Snaps Tutorial

Snap tools are very useful when precision is needed. You can snap to multiple points on
objects. In this tutorial, you’ll learn about snapping to points along lines, circles, and to
use snaps to align objects.

Setting up Your Workspace

From the Help menu, open the drawing file associated with this tutorial.
Before starting this tutorial, prepare your workspace by dragging off the toolsets you’ll
use. From the Main Tool Palette, drag off the Line toolset, Arc toolset, Circle toolset, and
Polygon toolset, and place them at the top of the workspace.
Drag off the Spline toolset; place it at the bottom of the workspace.

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Using Snap Tools to Precisely Draw Lines
When working with lines, you can snap to endpoints, midpoints, and to intersecting
points.

To snap to endpoint
1. From the Line toolset, select the Single Line tool.
2. Click to start the line and, as you drag your cursor, the LogiCursor guides you
through picking the next point by displaying hotspots, such as the X and Y axis.
3. Drag your cursor, vertically, and click to draw a line.

4. Position your cursor on an endpoint of the line. As you drag along the line, the
LogiCursor displays which snap point it’s on.

5. Click to set a point at the existing endpoint and drag, in a northeast direction, to
extend the rubber band line.
6. Click again to draw the line.

7. Move your cursor along the vertical line until the LogiCursor displays the other
endpoint along the vertical line.

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8. Click to snap to the endpoint and drag, in a southwest direction, to extend the rubber
band line. Click to draw the line.

To snap to intersection
1. Using the Single Line tool, draw two intersecting lines on the right side of the
workspace.

2. As you move your cursor along the longer line, notice its midpoint does not take into
account the intersection. It is actually calculating the midpoint based on that line’s
endpoints.

3. Draw a small line from the midpoint.

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4. Position your cursor over the intersecting lines so the LogiCursor displays the
intersection.
5. Click and drag, to the left, to draw a line to the top left endpoint.

Using Snaps to Precisely Draw Circles

You can accurately and precisely draw circles, snapping to centerpoints, quadrants,
tangents, and perpendiculars.

To snap to center
1. From the View menu, choose Users View, then choose Circles.
2. Move your cursor to the center of the top left circle; the LogiCursor displays the
center.

3. Click on the center of that circle.

4. Drag to the nearest circle and click in the center to snap a line to the center of both
circles.

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To snap to quadrant
1. Move your cursor over the circle in the center, near the top of the window. As you
move around the circle, you’ll see circles are broken into quadrants. Quadrants appear
at 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°.

2. Draw a line from the bottom quadrant to the left quadrant.

3. Draw a line from the top quadrant to the left quadrant.

To snap to tangent
1. Position your cursor over the right quadrant and click and drag a line along the circle
to the right, until the LogiCursor displays the tangent.

2. Click to place the line.

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3. To place a line with the start point as the tangent, position your cursor along a circle
so the LogiCursor displays “on.” This means the cursor is only tracking on the object,
and not specific hot spots, such as x-axis, y-axis, quadrant, and so on.

4. Click and drag out to about a 30° angle, the LogiCursor displays “tangent”.
5. Drag down to the right edge of the large circle until the LogiCursor displays the
tangent, then release.

6. Position your cursor along the bottom left side of the large circle so the LogiCursor
displays on, again.
7. Click and drag a line up to the circle to place another tangent line.

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To snap to perpendicular
1. Position your cursor along the large circle’s edge, so the LogiCursor displays “on.”
2. Drag straight out, away from the circle. The LogiCursor displays perpendicular.
3. Drag to extend the rubber band line up to the center of the circle above.

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4. Click to place the line.
5. Click along the curved line and drag to the left, to snap a line perpendicular to the
curve.

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Using Snaps Tools to Precisely Align Points
Using snaps to align objects, you can place points or objects parallel to existing points,
without the two touching.

To snap in alignment with existing points

1. From the View menu choose User View, then choose Alignment. Snaps can be used
to do some special things called alignment. For instance, you can draw a line from the
midpoint of the rectangle in the top left of the window, straight down, and stop,
aligned with the straight vertical line’s top endpoint, without drawing construction
lines first.
2. Click on the midpoint of the rectangle to set the first point.
3. Drag to the top endpoint of the vertical line, which is the point with which you want
to align. Do not click, simply hold your cursor over the point and allow it to be
recognized as a reference point.

4. Move your cursor to the right to find the intersection of the line you are drawing and
the reference point and click to set the line.

5. Click the top endpoint of the vertical line on the left and drag the rubber band line to
the bottom right corner of the rectangle; let it recognize the point for alignment.
6. Draw the line to align with the endpoint.

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7. Beginning at the last point placed, click and drag to the bottom left endpoint and let it
recognize the point for alignment.

8. Move your cursor to the right to find the intersection of the line you are drawing and
the reference point and click to set the line.
9. Position your cursor at the center of the vertical lines just placed, click and drag to the
bottom left endpoint and let it recognize the point for alignment.

10. Move your cursor to the right to find the intersection and click to place the line.
Without constructions lines, you’re able to start constructing points based on other
points.

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11. Move to the vertical line near the center of the window. We want to draw a line from
the existing line’s top endpoint, that’s even with the center of the circle, but not
drawn to the circle’s center.
12. Draw a line from the bottom endpoint to the circle’s center.
13. Click the top endpoint to start a line and drag to the circle’s center to set it as a
reference point for alignment.

14. Move your cursor up to create a horizontal line that intersects with the circle’s center
and click to place the line.

15. Draw a vertical line to enclose the rectangle.

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To mirror an object using alignment and reference points
1. Position your cursor over the top left endpoint of Object 1 so the LogiCursor
recognizes the reference point.

2. To the left of Object 1, draw the top horizontal line, in alignment with the top line of
Object 1.
3. Position your cursor along the left endpoint of the new line and click to start another
line.
4. Drag your cursor on the bottom left endpoint of Object 1, so the LogiCursor can
recognize the reference point.
5. Drag your cursor to the right endpoint of your new line so the LogiCursor can
recognize the reference point.
6. Drag your cursor down to find the intersection of the reference points and click to
place the line.

7. Position your cursor over the top right endpoint of your new object and click to start a
new line.
8. Drag to the line’s left endpoint so the LogiCursor can recognize the reference point.
9. Drag to the bottom right endpoint of this new object so the LogiCursor can recognize
the reference point.
10. Drag your cursor to the intersection of the reference points and click to place the line.

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11. Position your cursor along the curve beside Object 2, until the LogiCursor displays
the quadrant.

12. Click to start a line and drag along the horizontal line in Object 2. Hold your cursor so
the LogiCursor recognizes the reference point.

13. Drag your cursor straight, vertically, to the intersection of the reference points, and
click to place the line.

14. Position your cursor along the left endpoint of the curve so the LogiCursor can
recognize the reference point.

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15. Drag your cursor to the intersection of the reference points.

16. Click to start a line and drag your cursor to the arc’s right endpoint to set it as a
reference point.
17. Drag your cursor straight, horizontally, to the intersection of the reference point and
click to place the line.

18. From the Circle toolset, choose the Opposite Point Circle tool. This draws a
circle from the opposing quadrant points.
19. Moving back to the mirror of Object 2, click on the left endpoint of the horizontal line
to start the circle.
20. Drag your cursor to the right circle of Object 2, so the LogiCursor displays the vertex
and recognizes the reference point.

21. Drag to the intersection of the reference point, and click to draw the circle.

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22. Position your cursor on the right endpoint of the horizontal line and click to start the
circle.
23. Drag your cursor to the circle you just drew, so the LogiCursor displays the vertex
and recognizes the reference point.
24. Drag to the intersection of the reference point, and click to draw the circle.

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