Customizing Snap Options

[rock1]

Is there a way to customize the snap options in SketchUp. There are lot of options in AutoCAD to customize the snap points like
Midpoint,
Nearest,
End,
Intersection.

You can also turn off or on the snap. Sometimes in sketchup while working I want to turn off the midpoint snapping off but fail to do so. Is there a way out of this snap issue?

[Gaieus]

You cannot turn off or modify snapping in any way in SketchUp except for length and angle snapping under Window > Model info > Units (I generally keep length snapping completely turned off but allow angle snapping)

[rock1]

@gaieus said:

You cannot turn off or modify snapping in any way in SketchUp except for length and angle snapping under Window > Model info > Units

Any plugin out there ? or a possibility of a plugin ? Ruby Gurus , anyone?!!

@gaieus said:

(I generally keep length snapping completely turned off but allow angle snapping)

whoa how do you work then without snaps?

[thomthom]

@rock1 said:

@gaieus said:

You cannot turn off or modify snapping in any way in SketchUp except for length and angle snapping under Window > Model info > Units

Any plugin out there ? or a possibility of a plugin ? Ruby Gurus , anyone?!!

The snapping can not be changed via Ruby API.

@unknownuser said:

@gaieus said:

(I generally keep length snapping completely turned off but allow angle snapping)

whoa how do you work then without snaps?

Not all snapping, just Length Snapping.

[Gaieus]

@thomthom said:

Not all snapping, just Length Snapping.

Right. Length snapping always thinks he know better where I want my line. Like MS Word...

[rock1]

@thomthom said:

The snapping can not be changed via Ruby API.

how can it be . Ruby hotshots are able to make such plugins like

Subdivide and smooth
Extrude tools
Soap skin bubble
Curviloft

and many more that I don't know

that i guess are based on edge and point detection only. There must be a way out of this. The secret lies deep within the caves of Ruby

[thomthom]

No - there is no way to control the snapping in SketchUp via the Ruby API. We can only use what the SketchUp development team has made available in the Ruby API and the snapping is not one of them.

One can make custom snapping, bypassing SketchUp's native snapping, but it'll be slow with large models because the Ruby API doesn't have the low level access to the geometry as the native snapping does. And it'll only work on the plugin you implement it in, it will not be able to affect all tools in SketchUp, native or ruby.

It is a thing asked about from time to time which would have been made already if it was possible.

[rock1]

@thomthom said:

It is a thing asked about from time to time which would have been made already if it was possible.

then why don't people at SU development do something about it?

[jbacus]

@rock1 said:

@thomthom said:

It is a thing asked about from time to time which would have been made already if it was possible.

then why don't people at SU development do something about it?

We don't do anything about this because it isn't something that can be done. SketchUp's inference system is designed to be on all the time– never turned off. SketchUp without geometric inference wouldn't really be usable.

john
.

[rock1]

@jbacus said:

@rock1 said:

@thomthom said:

It is a thing asked about from time to time which would have been made already if it was possible.

then why don't people at SU development do something about it?

We don't do anything about this because it isn't something that can be done. SketchUp's inference system is designed to be on all the time– never turned off. SketchUp without geometric inference wouldn't really be usable.

john
.

Wow!..Mr. Bacus is here. Thanks a lot sir that you considered this post. Well I guess, some people are used to AutoCAD customized snap options. I use a lot of AutoCAD and find it difficult many times to work with all types of snaps enabled. Is it possible that this feature be added in SketchUp.?? I'd be really grateful.

[honoluludesktop]

Rock1, I am guessing that you are a SketchUp beginner. Apologies if you are not, but from time to time, many beginners complain about the lack of precision control due to SketchUps inference engine. One of the ways to get around this is with the mouse wheel. Place your pointer where you want to go then spin the wheel to get close enough to override the precision of the previous snap. Typically you will be able to lock on the point you want. Then zoom out with "previous" (or the mouse wheel), and lock on to the next spot.

SketchUp will lock on center (mid point), physical intersection, end, a point on, and inference points. You can orbit, etc. while locking on points. ACad it's not, thank G0d (just me)! The only things I miss are projected intersections of, and intersection view of (by my Cad). Once I overcame my bias, I was OK, you will be too.

[thomthom]

The problem with zooming in to be able to pick the point you want is that some times the model you work on is so large (geometrically) that you get viewport clipping. I've had some rather large models like that - quite often. And it makes modeling frustrating when you try to snap to a given point, but can't zoom further in because clipping makes the geometry you want to snap to invisible.

(yes, model is at origin and there are no stray geometry far off - it's just a large site model.)

There are legitimate cases where it'd be more efficient to turn off certain snapping points.

[honoluludesktop]

Guess you are right about that. My model sizes, and origins are such that clipping is rarely a problem for me. I posted as such for beginners because zooming in with the mouse wheel was a revelation (perhaps only for me) after I had been at it with SketchUp for over a year.

[2Harry2]

@thomthom said:

The problem with zooming in to be able to pick the point you want is that some times the model you work on is so large (geometrically) that you get viewport clipping.

When this happens I set the camera focal length quite large (>100mm) which helps with close zooms. Unfortunately after a push-pull or other operation, Sketch-up will automatically revert back to the default focal length, which seems to be 35mm, and you have to reset to the larger figure in order to continue...until it decides to reset again for some reason. I love Sketch-up but sometimes its behaviour drives me to drink!

[bjornkn]

To save you from the rehab/AA - SU does not reset the focal length/fov by itself.
However, it stores the focal length in each saved page/view/scene by default. To avoid that you need to turn it off in the Scene manager and update the pages.

[DrdB]

Each time I waste an hour hunting for some incredibly commonplace CAD feature (like Snaps toggles), which SHOULD be just a click or key-stroke away, and which the average drafting/drawing program user reaches for about as often as I use my index finger (although in the last half-hour of reading these posts, my MIDDLE finger has gotten something of a workout…), I end up here, hoping for “Help”.

And each time I end up here, I’m more and more convinced that Google SketchUp is actually a marketing ploy dreamt-up by AutoCAD, to sell more AutoCAD, by frustrating and annoying the absolute BEJEEPERS out of everyone who tries to use Google SketchUp…!

[Dave R]

Sounds like that comes from expecting SketchUp to be AutoCAD which it is not and has never claimed to be.

[sonder]

@drdb said:

Each time I waste an hour hunting for some incredibly commonplace CAD feature (like Snaps toggles), which SHOULD be just a click or key-stroke away, and which the average drafting/drawing program user reaches for about as often as I use my index finger (although in the last half-hour of reading these posts, my MIDDLE finger has gotten something of a workout…), I end up here, hoping for “Help”.

And each time I end up here, I’m more and more convinced that Google SketchUp is actually a marketing ploy dreamt-up by AutoCAD, to sell more AutoCAD, by frustrating and annoying the absolute BEJEEPERS out of everyone who tries to use Google SketchUp…!

That is because you have been corrupted by ACAD. The sheer complexity of its programming and complete lack of intuitive use has made you to expect other programs to follow. Think outside of what ACAD and other drafting programs have taught you and you will see the light. I can't say enough, that half the problems I read on this site are solely related to people expecting SU to do what ACAD does. I say, thank god it doesn't. SU is by far more user friendly and intuitive. Just let go of the archaic thought process that has been developed on the same path for approaching 30 years. As an aside, I learned ACAD on version 2.0 and have used it up until last summer.

[giannofeoli]

I totally understand that sketchup was made for the day-to-day user, but the drawback is precision and control. Having the ability to snap would GREATLY enhance the ability to draft accurately and without the need to constantly be zooming-in and zooming-out and hovering over intersections HOPING SU will choose the endpoint instead of a projection and it will make the use of the software so much faster.

The second thing I REALLY REALLY REALLY wish sketchup had was a manipulator tool, much like the one that is available in Maya. I find that rotating and moving objects in sketchup is such a PAIN because there is no REAL CONTROL.

[knozzos]

Although this is a very old thread, I support the wish for a possibility to switch off snapping (like end/mid, face, edge...). I understand that people here are annoyed by Autocad as an example for functions. But, it's not only a merit of Acad to switch off something you don't need, or worse, something that breaks your workflow. You can do that in most other drawing software, and I am talking about pro Versions - as there is also a pro version of SU, which isn't that cheap with € 657,- for 2016, just to mention it.

Snapping is basically ok in Sketchup (although you often have to try hard to find the right one between those many snaps offered), but on some occasions you simply need to switch (parts of) it off.

@unknownuser said:

That is because you have been corrupted by ACAD.

I sometimes must read things twice. Are we discussing a peace of software or a philosophy ? How can anyone be "corrupted" by Acad, related to this function-based topic ?

@unknownuser said:

Just let go of the archaic thought process

There is also a thought process in Acad like "Functionality needed ? Let's put it there!", since 30 years. That made Acad to a huge bin of functions, they are growing like weed ever since I can remember. I highly doubt that Acad would have grown to that position (as a market leader) without trying to satisfy user's needs. On the other hand, it is not always easy to handle such a giant, even for the experienced user.

@unknownuser said:

expecting SketchUp to be AutoCAD which it is not

Everybody knows that, I argue. But again, it's currently a question for a function (one between hundreds), not suddenly to imitate the complete Acad workflow. For a professional software (I mentioned the price above) I expect professional product maintenance regardless of the initial purpose of the product (here: 3d modelling just for fun and made easy), not some (sorry) nitty comments. The previous releases do show that partially, but basically SU is not so much "growing" for the customers of the pro segment.

@unknownuser said:

We don't do anything about this because it isn't something that can be done.

Now, this is a statement where my eyes began to jitter. It is simply not possible that switching off snapping functionality is not possible...If one says "We cannot find the code where the snapping is invoked" I would believe that, and I would answer "Ok, then employ someone who can" (or, when one says "we don't want to do it" I would answer "well, why did you acquire SU in the first place ? To generate losses by not enhancing it ?"). But this "inference engine" is not a kind of a living thing, is it ? It's a piece of software, and somewhere you can trap the call to the sub where it collects the snapping possibilities.

@unknownuser said:

SketchUp without geometric inference wouldn't really be usable.

Yes it would. If not, I would call it an inferior engine. Trust us users. Don't be lazy.