The Osnap Options

The Osnap Options
Earlier, you made several of the osnap settings automatic so they’re available without having to select
them from the Osnap pop-up menu. Another way to invoke the osnap options is to type their keyboard
equivalents while selecting points or to Shift+right-click while selecting points to open the Osnap shortcut
menu.
Here is a summary of all the available osnap options, including their keyboard shortcuts. You’ve already
used many of these options in this chapter and in the previous chapter. Pay special attention to those
options you haven’t yet used in the exercises but may find useful to your style of work. The full name of
each option is followed by its keyboard shortcut name in brackets. To use these options, you can enter
either the full name or the abbreviation at any point prompt. You can also select these options from the
pop-up menu obtained by Shift+clicking the right mouse button.
Tip: Sometimes you’ll want one or more of these osnap options available as the default selection.
Remember that you can set Running Osnaps to be on at all times. Choose Tools  Drafting Settings from
the menu bar, and then click the Object Snap tab. You can also right-click the Osnap button in the status
bar and choose Settings from the shortcut menu.
Available osnap options (in alphabetic order):
Apparent Intersection [app] Selects the apparent intersection of two objects. This is useful
when you want to select the intersection of two objects that don’t actually intersect. You’ll be
prompted to select the two objects.
Center [cen] Selects the center of an arc or a circle. You must click the arc or circle itself, not its
apparent center.
Endpoint [endp or end] Selects all the endpoints of lines, polylines, arcs, curves, and 3D Face
vertices.
Extension [ext] Selects a point that is aligned with an imagined extension of a line. For example,
you can pick a point in space that is aligned with an existing line but isn’t on that line. To use that
point, type ext↵ during point selection, or select Extension from the Osnap pop-up menu; then,
move the cursor to the line whose extension you want to use, and hold it there until you see a small,
cross-shaped marker on the line. The cursor also displays a ToolTip with the word extension, letting
you know that the Extension osnap is active.
From [fro] Selects a point relative to a picked point. For example, you can select a point that is
2 units to the left and 4 units above a circle’s center. This option is usually used in conjunction with
another osnap option, such as From Endpoint or From Midpoint.
Insert [ins] Selects the insertion point of text, blocks, Xrefs, and overlays.
Intersection [int] Selects the intersection of objects.
Mid Between 2 Points [m2p] Selects a point that is midway between two other points.
Midpoint [mid] Selects the midpoint of a line or an arc. In the case of a polyline, it selects the
midpoint of the polyline segment.
Nearest [nea] Selects a point on an object nearest the pick point.
Node [nod] Selects a point object.
None [non] Temporarily turns off Running Osnaps.
Parallel [par] Lets you draw a line segment that is parallel to another existing line segment. To
use this option, type par↵ during point selection, or select Parallel from the Osnap pop-up menu;
then, move the cursor to the line you want to be parallel to, and hold it there until you see a small,
cross-shaped marker on the line. The cursor also displays a ToolTip with the word parallel, letting
you know that the Parallel osnap is active.
Perpendicular [per] Selects a position on an object that is perpendicular to the last point selected.
Point Filters Not really object snaps, but point-selection options that let you filter X, Y, or Z coordinate
values from a selected point. (See Chapter 20 for more on point filters.)
Quadrant [qua] Selects the nearest cardinal (north, south, east, or west) point on an arc or a circle.
Tangent [tan] Selects a point on an arc or a circle that represents the tangent from the last
point selected.
Temporary Track Point Provides an alternate method for using the Object Snap Tracking feature
described later in this chapter. (See Chapter 15 for more on Temporary Track Point.)