Snapping

[peweuk]

Does anyone know of a script to automatically place components so they 'snap' onto other components?

I may be going mad, but I seem to remember when I first looked at SU (just after V6 came out) I came across a script which allowed you to select a component in the drawing and then place a component from a library after specifying which side of the selected component you wanted to attach it to.

I have searched for it, but can't find it (doesn't help that I can't remember what it was called).

Am I going mad, or is there such a script?

[Dave R]

You're going mad.

Sorry, but you asked.

I've not seen a plugin to do this but if you grab the new component with the Move tool at a point that will correspond to a point in the neighboring component, it'll snap right in when you get the cursor on that point.

[sorgesu]

When you bring in a component from the component browser the "snap" handle or insertion point is the axis of the component. If origin/axis positioned carefully when the component is created, with a thought about what points are likely to be used as alignment points, then you will never have a problem inserting and snapping in one go.

Most of the models in 3D warehouse are not created that way. If you mean to keep them and use them it is good idea to change the axis on the component either within it's own file or from the model that you are using and then right click on the component and "save as" from the context menu and save over the existing version.

[peweuk]

Thanks for your responses.

I take the point about the axis and thought about that. It is a 'workable' alternative but there are a couple of issues:

1 - where components are downloaded the axis may not be in the correct place to work with ease.
2 - I am thinking about room design, and when placing components such as cabinets, it would be desirable to be able to place a new cabinet on the left or the right of a previouc one, but a component can only have one axis so could not be easily 'snapped' on either side.

As far as the 'Snapping' tool is concerned, I'm not going mad after all - I found it.
It's the 'Place Adjacent' item here http://wiki.renderplus.com/index.php?title=RpTools#Place_Adjacent.

Shame it's not available on it's own