How do I use guide lines and the snap grid in the 3D view, and why couldn't I see my snap grid? (12.5)

What changed in 12.5

Guide lines and the snap grid used to be 2D view features. In 12.5 both are visible and usable in the 3D view, so drawing and node editing there can snap the same way. The What's New page also says guides and grid can be given a custom color and thickness to make them easier to see.

Working with guides

1. Create: in the 2D view, press the left mouse button on the left ruler (vertical guide) or the top ruler (horizontal guide) and drag into the view. The guide snaps to ruler units. Hold Shift to place it freely.
2. Move to an exact position in the 3D view: left-click the guide. Its position appears next to the cursor as an editable field. Type the new value.
3. Move or angle it from the 2D view: right-click the guide to open Guide Properties. Enter a New Position, a New Angle (degrees counterclockwise from the X axis), or tick Lock Guide.
4. Add a parallel guide: hover over a guide, hold Ctrl and drag. The distance from the first guide shows at the cursor.
5. Show or hide all guides: click the top left corner of the 2D view, or use View > Guide Lines.

Snap settings

Open Edit > Snap Options or press F4. The options that matter here:

• Snap to Guides
• Snap Guides to Geometry (guides snap to vectors while being dragged)
• Snap to Grid with its Grid Spacing
• Snapping Radius in pixels: larger for fast, loose work; smaller for dense drawings

Geometry, Smart and Grid snapping can also be toggled from the View Toolbar, and the choices are remembered between sessions. Hold Shift to switch snapping off temporarily.

Why the grid was invisible

Build 12.509 fixed a bug where the snap grid could be switched on for snapping but was not drawn in the 2D view. If snapping works but you see no grid dots, update to the latest 12.5 build.

Gotchas

• A locked guide cannot be selected, so the editable position field will not appear. Unlock it first.
• From an angled guide you can only create parallel guides.
• A related small improvement: build 12.508 added snapping to the Tilt and Fade anchors on component properties in Aspire.

Pro tips

• Use two guides and their intersection as a drawing origin for repeat layouts.
• See the entries on snap settings and Smart Snapping for the full list of snap types.