How to switch Snap from Bounding Box to Geometry/Nodes

chrisjj · Postby **chrisjj** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:07 am

This post http://inkscape.13.n6.nabble.com/how-to ... 76676.html seems to suggest two solutions:

By default Inkscape uses the "visual" bounding box of objects to snap
them. I.e. a simple line can snap to either of it's borders (and
hence shift a bit from the grid). To make Inkscape precise you can
switch to "geometric" bounding box snapping (Inkscape preferences >
Tools > Selector > Bounding box to use). This way only nodes will
snap and the line will be perfectly on grid.
...
Oooops sorry, the option in only available in the development
versions of Inkscape (the more recent versions). You could probably
get one for Linux quit easily though I don't really know how and where.

Anyway, in 0.45, you have the options directly in the document
snapping properties: Document preferences > Snap. There select: Snap
nodes to grid/guides and deselect Snap bounding boxes to grid/guides.
Then select "Always snap" in both.

... but I can find neither of the settings mentioned.

Any ideas?

Lazur · Postby **Lazur** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:32 am

Manually you can draw geometry that can be aligned with the align and distribute menu to have the exact position that you want avoiding the useage of any snapping.

chrisjj · Postby **chrisjj** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:40 am

Lazur URH wrote:Manually you can draw geometry that can be aligned with the align and distribute menu to have the exact position that you want avoiding the useage of any snapping.

Thanks, but I can't - A&D don't give me the real-time alignment to grid that I want.

Postby **brynn** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:42 am

I'm not entirely clear what you're asking. If you want to snap to nodes, you don't have to change the type of bounding box. BUT if you want to snap to bounding box, and you want the bounding box precise, you should switch to Geometric bounding box.

Info on snapping http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... pping.html

Lazur · Postby **Lazur** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:56 am

If you want to align a path with its point to another path's specific point, you can do that with align and distribute. But if you are after drawing architectural drawings, writing in the coordinates is easier.

chrisjj · Postby **chrisjj** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:03 am

Thanks for responding!

brynn wrote:I'm not entirely clear what you're asking.

Like the asker in that linked post, I am asking for objects that snap geometry to grid upon creation (green) don't then fall off the grid when moved (red):

I want the moved objects grid-aligned in the same way unmoved objects are grid-aligned.

Note that Snap nodes or handles is On, but has no effect upon moves - presumably because neither nodes or handles are actually showing.

brynn wrote:Info on snapping http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... pping.html

Thanks, but no answer found there.

Lazur · Postby **Lazur** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:10 am

If I knew how to achieve that, I could save alot of time making pixel fitted graphic in the past.

chrisjj · Postby **chrisjj** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:14 am

Lazur URH wrote:If I knew how to achieve that, I could save alot of time making pixel fitted graphic in the past.

I have saved a lot of time doing this in programs way back 20 years to MacDraw. Surely Inkscape has not overlooked this simplest of snap styles

Postby **brynn** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:28 am

You are correct. Nodes can't be snapped to the grid because there are no nodes. Object to Path.

Or if you don't want to convert to path, switch to Geometric bounding box, and switch snap settings to whatever appropriate bounding box options. To switch bounding box type: Inkscape Preferences > Tools. You already have snap info

Postby **druban** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:33 am

Hi ChrisJJ am I to assume you are dragging the objects? If you are using the arrow keys I don't think I, and definitely not someone with your experience would expect any snap. So that's out of the way.... Let's assume you are dragging but not getting a snap. Depending on the magnification and the snap preferences you have indicated, snap sensitivity is often quite unacceptable but can be made very - well, snappy! So just raise the snap distance and sensitivity and soon you won't be able to get up from your chair without flying across the room.
Confusingly some of the snap behaviour is buried in your document propereties, so you possibly might not have seen those?
sometimesyou need to switch tools and ba ck to get snapping to come back on. Not too cool but that's just <spacebar> twice. Good luck, and don't develop snap-phobia, it seems to be going around!

edit: Oops :oops:

I see your point, Brynn, no snap because they're rectangles, right?
Try the button at the very bottom "snap other points" to see 'corner to grid intersection' and 'corner to guide' snaps for rectangles. In fact the unmarked corner will snap as well. The prefs still have an effect so take a look at where you want to grab the object to have all the other snaps not throw you off.

: image1054.png (8.66 KiB) Viewed 3855 times

chrisjj · Postby **chrisjj** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:50 am

brynn wrote:You are correct. Nodes can't be snapped to the grid because there are no nodes.

Handles too

brynn wrote:Or if you don't want to convert to path, switch to Geometric bounding box

Thanks. i'd found that fails too - see the dotted GBB v. the red X here:

but now I know switching tools fixes this (thanks Druban), it works.

...except now snapping DOESN'T work when creating a shape or dragging a handle:

Oh dear

I guess I'll have to resize each new object.

druban wrote:Hi ChrisJJ am I to assume you are dragging the objects?

Yes.

druban wrote:Confusingly some of the snap behaviour is buried in your document propereties

I have "Always snap".

druban wrote:don't develop snap-phobia, it seems to be going around!

No surprise there

Thanks.

Postby **druban** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:05 pm

chrisjj wrote:... but I can find neither of the settings mentioned.
Any ideas?

I just noticed that no one answered your original question!
1. The choice between snapping to geometry or appearance cn be found in preferences in the tools section. Just choose tools, not one of the tools.
2. The bit about the bounding box snap etc. has been moved from the preference dialog to its own toolbar. You will notice the original article mentioned 0.45 - that was years ago! Th snap toolbar has greatly expanded snapping options since then.

chrisjj · Postby **chrisjj** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:26 pm

druban wrote: Just choose tools, not one of the tools.

Thanks

druban wrote:2. The bit about the bounding box snap etc. has been moved from the preference dialog to its own toolbar.

Thanks again.

Postby **brynn** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:35 pm

druban wrote:I just noticed that no one answered your original question!
1. The choice between snapping to geometry or appearance cn be found in preferences in the tools section. Just choose tools, not one of the tools.

brynn wrote:Or if you don't want to convert to path, switch to Geometric bounding box, and switch snap settings to whatever appropriate bounding box options. To switch bounding box type: Inkscape Preferences > Tools.

Lazur · Postby **Lazur** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:37 pm

Just noticed there is an extension for pixel snapping.
Extensions/modify path/pixelsnap.
By using that you can solve the problem of drawing pixelgrid aligned drawing.

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/Extensions-ModifyPath.html#Extensions-Pixelsnap

ArtFirst · Postby **ArtFirst** » Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:32 am

This was driving me nuts too! I finally got everything set so that snapping to grid works when creating the object, when editing the shape of the object, and when dragging the object. Here's an image showing the grid options I activated to get snapping to work the way I want it to:

For technical drawings I use 'geometric' bounding boxes (File>Inkscape Preferences>Tools>geometric bounding box), and I often work in outline mode (View>Display Mode>Outline) when first creating the drawing so I can see the exact paths on the grid lines.

I'm running Inkscape V 0.48.2 and XQuartz 2.7.4 (xorg-server 1.13.0) on an iMac running Mountain Lion V10.8.4.

For many years I used Canvas (originally by Deneba, then sold to ACD), which had robust drawing capabilities and worked great on Macs, but they stopped supporting the Mac version years ago so I finally had to let it go and move on. I'm disgusted at Adobe for charging outrageous prices for their illustration software, so I now use and appreciate Inkscape. And Inkscape even does some things Canvas didn't.

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