Snapping

When using the shape drawing tools, you can snap to existing elements in your scene, such as shapes, streets, or terrain. When snapping is available, the cursor changes and orange highlights on edges and vertices are displayed.

Snapping options

To see snapping options when using the drawing tools, open the Tool Options window by clicking Window > Tool Options in the CityEngine main menu.

You can turn snapping on and off in the drawing tools by clicking the following types of snapping elements:

Locked objects	Snap to locked objects in the Scene Editor.
Shapes	Snap to shapes such as footprints, 3D models, and streets.
Global Axes	Snap to global axes.
Guides	Snap to guides.
Terrain	Snap to the terrain. See also Force Planar.

Note:

Press Shift while drawing to temporarily disable the selected snapping elements.

Snapping features

The shape drawing tools allow you to snap to the following features:

Global axes Snap to the global axes.
Vertex Snap to shape or street vertices.
Edge Snap to shape or street edges.
Edge extension Snap to the extension line of a previous edge in the shape.
Guide Snap to guides and guide extension lines.
Intersection Snap to intersecting edges, guides, and guide extensions.
90 degrees Current segment is 90 degrees to the previous segment.
90 degrees to edge or guide Current segment is 90 degrees to edges, guides, and guide extensions.
90 degrees extension line from starting vertex The extension line between the starting vertex and next vertex is 90 degrees to the starting segment.
Parallel edge Current segment is parallel to edges in the shape.
Parallel guides Current segment is parallel to guides.
Midpoint Snap to the midpoint of an edge.
Combination Snap to the intersection of combined snapping features.

Tip:

• To finish the shape when drawing, double-click or press Enter.
• Snapping is also available with the Transform Move tool.