are just a millimeter below the construction line, the new line is slightly angled down. This, despite the fact that I have OSNAP turned on and NEAREST active.

A more practical example:

I am drawing a cross-section of a wall. I have a construction line at the 0-0 finished floor elevation, and another construction line at the 10-1 plate height. So if I want to draw a stud wall, I draw a line from the floor (at the 0-0 elevation) up to the 10-1 plate construction line. Since I have OSNAP turned on, when I get close to my perpendicular point, it grabs that point and a line is drawn (after I click the mouse button, of course) straight up and at an exact 90-degree angle to the construction line. All is good so far.

Now I want to draw the 4" wide stud, so I move my mouse to the left, and type 4 on my keyboard and then 'enter' to input the measurement. This is where the problem is. In the past, that 4" line would be drawn exactly along the construction line, at 90-degrees to the vertical line. But instead, it draws it angled either slightly above, or slightly below the construction line... it is following where my crosshairs are placed. It is neither possible nor practical for me to get the crosshairs exactly (and I mean exactly) on the construction line. The 'NEAREST' hourglass symbol is visible on the construction line during all of this, but the new line is not placed on the construction line.

Again, I have ORTO turned on, and OSNAP is active with 'NEAREST' active.

If the construction line is not there, and I am just moving my mouse to the left (and using keyboard input), it draws it perfectly.

If I use the mouse as the only input (and do not input any numbers on the keyboard) it stays at 90 degrees.

So it seems like by typing in a measurement, it turns off the ortho, and the line is slightly angled.

Any ideas? I updated to AutoCAD 2013 recently (from 2012) and that's when the problem started. I have been drawing for 19 years and never had this happen, so I don't think this is user error (it must be either a setting or a glitch).

Thank you for your help.

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

kite15 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 08:44:22 GMT

Hello envision,

Can you check the destination object ??.

Most probably the existing object where you create a perpendicular line its having Z_elevatoin value means not equal 0. So, when you create a line over it the line can not display as perpendicular (90). Moreover, if you rotate the view cube to front or back it may clear.

As solution try the "flatten" command and make the all objects elevation value to Zero (0). Now draw a perpendicular line it may resolve

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

wispoxy — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 12:38:24 GMT

I had this issue once and I realize my objects were snaping to a grid insteed of freely or on points I wanted.

Check your F9 (Snap Mode) and OSNAP command settings.

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:15:28 GMT

From the [2015 in this case, but applicable in versions since 2009] Knowledge Base, found by Searching for "priority," under the heading "Keyboard coordinate entry is overridden by osnaps in AutoCAD" [the reverse of your problem, as I understand it]:

Change the OSNAPCOORD system variable to 2 in AutoCAD. You will also find this setting in Options under the User Preferences tab, in the "Priority for Coordinate Data Entry" section. A value of 0 or having it set to "Running object snap" will override your keyboard input.

But since that was in answer to the reverse issue, I think you want it set to 0, rather than to 2.

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

pendean — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:19:32 GMT

.... also ensure your UCS and PLAN commands are both set to WORLD.

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

GrantsPirate — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:20:42 GMT

I believe this has also been caused by the command line not being docked, dock it and see it that works if the other suggestions didn't help.

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

envision — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:31:08 GMT

Docking the command line worked! How the heck did that make a difference? Wow.

Thank you for the guidance. I would have NEVER considered trying that. Still confused on why that would have made a difference. So odd.

Thank you again.

Dan

Re: Lines are not staying on 90-degrees, despite being in Orto Mode

wispoxy — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:15:39 GMT

Glad to see this one got answered, went through many tests and couldn't run into the same problem.