Sketcher grid

[rascalito]

Hello!

I'm using the latest version of 0.20, Ubuntu 21.10.
I would like to change the grid in the sketcher. I opened the preferences, and then the sketcher
subsection. The current grid is 10mm, and I would like to set it to 1. I wasnt expecting the grid to
be drawn at all the scales, otherwise it would become close to unreadable when zooming out,
but the problem is that even a closeup never changes the grid.

Beside this, snap to grid also doesn't work as I would expect it. When approaching to less than 2mm
of a grid node, it snaps to the grid, but my 1mm setting is ignored. With the default 10mm grid,
I would also expect that the threshold is 5mm, not 2.

So I guess there is something else I don't know. I tried to press "Apply", just in case, but it does not
seem to change anything.

Thanks for any hint.

[TheMarkster]

There is a setting in the panel on the left dealing with the grid size and whether to show it. I think that applies to the current sketch. In preferences, the settings there apply to any future sketches you make. I haven't used the grid much, preferring constraints instead.

[rascalito]

Hello!

Great! It does what I want and it does it smartly. For instance, when drawing a circle, the center
is placed on the grid (1mm in my case) but the radius can be off grid. I tried with 0.7, no problem.
I agree that the constraints are better, but for a first draft in my case, it's faster with a grid.

By the way, is it possible not to display the dimensions of construction lines only? I have tried
to use "switch virtual spaces", but it removes all the dimensions, even the "real" ones.
Is it possible to add some kind of layers, sketch layer, construction lines layer?

[M4x]

I think the grid shouldn't be used instead of constraints. It helps the user to create sketches which come close to the desired dimension = no jumping lines while constraining the sketch.

Regarding the filtering, this is a bleeding edge feature / discussion : https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=62942

[openBrain]

Hello!

Hello

I'm using the latest version of 0.20, Ubuntu 21.10.

Means nothing. Please have a look at the link in the red banner to know how to give full info.

I would like to change the grid in the sketcher. I opened the preferences, and then the sketcher
subsection. The current grid is 10mm, and I would like to set it to 1. I wasnt expecting the grid to
be drawn at all the scales, otherwise it would become close to unreadable when zooming out,
but the problem is that even a closeup never changes the grid.

Grid is shown just how it is set. Notice that generally, using grid in Sketcher isn't advised as it may bring confusion in the workflow.

Beside this, snap to grid also doesn't work as I would expect it. When approaching to less than 2mm
of a grid node, it snaps to the grid, but my 1mm setting is ignored. With the default 10mm grid,
I would also expect that the threshold is 5mm, not 2.

Threshold is 20% of grid size.

So I guess there is something else I don't know. I tried to press "Apply", just in case, but it does not
seem to change anything.

What you probably don't know is that values in preferences only apply to newly created sketches, not existing ones. The reason is that after creation, the grid size is stored as a per-sketch settings so you can have different grid size among sketches.

By the way, is it possible not to display the dimensions of construction lines only? I have tried
to use "switch virtual spaces", but it removes all the dimensions, even the "real" ones.
Is it possible to add some kind of layers, sketch layer, construction lines layer?

If you really use the latest 0.20, you should have a filter above constraints list in the Task pane along with buttons to show/hide filtered items.

[M4x]

Regarding the filtering, this is a bleeding edge feature / discussion : https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=62942

I'd like to add that this feature is looking for testers! So please try it out and report back.

[chrisb]

By the way, is it possible not to display the dimensions of construction lines only? I have tried
to use "switch virtual spaces", but it removes all the dimensions, even the "real" ones.
Is it possible to add some kind of layers, sketch layer, construction lines layer?

In 0.19 you can switch individual dimensions to virtual space.

[rascalito]

Hello!

I think the grid shouldn't be used instead of constraints.

I don't use the grid _instead_ of constraints, but as a quick method to layout simple 2D shapes.
This morning, I was dealing with a SD card holder PCB. It's mostly rectangular, but there are 2 cuts,
which means many quarter circles to join on the grid. When the shape is finished, I start put the
constraints until the shape is fully defined (0 degrees of freedom left).
It's feasible without grid, but it takes longer. At least for me.

[drmacro]

...
I don't use the grid _instead_ of constraints, but as a quick method to layout simple 2D shapes.
This morning, I was dealing with a SD card holder PCB. It's mostly rectangular, but there are 2 cuts,
which means many quarter circles to join on the grid. When the shape is finished, I start put the
constraints until the shape is fully defined (0 degrees of freedom left).
It's feasible without grid, but it takes longer. At least for me.

And this is why one cultivates the habit of using the Polyline tool and it's options with the "M" and "Ctrl" keys.

With it you can make general shapes the automagically have the ends vertexes of edges and arcs constrained. Then when the shape is complete add the dimensional constraints. And is a faster workflow...one you cultivate the habit...at least for me.

It has been years since I have seen the grid in Sketcher...

[rascalito]

Hello!

Thanks for the tip, polyline tool is indeed very easy to use. But I will keep the grid and snap.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it's not easy to aim with the coordinates only. I have made 3
simple shapes, one with grid and snap, one with grid and without snap, one without grid.
The first one (bottom) is perfect. As for the seconc one, I'm not sure where I was wrong,
but it wasn't easy, the circle radius used as a guide were moving on a 1 pixel mouse move,
etc. And the left border is not vertical. As for the 3rd shape, some points are off grid, but
it's drawn without grid...

I will keep the grid and snap.

Thanks!

Screenshot from 2021-10-28 21-47-01.png (23.18 KiB) Viewed 1378 times