Can't get Center Point

[Anonymous]

Hello Everyone!

I'm having a problem sometimes trying to get the center point of some elements, instead I'm getting the guide line. How can I switch to get the center point instead of the blue guide line or what should I do?

Here is a Screencast of it:
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDnl2xhWit

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

I find out something, I don't know if is a bug or was on porpuse, but when I try finding the center point of a 3d element (slab in this case) with the option of along entire element it does not mark it, but it works with a line. But if I change the option to Between intersection points or between nodes then it works.
Check here
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDnlDZhWX8

[Laszlo Nagy]

arqrivas wrote:
Hello Everyone!

I'm having a problem sometimes trying to get the center point of some elements, instead I'm getting the guide line. How can I switch to get the center point instead of the blue guide line or what should I do?

Here is a Screencast of it:
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDnl2xhWit

Thanks!!

I checked this clip. The reason this works the way it works is because it is set to the "Along Entire Element" variant. The Snap Points appear immediately when you hover your cursor over the element edge. And they do. If you look at the video very closely you will see at about 00:00:08 that a Snap Point mark appear in the lower right corner of the upper right square of your 10 square grid. That upper right square was probably created using a Polyline so the entire length of the polyline is the total perimeter of that square and its starting point is its upper left corner. This is why the Snap Point appear at the lower right corner because that is at the exact middle point of the square's parameter.

[Laszlo Nagy]

arqrivas wrote:
I find out something, I don't know if is a bug or was on porpuse, but when I try finding the center point of a 3d element (slab in this case) with the option of along entire element it does not mark it, but it works with a line. But if I change the option to Between intersection points or between nodes then it works.
Check here
http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDnlDZhWX8

Again, the Snap Point mark (the vertical little notch) does appear at the lower left corner of the rectangle at about 00:00:04 in the clip. This is because of the "Along Entire Element" option.
When you switch to the "Between Nodes" option, of course it will appear at the middle of the hovered edge, and two little dots appear at the two endpoint of that edge to show which two Nodes constitute the length at the middle point of which the Snap Point is placed.

It works just fine. It is just hard to see the Snap Point that appears because it falls exactly on a corner.

[Anonymous]

Ohhh!!!

It took me a while to understand but I got it.
Now I understand how it works.

When set to along entire element it goes around the hole element not only the edge when using elements like the slab

With the wall tool works different it just go by face.

Thanks Laszlonagy!

[Anonymous]

Super!!

Now I laugh of myself

Thanks for the explanation!

Before Explanation: "This is annoying"
After Explanation and understanding: "Great feature"

[Laszlo Nagy]

arqrivas wrote:
When set to along entire element it goes around the hole element not only the edge when using elements like the slab

With the wall tool works different it just go by face.

Thanks Laszlonagy!

You are welcome.

And you are right, it seem to work differently depending on element type. With a chain of Walls or a chain of Lines (drawn by the Line Tool) each segment is its own, so the Along Entire Element option gives the same result as the Between Nodes option.
With polygonal type of element geometries, the the Along Entire Element option and the Between Nodes option give different results. These include not only the Slab, Roof, Mesh, Zone, Polyline and Spline Tool, but interestingly enough the Beam Tool as well.

Which is a discrepancy in my opinion because if it can apply to a rectangular chain of Beams then why cannot it apply to a rectangular chain of Walls as well?
I will forward this to the developers for their consideration.

[Laszlo Nagy]

laszlonagy wrote:
That upper right square was probably created using a Polyline so the entire length of the polyline is the total perimeter of that square and its starting point is its upper left corner. This is why the Snap Point appear at the lower right corner because that is at the exact middle point of the square's parameter.

I want to make a small correction to myself here.
So the point from which Snap Point are measured in case of such a closed polygon is always depends where you place your cursor over an edge.
In your first clip you had the upper right square made of a polyline. You hovered your cursor over the upper edge of that square and the closest node was the upper left corner of the polyline so distances were measured from there and the "Half" Snap Point therefore appeared at the lower right corner of the square.
Had you hovered your cursor over the upper edge of that square so that the closest node was the upper RIGHT corner of the polyline the "Half" Snap Point would have appeared at the lower LEFT corner of the square.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Laszlonagy

[Anonymous]

Because of this issue I had and later learning that things changed in AC 19, I was curious and went to watch all videos about guide lines, and in those videos this is clearly explained.
That's why we should watch ALL the videos for each new release of AC.
Thanks!