Making drawings precisely in AutoCAD is not possible without the use of object snaps. These options non only let yous make drawings precisely just they likewise speed up the drawing workflow. In this article, I have discussed all of these object snap options and explained them in detail.

Object Snap icon

To begin, turn off each object snap Setting. The quickest way to do this is by clicking the triangle next to the Object-Snap Icon and and so clicking Object-Snap Settings. If you don't know where the Object- Snap setting is, you can locate it in the image below.

After that, manually deselect each check-marked option in the "General" tab in the Object Snap Settings Menu, except for Endpoint and Geometric Eye then Click OK.

Alternatively, you tin can also deactivate the object snaps by clicking the snap names from the object snap list as shown in the epitome higher up.

Note: If your object snap is not working and so make sure that the Object-Snap icon is highlighted in blue and your required snap icons are checked in the object snap menu.

Endpoint

As you might have deduced, the Endpoint Object-Snap pick allows you to snap to any Endpoint in your Project. It is useful when wanting to create quick connections. Information technology is the about basic and simple kind of Object-Snap which you would demand to go along active almost of the time.

Create a line, polyline, arc or any other drawing which has an end point or sharp corners. Afterwards, actuate Endpoint snap from object snap list and select a draw control. Move your cursor shut to the end point of the drawing and you will run across your cursor snapping to the endpoints.

Even if the cursor is not exactly on the endpoint when the Endpoint Snap icon appears, it will snap to it once you click. When you click the next set of drawing will get-go exactly from the endpoint you lot selected.

Midpoint

Midpoint Object-Snap allows you to Snap to the midpoint of any line or arc.

With the midpoint snap selected and a describe control active move your cursor close to the mid-point of a line or arc. A green triangle indicating midpoint will prove upwardly and when you click the cursor will snap exactly to the mid-signal.

Once once again, it doesn't thing where you lot click, every bit long as you meet the Midpoint Snap Icon it volition ever snap to the highlighted midpoint.

Center

With Middle Snap, you can snap to the center of any Circumvolve, Ellipse, Arc, or Elliptical Arc.

Select the middle snap from the object snap list. Create i of the curved objects mentioned above then select any Draw command similar line tool and hover your cursor near the perimeter of the circular object.

Hovering near the perimeter of the object will cause a plus-sign to appear in the center of the object. The green Center Object-Snap icon should wrap effectually the white-plus sign. If it doesn't, elevate your cursor to the white plus-sign to cause the Center Object-Snap icon to appear.

Intersection

If you have Intersection snap turned on, yous volition accept the ability to snap your cursor to the point of intersection of geometric objects.

Brand sure intersection is agile in the object snap menu and then activate any Depict command.

Now motility your cursor close to the point of intersection of whatever two objects, a green X marker volition show upwardly which is the intersection snap marker. As long as the marking is visible the cursor will snap to the intersection point.

If, however, the intersection point also happens to be some other indicate like the midpoint or when another bespeak similar midpoint or endpoint is very close to the intersection point you will see those points. In this case, y'all can conciliate the snaps from the object snap menu that you lot don't need simply keep the required snaps active like the intersection in this case.

Information technology tin get very difficult if Intersection is turned on with a lot of other Object-Snaps. In particular, I would avert using it with Perpendicular, Insertion or Apparent Intersection. Information technology can cause unexpected and inconsistent results.

Geometric Center

The Geometric Eye option allows your arrow to snap to the Geometrical Center of objects in AutoCAD. It doesn't piece of work with objects that were created with only the Line tool as it needs to exist a closed object fabricated with unmarried geometry.

Use the Polygon tool (or Polyline or Spline if you lot prefer), to create whatsoever kind of closed object. For simplicity, I created a triangle using the Polyline Tool.

With geometric middle active on the object snap card hover your cursor close to the perimeter of the cartoon. Make sure a draw command is active before yous hover your cursor over the object. You volition see an asterisk or white 8-pointed star appear in its center, and you can easily snap to that.

What if you already made a closed object using only the Line tool, and yous want to find its geometric center.

In this case, you can join the lines together using JOIN control and the airtight geometry will be converted to a single object made with a polyline. The geometric center snap volition piece of work on the polyline thus generated.

Node

In AutoCAD, a Node is a unmarried point made with the Betoken Command.

Utilise the POINT Control or its allonym PO and so click in the drawing surface area to make the node. You can click as many times equally you want to make multiple nodes, or you tin as well blazon in the coordinates if you want node at a specific point.

I've fabricated my nodes in a sort of arcing pattern. It is a picayune hard to meet it in figure 6 and you may have to increase your device's effulgence for improved visibility. To make them prominent and clearly visible in the drawing you tin also change the point style of these nodes.

Merely like every other object snap option in this instance too yous need to first brand sure that the Node snap is agile from the object snap menu and then a draw control is active. At present hover your cursor close to a node or signal and the cursor will one time over again snap to it.

Quadrant

The Quadrant option allows your pointer to snap to the quadrant points on the circumference of the circle, arc or an ellipse. Permit's make a circle using the Circumvolve command, brand it whatsoever size you similar.

Now, click on the circumference of the Circle to select information technology. You will observe 4 blueish squares on the circumference and one in the center.

The four blue squares on the circumference of the Circumvolve are called Quadrants. We tin can snap to them using Quadrant-Snap.

To select these quadrant points, select the Quadrant option from the object snap menu and you will exist able to snap to the quadrants of your geometry.

Quadrant snaps on the circle, arc and ellipse look similar the epitome shown beneath.

Tangent

Tangent is a bespeak where two geometries meet at merely a single point. An case of the tangent is shown in the image below.

Here red line is non tangent to the circle as it is not touching it. The green line is intersecting the circle at two points so it's also not tangent, only the blue line is touching the circle at an exactly single point and hence is tangent to the circle.

Just like other snaps, for making tangent also you demand to proceed it active in the object snap menu. Once you have activated it you can then start with a line then motion it close to the circumference of a circumvolve, arc, ellipse or spline and the tangent snap volition evidence up.

Click to make the tangent line on the curve as shown in the animated image below.

Perpendicular

The Perpendicular Snap Option snaps in such a mode that it places your selected line perpendicular to another reference line in the cartoon. To use it make sure yous take Perpendicular Snap turned on as shown in the prototype below.

First the LINE Command and click at a signal close to the reference line and so motility your cursor over the reference line. The perpendicular snap will show up at the bespeak of perpendicularity on the reference line as shown in the blithe gif below.

Apparent Intersection

Apparent Intersection is a tricky Snap Choice to work with, only information technology can be useful when used properly.

Apparent Intersection snaps your cursor to a bespeak where 2 objects technically don't intersect, but because of the View, they appear to. This kind of situation arises in the 3D aeroplane when you have drawing in 10, Y and Z axis.

NOTE: Don't go on Intersection and Apparent Intersection active simultaneously as it can lead to unintended results.

Here is an case of how the geometries with credible intersection points will look.

In the animated image above the lines don't actually intersect merely from different perspectives, they may appear intersecting which is what apparent intersection snap will show.

For our purposes, it is all-time to plow off all Object Snaps except for Credible Intersection.

From then on, things are simple. But run the LINE command, or a like command, and hover over the credible intersection, and the Apparent Intersection icon, which is a green square with an x in the middle, will appear over it.

Parallel

Parallel Object Snap is really fun to use. Before using it, make certain yous take your Ortho Snap turned off.

The Ortho Snap icon looks like the image shown above and is visible on the status bar of AutoCAD. Later making sure Ortho Snap is plow off, brand a line aligned to any random angle. Subsequently, turn off every Snap Option except for Parallel.

Start the line command over again then click at a point near reference line you created earlier. Then hover your cursor over the existing line till the parallel snap show upwardly. Then move your cursor out and a tracking line will evidence when the line is parallel to the existing reference line every bit shown in the animated paradigm below.

Parallel Object Snap is corking for situations where you are using angles too precise for Ortho Snap, or for creating similar objects and matching them up to each other.

Nearest

Nearest is the snap option that works of this simple principle, y'all want your cursor to snap to the nearest point of the object to your cursor. To understand this snap I volition showtime past making a simple circle.

After you've created your circle (or whatever shape really, information technology doesn't matter), brand sure Nearest is turned on.

At present create a line and hover over your circumvolve'due south circumference until you see the Nearest snap icon. Observe you can motility all around the circumference, and you lot volition withal remain snapped to the circle.

Considering this, information technology is important to notation that Nearest Snap does not work very well when it comes to matters of precision, specially if you are going for a specific point on a line. However, information technology is very useful when what you need is for your cursor to snap to the nearest point on the drawing.

This is a good time to notation that Intelligent Snap Options like "Nearest" don't piece of work and then well when turned on with Bones Snap Options, and vice versa.

For instance, what apply is Intersection Snap, when your cursor is constantly snapping to the Nearest point? Keep these clutter-complimentary and use the minimum number of Snap Options possible. This volition help guarantee maximum efficiency and to the lowest degree error in all your drawings.

Extension

The Extension options let you to have your pointer snap to points that are past an endpoint. This takes Object Snap to the next level, and it comes in specially useful when working on wall options, room sizes, and any other sort of speculative blueprint.

Extension Snapping will go along things lined upwardly the way that they should be. To brainstorm, make sure that your Endpoint, Midpoint, and Extension OSNAP Options are turned on.

The Extension option is piece of cake to explain even if we start off with one elementary line. Then, allow'due south do that.

Observe my line is slightly angled. The Extension option allows you to forgo Ortho Snapping in cases of matching angles up.

Now make another line that snaps to an endpoint of our original line. Drag the mouse down (or up) until your tracking line turns dark-green.

Do y'all see? The direction of the line is maintained by Extension snap.

What is really amazing is that Extension Object snap works with arcs too. You can come across for yourself that if you create an arc, yous can create an extension of it if you take Extension Snap turned on.

You lot can attain this by creating an arc, and then using the LINE command with the Extension Snap Option on to snap your line's catastrophe point to an extension of the arc.

Once you find the arc'south extension, you lot tin move upward and downwardly information technology by slowly dragging your mouse. Find the light-green tracking arc in the figure higher up? Use that.

Insertion

Insertion snap is related to the blocks and its base of operations bespeak.

When making a block AutoCAD always prompts y'all to select a base of operations betoken, this base point is the insertion point which shows upwards when insertion object snap is active.

In this case, I have a Window block and when you select it only a single grip shows upwards which happens to be the base point of the block too. In the image A below base of operations point is highlighted with a blue grip shown inside the red circumvolve.

When you keep insertion selected and so activate a draw command and move your cursor close to the base point of the window cake it will bear witness the insertion point or the base point every bit shown in the image B above.

Suppressing Running Object Snaps

This characteristic in AutoCAD allows y'all to temporarily override object snaps using a key combination on your keyboard. This is useful in the event that your cursor keeps snapping to an Object Snap that you want to be ignored specifically for that instance.

To bring Object snap suppression in action, select the line command (or any other describe command if you lot prefer) and press Shift cardinal and don't let it go. Then correct click on your mouse and you volition run across a temporary object snap override menu.

Select the object snap that yous want to actuate from this list then AutoCAD will only snap to the point selected in the override menu. This method is faster and efficient then deactivating all the snaps that you don't need and keeping only the required i active from the object snap menu.

Summary

Objects snaps are indispensable tools and you can't brand precise drawings without using them. Knowing nigh the object snaps will but brand your drawing workflow much more efficient. I hope this article explained everything y'all needed to know virtually the object snaps. If you have questions feel free to allow me know in the comments beneath.