Modeling
About Archicad's design tools, element connections, modeling concepts, etc.

Snap guides - reference points

nejcek74
Contributor
Often I have problems with snap guides (new, blue one), particularly the selection of points they are referencing to/from. Very annoying and at least for me completely useless is the referencing point 0,0 which is constantly jumping in. On the image below it's a screenshot when I was trying to draw a tangent on circle (nr. 2) but I could only get perpendicular section between circle and line coming from 0,0. Only solution was cancelling command, moving the drawing and drawing it again.
Maybe I am missing something but I don't find any possibility how to filter them or cycle trough the points. Any good advice about this?

Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 15.58.22.jpg
Archicad 22 on OS X 10.11.6
5 REPLIES 5
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
That Tangent from the Center Point of the Circle is offered as a Snap Reference because you have another edge marked as a Snap Reference as well. The offered tangent is parallel to that marked Snap Reference edge and goes through the Circle's center point. You can see that the little dashed lines are drawn as indication of which Snap References the offered Snap Guides relate to.
Simply unmark that other element edge as Snap Reference edge and the Tangent will not be offered at Point 1.

What you need to keep in mind is that ARCHICAD offers these Snap Guides based on all marked Snap Reference Points and Edges. For this reason I think it is good practice to not mark more than 2 or 3 points and edges as Snap Reference at any given time (unless you really need to) because they will generate too many Snap Guides which can be confusing.
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
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nejcek74
Contributor
Thx again for trying to help, but whatever I do, I always get the annoying tangent / reference to 0,0, point. This is from where that little dashed line comes.
In the attachment the only edge that was marked was a circle I need for the tangent.
But suddenly a "Wild Snap Reference" from 0,0 appears , either as tangent or circle. I actually really don't have a clue what are references on the right: "two points on second circle, where one is defined with a lucky distance of 6cm from 0,0 and the second one by mirroring the first over the axe between two circle centres". I don't even know how to recreate this
I am never sure if I got right reference or sometimes I loose it while I am zooming in to check where I am. I would like to have control over this:
1.) A way to cycle through different references with a button (like tab is used on Tracker)
2.) A way to switch on/off reference sources (like 0,0, intersections, centres etc)
Archicad 22 on OS X 10.11.6
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
I think you should watch the full Guide Line new features playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnXY6vLUwlWXj_1QX5iXbZ0cfscL-VNEX

You can mark any point or edge as Snap Reference using the Q key. You can use the Q also to UNmark points or edges as Snap Reference.
Also, pressing the ESC key unmarks all points or edges as Snap Reference.

See all other details in the above playlist.
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac28
nejcek74
Contributor
Thank you. I watch it when I started using 19.
- I cannot unselect 0,0 because it was never selected as a Snap reference
- if I use Esc I loose all Guide Lines (thin blue one)
- when I am close to the point I need, symbol changes by itself (from perpendicular to circle)
My problem are NOT thick blue guide lines, my problem are thin blue lines which comes from unselected points or for which I don't know what they exactly are
- something that is connected to origin 0,0
- something that is a tangent
Simply I am not sure if I am really drawing a tangent There are too many mistakes in my drawing and I wish to minimize them.
Probably inside the program there are different classes (?) of guiding rules you are using: extension, distance, perpendicular, tangent, origin etc. It would be nice to filter / switch them off on, or cycle trough them. At the moment I can more or less guess what they are, usually there are too many of them. Again I am talking about thin blue one, which are generated automatically.
Archicad 22 on OS X 10.11.6
Laszlo Nagy
Community Admin
Community Admin
Yes, when you press ESC all marked Snap References are unmarked.
Use the Q key to mark/unmark individual Snap Reference Points/Lines.

When a Circle or Arc is marked as Snap Reference its center point is implicitly marked as a Snap Reference. This is why Snap Guides are offered based on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t3xWX0L_00&index=7&list=PLnXY6vLUwlWXj_1QX5iXbZ0cfscL-VNEX

Here are the Snap Guides that are offered for Circles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqtfFgZx5bY&list=PLnXY6vLUwlWXj_1QX5iXbZ0cfscL-VNEX&index=11

I now think that problematic point may be a Tangent from a marked Snap Reference Point to the Snap Reference Circle.

If you would like additional capabilities you should post a Wish in one of the Wish forums. Then others can vote for them and we can submit them to GRAPHISOFT for consideration.
Loving Archicad since 1995 - Find Archicad Tips at x.com/laszlonagy
AMD Ryzen9 5900X CPU, 64 GB RAM 3600 MHz, Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB, 500 GB NVMe SSD
2x28" (2560x1440), Windows 10 PRO ENG, Ac20-Ac28