Entity Snap

Tom Foster

In v15 Settings, differs from Help:

What is Quick (not in Help)?
What is difference between None (is in Help) and Turn Off all Snaps (not in Help)?
Node is same as Point in Help?
TK and MTP in Help are not in Settings.

In Acad, there's a button to Turn On (or Off) all snaps - v useful - I normally keep it On. I don't see it in BricsCAD - do we really have to click the snaps individually in Settings?
It almost looks like Turn Off all Snap is meant to be Turn On all Snaps when it's left unchecked? How is it meant to work?

Robt Deans

Snaps can be toggled On/Off via ESNAP in Status Bar or keyboard's F3 button.

Roy Klein Gebbinck

Quick is described in the Help. I can't detect any functionality though...
Quote from Help: 'None: Turns off all entity snap modes.'
Quote from Help: 'Node: Toggles Node entity snap mode; snaps to point entities.'
TK and MTP are not settings.

Louis_Verdonck

If the Quick option of the OSMODE system variable is set: "Snaps to the first entity geometry found; used together with at least one other entity snap mode." (quote from Help: Command Reference/Q/Quick).

The difference between 'None' and 'Turn of all snaps' is that the 'None' sets the value of OSMODE = 0, which clears all running entity snap modes.  'Turn of all snaps' temporarily disables entity snaps, but keeps the running entity snap modes switched on. Clicking the Esnap field in the status bar toggles 'Turn of all snaps'.

Roy Klein Gebbinck

Louis, of course I understand that you are pointing me to the Help regarding the Quick option. But after reading the section again and some more tests I still see no effect. I am using BricsCAD V14.

My Test:

OSMODE=1027 (end+mid+quick)

'Assembly' A:
line A1 from 0,0 to 300,0
line A2 from 0,0 to 500,0

'Assembly' B:
line B1 from 0,100 to 500,100
line B2 from 0,100 to 300,100

The difference between the assemblies is their draworder.
In assembly A the longest line is on top in assembly B the shortest line is.

If I start the LINE command and for the first point move the cursor over assembly A or B the same osnaps highlight in the same order.
The first geometry found (= entity that is on top?) has no discernible effect.

Roy Klein Gebbinck

BTW: I don't know which version of the Help Tom has searched in, but in the online Help (http://www.bricsys.com/bricscad/help/en_INTL/CurVer/BricsCAD/) searching for 'Quick' does not bring up the correct section.

Tom Foster

Thanks. Regret, like Roy, I still don't understand what Quick does, over above the 'one other snapomode' which has to be also set.

So there's def no 'turn on/off all snapmodes' toggle, equiv to the v useful one in Acad?
I can see it might not be necessary if 'disables entity snaps, but keeps the running entity snap modes switched on' makes sense -
but what is 'running entity snap mode(s)' (stays On) compared to a 'entity snap(s)' (switched Off)?

Louis_Verdonck

Dear Roy

I think QUICK is a leftover from the time computers weren't that fast to query the drawing database for valid entity snaps. Why it's still there might have something to do with compatibility reasons.

About the online Help: the online Help is generated automatically from the CHM files, apparently the search results are different from the search in the CHMs. If BricsCAD is running, there is no need to use the online Help.

Louis_Verdonck

@Tom Foster:

So there's def no 'turn on/off all snapmodes' toggle, equiv to the v useful one in Acad?
I can see it might not be necessary if 'disables entity snaps, but keeps the running entity snap modes switched on' makes sense -
but what is 'running entity snap mode(s)' (stays On) compared to a 'entity snap(s)' (switched Off)?

'Running entity snap modes' are the currently selected entity snaps. Clicking the ESNAP field in the status bar or hitting the F3 function key toggles  the entity snaps on/off without clearing them. If you need a currently not selected entity snap you have the option to temporarily override the 'running entity snap modes': press and hold the Shift-key, then right click and choose a 'one-shot' entity snap in the pop-up list.