High Speed drawing - Osnaps

[markwise]

In the days of Dos I had a programme called Superkeys. This allowed me to reprogramme any key on the keyboard including the numbers pad. The great thing about it was I only had to press one key. (not a key and enter or space). The set up on the numbers pad was all the OSNAP's end, mid, center etc. So I could start a line and go end to center etc with out having to move the mouse to the menu are to pick a button called end then center etc. I was really drawing fast as you move only form point to point on the drawing.

Has anyone a new way of doing this? Even if I have to press the space bar.

[irneb]

You can accomplish something like this simply through the CUI. Add a "Command" (say Endpoint to Endpoint as name) and add the following for its macro endp;\endp. The ;\ means send previous to command line and wait for user response before sending the rest. So it "types" endp and "space" then waits for you to pick a point, after which it types endp again.

Drag it into the Keyboard Shortcuts / Shortcut Keys section above. Select the newly added item. Click the ellipsis (...) button to the right of the Key(s) field - in the new dialog press the key(s) you want to assign to the command. Click OK.

Repeat for any others (like End to Perp, etc.)

[irneb]

Just reading through this again ... are you using the OSNAP settings? Type OSNAP at the command line & select all the snaps you want on by default. This way it selects the most relevant one depending on where the croshairs are hovering. No need for any keystrokes at all. You'd only need the previous for specialized snaps - those that you use seldom but could cause confusion with others if they're also turned on.

[rkmcswain]

Just reading through this again ... are you using the OSNAP settings? Type OSNAP at the command line & select all the snaps you want on by default. This way it selects the most relevant one depending on where the croshairs are hovering. No need for any keystrokes at all. You'd only need the previous for specialized snaps - those that you use seldom but could cause confusion with others if they're also turned on.

Running snaps can be dangerous depending on your drawing.

1. Say you turn on NOD and END and then you start connecting POINT entities. If there are endpoints anywhere in the vicinity, you are likely to grab one instead of the POINT.

2. Missed picks with running snaps still count as a pick. If you miss a pick while using a manually entered OSNAP, then the pick is rejected. This can be desired if you want to ensure you are actually picking the right point.

I'm not saying running osnaps don't have a place, but as an end user, you have to think about whether they work in your situation.

[rkmcswain]

...The great thing about it was I only had to press one key. (not a key and enter or space). The set up on the numbers pad was all the OSNAP's end, mid, center etc. So I could start a line and go end to center etc with out having to move the mouse to the menu are to pick a button called end then center etc.

Has anyone a new way of doing this?

We have had our function keys setup like this since R13.
F2=END
F3=INT
F4=NEA, etc.

[markwise]

I have been using osnap but as rkmcswain says they can be in the way. I would like to have center and qua on at the same time but in 3D qua always gets in first if I am trying to get the center. Per also seams to jump in first.

My Microsoft Keyboard has 5 keys at the top (My Favorites) that I may try and use. Not so handy tho. I use F8 and F9 alot so could try the other function keys.

I am not looking for 2 end points at the same time. Just a quick way of getting an osnap in the middle of a command.

Just set up several lisps to see if they will help, but they can't be used in a command:
(defun C:OE ()
(command "-OSNAP" "END" )
(princ)
)

(defun C:OC ()
(command "-OSNAP" "CENTER" )
(princ))

(defun C:OA ()
(command "-OSNAP" "END,CENTER,NODE" )
(princ)
)

[irneb]

I am not looking for 2 end points at the same time. Just a quick way of getting an osnap in the middle of a command.Well, you could still do it the way I've suggested 1st. Through Customize User Interface (type CUI). The macro simply then changes to enpd for endpoint, per for perpendicular, mid for midpoint, int for intersection, cen for centre, qua for quadrant, par for parallel, ins for insertion, nod for node & nea for nearest.

You don't need to change the OSNAP settings. As rkmswain's said - it could cause problems. I generally only have Endp, Mid, Cen & Int turned on in OSNAP. For the others I use the Shortcut Keys method to enforce a different OSnap. But you could also turn all osnaps off and simply use the shortcut keys to always enforce the particular snap you want.

[markwise]

In the CUI you can have keyboard shortcut NUMPAD1 as _endp. The commands are already there as osnap end. Just what I am looking for. Got some programming to do now. Thanks Guys.

While looking at Function keys F12 I found a Macro for Osnaps that I wrote ages ago.
$P0=ACAD.SNAP $P0=*

[jack.foster]

I followed Irnep's instructions for the fun of it and this is a piece of cake. Since they are macro's it looks like you could get carried away and call AutoLISP functions and all kinds of wild and crazy things. I will be demo'ing this at the next AutoCAD User Group meeting. Thanks to everyone who posted this.

[madcadder]

I still use, and highly recommend, the Nostromo N52 Speedpad. Right hand on the mouse and left on speedpad. With that you could set up a keyset of nothing but osnaps for the fly.

Not to mention that you can cycle through four control options total, so you could set up "red" with basic commands, "blue" with open, close, save, print, etc. options, "green" as numbers, and "blank" with you lisp commands.