inkscapers?

Use "File->Document Properties" dialog to configure this. "#" key turns on/off grid, "|" key turns on/off guides, you can also set keyboard shortcut to enable/disable snapping in ~/.inkscape/keys/default.xml

i cant really say you have been any help. i know all this already.

Clear wrote:i cant really say you have been any help. i know all this already.

When you ask a lazy question you have to expect a lazy answer. Inkscaper_ went to far more effort to assist you then the question deserved.

How to ask questions the smart way - Be explicit about your question

how am i going to be explicit when i don't know how to ask? what i want to do is draw so that when i do, the shapes snap perfectly. i do not know how to explain it any better because i don't know the proper terms i really do appreciate inkscapers help though

Clear wrote:what i want to do is draw so that when i do, the shapes snap perfectly.

So what's "perfect"? It all depends on what you are drawing. Since you already know how to create a grid and snapping, why isn't the grid helping you already? There aren't too many parameters to a grid, you can really only make it bigger or smaller--perhaps it's too big or too small for what you are trying to draw.

Clear wrote:what i want to do is draw so that when i do, the shapes snap perfectly.

No-one's mentioned the "Always snap to to grid" tickbox. If you use that and the pen tool everything you draw will have corners at grid-points.

One beginner to another --
Actually I can't say I'm completely a novice, but compared to some of the work I've seen done with Inkscape, it will be quite some time before I can stop calling myself a beginner

Part of the problem here may be (I'm guessing) that you haven't said to what you want your drawing to snap. If you are "hand tracing" an image (for practice, etc.) I'm not sure you could have your drawing snap to the one you're tracing. It may be that a raster-type graphics program would better suit your needs (The GIMP, Paint.NET, Irfanview, all free). Otherwise, you might want to explore the Trace Bitmap option under the Path menu (note that photos or other complex images aren't always suitable for this feature, because the result can have huge numbers of nodes). After that, you can have your drawing snap to the traced one.

I can't think of many situations where you might want your drawing to snap to a grid entirely, but I've done some (my av, for ex). But I find I often want to use this feature when precise placement of a path or object is necessary. And depending on which version of Inkscape you are using, you would set your Snap settings differently. They are more or less self-explanatory, but you should definitely look at some of the excellent resources, ie - Inkscape guides, tutorials, etc. found under the Help menu, and also especially for tuts, look in the Inkscape Resources forum, which organizes them quite well. Also, I've personally had numerous problems with snapping, so you may want to search the forums for my topics regarding snapping. I have found the replies very, very helpful.

I can't speak for everyone, but I find there is no one best way to configure the Snap settings, to be useful under all circumstances. I am constantly changing them, even within a single image. (For this reason, I think the settings should be moved out of the Document Properties dialog....(which may be the source of your confusion?)....but I believe this has been suggested and discussed among the program developers (and I will certainly leave it up to them).

As for setting up a grid, on the other hand, I rarely change from the default rectangular grid. However, again, I typically turn it off and on several, even many times, as I work on an image. I've experimented with the axonomic grid, but for now, situations where it might be useful are a bit beyond my abilities, for the most part.

So I've tried to answer your question based on what I might have needed as a complete novice. I hope I've hit the mark? If not, don't be afraid, if you don't know the right words, to describe what you're trying to do in whatever words you can, maybe even use a screen shot or link to a similar image of what you're trying to do (although I realize in this case a sample image isn't appropriate). And as you may have learned by now, the hard way, it's best to indicate that you've tried to find the answers to your questions on your own 1st, before asking for help. This will explain

Best of luck, Clear

thank you brynn. that was informative.