Object Snap Feature

1. Complete Guide to AutoCAD Object
Snap Feature
What is AutoCAD Object Snap?
Object snap, sometimes called OSnap for short, provide a way to specify precise
locations on objects whenever you are prompted for a point within a command.
For example, you can use object snaps to create a line from the center of a circle to the
midpoint of another line. You can specify an object snap whenever you are prompted for
a point.
OSnaps were first introduced back in 1984 with the rollout of AutoCAD Version 2.0 and
refined in Release 5, which allowed snapping to reference points of existing objects.
These points, which are denoted by various green markers, and could be anything from
the midpoint or endpoint of a line to the center of, or the quadrant or tangent of an
ellipse or circular feature.
The green marker, as previously stated, is shaped with the shape varying based on the
snap it is marking. For instance, a square indicates the endpoint of a line, the circle
shows the center of a circle, and the triangle specifies the midpoint of a line and so on.
The marker, which is part of a set of tools known as AutoSnap™, visually confirms that
AutoCAD Osnap is in effect.
The AutoSnap tools include:
 Marker. Displays the object snap location when the cursor moves over or near
an object. Marker shape is dependent on the snap it is marking.
 Tooltip. Displays the name of the object snap near the cursor.
 Magnet. Attracts and locks the cursor onto the nearest object snap location.
 Aperture box. Surrounds the crosshairs and defines an area within which object
snaps are evaluated. You can choose whether to display the aperture box, and
you can change the aperture box size.
AutoSnap can be used to Confirm or Change an Object Snap
If you have set more than one running object snap, you can press Tab to cycle through
the available object snaps.

2. AutoCAD Object Snap Modes
What is Object Snap Tracking in AutoCAD?
 How to Use AutoCAD Osnap Feature
o How to Turn on and off Object Snap in AutoCAD as and when Needed
o How to Turn on and off Running Object Snap Option in AutoCAD
o How to Cycle Through AutoCAD Object Snap Modes
 Conclusion
AutoCAD Object Snap Modes
As stated above, the Osnap feature snaps to various reference points. These points are
also referred to as object snap modes. Below is a list of the various modes/points you
can use:
a) Midpoint

3. It snaps to the midpoint of a geometric object such as a line, xline, polyline segment,
arc, ellipse, spline, or edge of a 3D object.
Midpoint Osnap
b) Endpoint
It snaps to the closest corner or endpoint of an object, such as a polyline segment,
spline, line, arc, or 3D object.
Endpoint Osnap
c) Center
It snaps to the center of a circle, arc, ellipse, or elliptical arc.
Center Osnap

4. d) Geometric Center
It snaps to the geometric center of a polyline or 2D spline.
Geometric Center Osnap
e) Quadrant
It snaps to the quadrant of a circle, arc, ellipse, or elliptical arc.
Quadrant Osnap
f) Tangent

5. The tangent osnap mode snaps to the tangent of a circle, arc, ellipse, elliptical arc, or
spline.
Tangent Osnap
g) Perpendicular
It snaps to a point that is perpendicular to an object, such as a line, multiline, polyline,
spline, xline, 3D solid, circle, ellipse, arc, elliptical arc, ray, or region.
Perpendicular Osnap
h) Parallel
The parallel snap mode forces a line segment, polyline segment, ray, or xline to be
parallel to another linear object in the drawing.

6. Parallel Osnap Marker
i) Intersection
It snaps to the intersection of objects such as lines, polylines, xlines, splines, arcs,
circles, and ellipses.
Intersection Osnap
j) Apparent Intersect
It snaps to the visual intersection of two objects that do not intersect in a 3D space but
may appear to intersect in the current view.
k) Extension
It enables a temporary extension arc or line to appear when you hover the cursor over
the endpoints of the objects. This allows you to specify points on the extended line or
arc.

7. Extension Osnap
l) Node
The node object snap mode snaps to a point object, dimension text origin, or dimension
definition point.
Node Osnap
m) Insertion
The insertion snap mode snaps to the insertion point of objects such as blocks, texts, or
attributes.
Insertion Osnap

8. n) Nearest
It snaps to the nearest point on an object, such as a line, spline, xline, polyline, arc,
circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, point, or ray.
Nearest Osnap
What is Object Snap Tracking in AutoCAD?
When turned on, the AutoCAD object snap tracking tracks the cursor along vertical (90º)
and horizontal (180º) alignments as well as alignments that form an angle of 30º, 60º,
120º, or 150º from a horizontal reference line that crosses the object snap point. This
tool, therefore, makes it easy to create objects that conform to specific angular
parameters; the alternative entails fiddling with the mouse until you arrive at a certain
angle.
To turn the object snap tracking on and off, simply press the F11 function key or click
the Object Snap Tracking – AUTOSNAP button on the status bar.
AutoCAD Object Snap Tracking – AUTOSNAP Button
How to Use AutoCAD Osnap Feature
To enjoy the convenience that comes with this feature, you must turn on the option in
AutoCAD. Do note that you can choose to have Osnap activated throughout the period
you will be using AutoCAD. In such a case, you will be using what is known as the

9. Running Object Snap. If you do not wish to have the feature running, you can turn off
the Running Object Snap and instead activate the tool as and when you need to use it.
In this section, we will detail how to activate either of these two options. We shall also
detail how to cycle through various object snap modes.
How to Turn on and off Object Snap in AutoCAD as and when Needed
To turn on (and off) the AutoCAD object snap tool as and when needed, follow the
procedure below:
1. Click on the icon of the drawing tool, i.e., a line, circle, arc, and so on, to initiate
the process of creating the geometric object
2. When prompted to Specify first point, hold down the Shift key and right-click any
area within the model space.
3. Choose the object snap mode you intend to use from the object snap menu that
pops up
4. Hover your cursor over the desired location of the object snap
AutoCAD will automatically display a marker and tooltip, indicating the exact
location of the Osnap point. The software will also lock the cursor onto this
location.
5. Hit the right mouse button to set the location as the first point and subsequently
create the geometric object
This approach requires you to activate the AutoCAD object snap every time you want to
use the feature. This is because whenever you use steps 2 to 4 above to create an
object snap upon receiving the prompt, the Osnap stays active until you specify that
point. To put it simply, it is deactivated once you complete step 5. Thus, if you want the
AutoCAD object snap feature to be available continuously, you have to activate the
Running Object Snap option.
How to Turn on and off Running Object Snap Option in AutoCAD
If you want to draw a line from the midpoint of a rectangle to the center of a tiny circle
located within the rectangle, the AutoCAD running object snap feature makes
everything a breeze. This is because it eliminates the need to use the Shift key or open
a secondary menu. Instead, all you have to do is to move your cursor over the region on
the geometric object you perceive to be the location of the point, and AutoCAD will
automatically display the exact location using a green marker.
But how do you turn on (and off) the Running Object Snap feature in AutoCAD? There
are two approaches: using one of the function keys, F3, or the OSNAP button on the
status bar. Pressing the F3 key once activates the Running Object Snap, meaning that
if you want to turn it off, you just have to press the F3 key once more. Do note that the
software informs you every time you switch the Running Object Snap on (and off) by
turning on (and off) the OSNAP button’s blue background color.

10. Alternatively, you can turn on the Running Object Snap feature by clicking the OSNAP
button on the status bar. Activating this tool switches on the background color, while
deactivating it switches the color off.
AutoCAD Object Snap Button
Compared to the first approach – the F3 function key – this second option enables you
to further activate the AutoCAD object snap modes you intend to use as you create your
drawing. To achieve this, simply follow these steps:
1. Press the drop-down arrow beside the OSNAP button
2. On the menu that pops up, choose the appropriate modes.
Object Snap Modes
3. Alternatively, you can also click the Object Snap Settings option to open the
Drafting Settings dialog box. You can use this dialog box to again activate or
deactivate the Running Object Snap modes.

11. Drafting Settings Dialog Box
How to Cycle Through AutoCAD Object Snap Modes
Additionally, you can use the Tab key to cycle through the available AutoCAD Osnaps,
especially if they are located on the same geometric object. For example, if you hover
over a line and subsequently hit the Tab key, firstly, AutoCAD will highlight the line.
Next, it will display a different object snap every time you press the Tab key.
Conclusion
The AutoCAD Osnap or object snap is a handy feature that promotes convenience. It
enables you to use specific points of an existing geometric object, such as a line, circle,
arc, polyline, and ellipse, to draw additional objects. By turning this feature on, you can
use the midpoint of a line or the center of a circle as the first point. Additionally, you can
turn on object snap tracking for even better results. This is because this tracking tool
allows you to create geometric objects that align with specific angles, i.e., 30º, 60º, 90º,
120º, 150º, or 180º from a horizontal reference line.