Using dynamic guides
You can display dynamic guides to help you precisely move, align, and draw objects in relation to other objects. Dynamic guides are temporary guidelines that you can pull from the following snap points in objects — center, node, quadrant, and text baseline. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects.”
As you drag an object along a dynamic guide, you can view the distance of the object from the snap point that was used to create the dynamic guide, which helps you position the object precisely. You can use dynamic guides to place objects in relation to other objects as you draw them. You can also display intersecting dynamic guides and then place an object at the intersection.
A dynamic guide was pulled from a node in the bolt on the left. The screen tip next to the node displays the angle of the dynamic guide (0º)and the distance between the node and the pointer (1.5 inches.) The bolt on the right was dragged along the dynamic guide and positioned precisely 1.5 inches away from the node that was used to generate the dynamic guide.
Dynamic guides contain invisible divisions, called ticks, to which your pointer gravitates. Ticks let you move objects with precision along a dynamic guide. You can adjust tick spacing to suit your needs, and you can disable snapping to ticks. You can set other options for dynamic guides. For example, you can choose to display dynamic guides at one or more preset angles, or at custom angles that you specify. You can preview the angle settings. When you no longer need a dynamic guide at a certain angle, you can delete the angle settings. You can also display dynamic guides that are extensions of line segments.
This dynamic guide is an extension of a line segment.
You can turn off dynamic guides at any time.
To enable or disable dynamic guides |  |
Dynamic guides.
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You can toggle dynamic guides on and off by clicking the Dynamic guides button on the property bar or by pressing Shift + Alt + D.
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To display dynamic guides | |
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The eligible snap points — the node, center, quadrant, and text baseline snap points — appear only when the corresponding snapping modes are activated. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects.”
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To avoid displaying too many dynamic guides, you can clear the queue of points at any time by clicking in the drawing window or pressing Esc.
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To place an object in relation to another object | |
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If you want to move the object by a specific snap point, move the pointer over the snap point until the snap point becomes highlighted.
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When the snap point of the target object becomes highlighted, drag the object along the dynamic guide to position it.
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The eligible snap points — the node, center, quadrant, and text baseline snap points — appear only when the corresponding snapping modes are activated. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects.”
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To draw an object in relation to another object | |
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Move the pointer along the dynamic guide to the point where you want to draw, and drag to draw an object.
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The eligible snap points — the node, center, quadrant, and text baseline snap points — appear only when the corresponding snapping modes are activated. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects.”
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To place an object at the intersection of dynamic guides | |
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If you want to use a specific snap point to move the object, move the pointer over the snap point until the snap point becomes highlighted.
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Drag the object to an eligible snap point of another object, drag to display a dynamic guide, and continue to hold down the mouse button.
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Drag the object to another eligible snap point. When the snap point becomes highlighted, drag to display another dynamic guide where the two dynamic guides would intersect.
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In the following example, intersecting dynamic guides are used to position a washer in relation to two other objects — another washer and a bolt.
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First, the washer was dragged by its center snap point (left) to the edge of the other washer, and then to the right to display a dynamic guide (right).
Next, the washer was dragged to the edge of the bolt, and then down to display another dynamic guide (left). Finally, the washer was positioned at the intersection of the dynamic guides (right).
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The eligible snap points — the node, center, quadrant, and text baseline snap points — appear only when the corresponding snapping modes are activated. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see “Snapping objects.”
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To set dynamic guide options | |
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Distance — lets you display or hide the distance from the snap point that is used to create a dynamic guide
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Type a value in the Tick spacing box to change the distance between the invisible divisions on the dynamic guides.
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In the Guides area, enable or disable the angle check boxes to choose the angles at which to create the dynamic guides.
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When you enable an angle check box, a preview of the dynamic guide appears in the Guides preview window.
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Enable the Extend along segment check box to create dynamic guides that are extensions of line segments.
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