Snap to points by using exact distance or coordinates - numeric snapping

Tekla Structures
2021
Tekla Structures

Snap to points by using exact distance or coordinates - numeric snapping

You can enter exact distances and coordinates when snapping to a position. This is called numeric snapping.

Enter a distance or coordinates

Use the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box to specify the distance or coordinates to a position you want to snap to.

  1. Run a command that requires you to pick points.

    For example, start creating a beam.

  2. Pick the first point.
  3. Move the mouse pointer to indicate the direction of snapping.
  4. Enter a distance or coordinates by using the keyboard.

    For example, type 1000 as the distance from the last point picked. When you start typing, Tekla Structures displays the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box automatically.

  5. After entering the distance or coordinates, click OK or press Enter to snap to the position.

Snapping example: Track along a line towards a snap point

Tracking means that you follow a line and pick a point at a specified distance along the line. You usually use tracking in combination with numeric coordinates and other snapping tools, such as snap switches and orthogonal snapping. This example shows how to pick a point at a specified distance along a line. Use the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box to specify the distance from the last point picked.

  1. Create two beams and place them as shown below:

  2. Activate the beam command, to create one more beam.
  3. Pick the first point.

  4. Move the mouse pointer over the grid line intersection so that it locks onto the snap point, but do not click the mouse button.

  5. Type 1000.

    When you start typing, Tekla Structures displays the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box.

  6. Click OK to confirm the distance.

    Tekla Structures creates a beam, which is 1000 units long and positioned between the points you defined:

You can also:

  • Track beyond the snap point, for example 4000 units from the first point:

  • Track in the opposite direction by entering a negative value, for example -1000:

For an example of how to use numeric snapping in drawings, see Place a sketch object at a specified distance.

Change the snapping mode

Tekla Structures has three snapping modes: relative, absolute, and global. Use the advanced option XS_KEYIN_DEFAULT_MODE to indicate the default snapping mode.

  1. On the File menu, click Settings > Advanced options and go to the Modeling properties category.
  2. Set the advanced option XS_​KEYIN_​DEFAULT_​MODE to RELATIVE, ABSOLUTE, or GLOBAL.
    • In the relative snapping mode, the coordinates you enter in the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box as such without any prefix are relative to the last position picked.

    • In the absolute snapping mode, the coordinates are based on the origin of the work plane.

    • In the global snapping mode, the coordinates are based on the global origin and the global x and y directions.

  3. Click OK to save the changes.
  4. If you want to temporarily override the default snapping mode, enter a special character in front of the coordinates when entering a numeric location.

    By default, the special characters are:

    • @ for relative coordinates

    • $ for absolute coordinates

    • ! for global coordinates

    Alternatively, you can start numeric snapping and bring up the special characters by typing R, A, or G. R is for relative coordinates, A is for absolute coordinates, and G is for global coordinates.

    Note:

    If you want to change the special character for any of the three snapping modes, use the advanced options XS_​KEYIN_​RELATIVE_​PREFIX, XS_​KEYIN_​ABSOLUTE_​PREFIX, and XS_​KEYIN_​GLOBAL_​PREFIX.

Options for coordinates

The table below explains the types of information you can enter in the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box.

Note that Tekla Structures has three snapping modes: relative, absolute, and global. You can temporarily override the default snapping mode by using a special character in front of the coordinates in the Enter a Numeric Location dialog box.

You can enter

Description

Special character

One coordinate

A distance to an indicated direction.

Two coordinates

If you omit the last coordinate (z) or angle, Tekla Structures assumes that the value is 0.

In drawings, Tekla Structures ignores the third coordinate.

Three coordinates

Cartesian coordinates

The x, y, and z coordinates of a position separated by commas.

For example, 100,-50,-200.

, (comma)

Polar coordinates

A distance, an angle on the xy plane, and an angle from the xy plane separated by angle brackets.

For example, 1000<90<45.

Angles increase in the counterclockwise direction.

<

Relative coordinates

The coordinates relative to the last position picked.

For example, @1000,500 or @500<30.

@

Absolute coordinates

The coordinates based on the origin of the work plane.

For example, $0,0,1000.

$

Global coordinates

The coordinates relative to the global origin and the global x and y directions.

For example, 6000,12000,0.

This is useful, for example, when you have set the work plane to a part plane and want to snap to a position defined in the global coordinate system without changing the work plane to global.

!

Coordinate axis prefixes

When using direct modification, with relative and absolute coordinates, you can also use axis prefixes to allow snapping in the prefixed directions only.

For example, @z500 or $y6000,z-500.

Axis prefixes cannot be used with global coordinates.

If any of the entered coordinate values has an axis prefix, the other values need to have prefixes, too.

The axis prefixes are not case-sensitive, and the prefixed values can be entered in any order.

x

y

z

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