Drawing with AutoCAD: Conference and Lecture Rooms

This chapter is from the book

AutoCAD 2022 for Interior Design and Space Planning

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book 

AutoCAD 2022 for Interior Design and Space Planning

Learn More Buy

Osnap Modes That Snap to Specific Drawing Features

You have already used Osnap-Midpoint and Node. They are examples of Osnap modes that snap to drawing features. Midpoint snaps to the midpoint of a line or arc, and Node snaps to a point entity.

The following list describes other Osnap modes that snap to specific drawing features. AutoCAD Osnap modes treat each edge of a solid and each polyline segment as a line. You will use many of these Osnap modes while completing the exercises in this book.

• Mid Between 2 Points (M2P): Snaps to a point midway between two points that you pick on the drawing.

• Endpoint (END): Snaps to the endpoint of a line or arc. The end of the line or arc nearest the point picked is snapped to.

• Midpoint (MID): Snaps to the midpoint of a line or arc.

• Center (CEN): Snaps to the center of an arc, ellipse, or circle.

• Geometric Center (GCEN): Snaps to the centroid of a closed polyline or spline.

• Node (NOD): Snaps to a point (POINT command).

• Quadrant (QUA): Snaps to the closest quadrant point of an arc or circle. These are the 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° points on a circle, arc, or ellipse.

• Intersection (INT): Snaps to the intersection of two lines, a line with an arc or circle, or two circles and/or arcs.

• Extension (EXT): Extends a line or arc. With a command and the Extension mode active, pause over a line or arc, and after a small plus sign is displayed, slowly move along a temporary path that follows the extension of the line or arc. You can draw objects to and from points on the extension path line.

• Insertion (INS): Snaps to the insertion point of text, attribute, or block. (These objects are described in later chapters.)

• Perpendicular (PER): Snaps to the point on a line, circle, or arc that forms a 90° angle from that object to the last point. For example, if you are drawing a line, click the first point of the line, and then use Perpendicular to connect the line to another line. The new line will be perpendicular to the first pick.

• Tangent (TAN): Snaps to the point on a circle or arc that when connected to the last point entered forms a line tangent to (touching at one point) the circle or arc.

• Nearest (NEA): Snaps to the point on a line, arc, or circle that is closest to the position of the crosshairs; also snaps to any point (POINT command) node that is closest to the crosshairs. You will use this mode when you want to be sure to connect to a line, arc, circle, or point, and cannot use another Osnap mode.

• Apparent intersect (APP): Snaps to what appears to be an intersection even though one object is above the other in 3D space.

• Parallel (PAR): Draws a line parallel to another line. With the LINE command active, click the first point of the new line you want to draw. With the Parallel mode active, pause over the line you want to draw parallel to, until a small parallel line symbol is displayed. Move the cursor away from but parallel to the original line, and an alignment path is displayed for you to complete the new line.

For the LINE command, you can also use the Tangent and Perpendicular modes when picking the first point of the line. This allows you to draw a line tangent to, or perpendicular to, an existing object.