Grids and Snapping in AC 8.1.1

[tsturm]

We have just been trying to use the grids to set our walls on. Our current project is built from CMU. We wanted to set the main grid to the unit of the CMU and the snap grid for half of the main grid. So we opened the grid dialog box, set the main grid to 8 inches and snap grid to 4 inches. The offset for the main grid is set to one.


What we notice is the snap grid will only align with the main grid when the main grid's origin is the same as the universal point. This means if you relocate or rotate the grid the snap grid gets messed up or out of alignment. However the actual visible grid does correctly work, its just the snap grid that does not work.

[Djordje]

tsturm wrote:
[img] grid dialog.pdf (first time for attaching a picture, hope it works)

It would be better if you attached JPG ... PDF has to be downloaded and seen separately, JPG can be viewed online.

[Anonymous]

As far as I recall the snap grid has always been relative to the current origin ("user origin" as GS refers to it). You need to place the origin at a construction grid point for them to align. The alternative (as I'm sure you are aware) would be to set your grid at 4".

[tsturm]

Dear Matt.

How did you learn that the snap grid aligns with the User's Origin and not to the Global set origin?

Is there documentation some where in the manual which I may have missed in my reading? I could not find anything in the manual about resetting the user origin to relocate the snap grid.

This seems very bizarre. Why would GS set the Construction Grid to the Universal or Rotated Grid Origin and the Snap grid is based on the User Origin?

Can anyone from GS provide some info on this? Can GS provide a way to save rotated settings? We have a new project which has three buildings on the site and not a one aligns with another. This type of rotated grid can be saved in FormZ for different locations in the project. They can even be different sizes.

Also Matt or anyone. When I draw with a Fill or Rectangle setting from Line tool on a rotated grid the polygon (rectangle) is aligned to the default grid and not my rotated grid.

Example. I have a rotated grid at 30 degrees. I want to draw rectangluar shapes and rooms on this rotated grid. As I tried to show in the attached image my rubber band for the fill tool would not align to the rotated grid seen in the background. It is hard to read this from the static picture, but that was what was happening. Could there be a setting I forgot to trip?

The only way I can get a rectangle to align to a rotated grid it to use the third type of box or draw it using the first button and a construction grid snap. If my coordiates are now working on this new rotated grid then why cannot the orthogonal tools not align to this rotated grid?


TIA

[Anonymous]

tsturm wrote:
Dear Matt.

How did you learn that the snap grid aligns with the User's Origin and not to the Global set origin?

I just noticed it once long ago. I don't remember the circumstances.

Is there documentation some where in the manual which I may have missed in my reading? I could not find anything in the manual about resetting the user origin to relocate the snap grid.

As I recall the documentation is sorely lacking in many basic areas, but then I haven't used the manuals (except for GDL reference) in so long that I am not really qualified to comment.

This seems very bizarre. Why would GS set the Construction Grid to the Universal or Rotated Grid Origin and the Snap grid is based on the User Origin?

I don't know. It seems that it should at least be a choice to be set in the Grids & Background dialog. (Yet another wish list item. Perhaps you could add it? I don't use the snap grid all that often so it doesn't make a big difference to me.)

Can anyone from GS provide some info on this? Can GS provide a way to save rotated settings? We have a new project which has three buildings on the site and not a one aligns with another. This type of rotated grid can be saved in FormZ for different locations in the project. They can even be different sizes.

Another item for the wish list...

Also Matt or anyone. When I draw with a Fill or Rectangle setting from Line tool on a rotated grid the polygon (rectangle) is aligned to the default grid and not my rotated grid.

Example. I have a rotated grid at 30 degrees. I want to draw rectangluar shapes and rooms on this rotated grid. As I tried to show in the attached image my rubber band for the fill tool would not align to the rotated grid seen in the background. It is hard to read this from the static picture, but that was what was happening. Could there be a setting I forgot to trip?

The only way I can get a rectangle to align to a rotated grid it to use the third type of box or draw it using the first button and a construction grid snap. If my coordiates are now working on this new rotated grid then why cannot the orthogonal tools not align to this rotated grid?

Yes, you have to use the rectangle by angle method (3 clicks instead of two). I don't entirely understand this. It does seem logical that when the grid is relocated and/or rotated that everything would be oriented to the new grid.