Dynamic guides
You can display dynamic guides to help you move, align, and draw objects in precise relation to other objects. Dynamic guides are temporary guidelines that you can display from the following snap points in objects: center, node, quadrant, and text-baseline end nodes. For more information about snap points and snapping modes, see Gravity snapping.
You can also display dynamic guides that are tangent, perpendicular, or parallel to objects, as well as dynamic guides that are extensions of line segments.
Left to right: The 2-point rectangle tool is used to display dynamic guides from a center snap point, a quadrant snap point, and a tangent snap point.
Perpendicular dynamic guide (left) and parallel dynamic guide (right)
As you drag an object along a dynamic guide, you can view the distance between the object and the snap point that was used to create the dynamic guide. You can then position the object precisely. Dynamic guides can also help you draw parallel lines and draw objects in relation to other objects. In addition, you can display intersecting dynamic guides and place an object at the intersection point.
A dynamic guide was displayed 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 along a dynamic guide with precision. 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. You can also customize the color and line style of dynamic guides. 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
1
Click
Tools 
Live Guides, and click the
Dynamic guides button
.
2
In the
Live Guides docker, enable or disable the check box in upper-right corner of the
Dynamic guides section.
You can toggle dynamic guides on and off by pressing Shift + Alt +D.
To display dynamic guides
1
With dynamic guides enabled, click a drawing tool.
2
Move the pointer over and then off a
node, center, quadrant, or text-baseline snap point of an object.
3
Repeat step 2 with other objects to display other dynamic guides.
The snap points you point to are registered in a queue and used to create dynamic guides.
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Display a dynamic guide that is a tangent to the edge of an object |
Move the pointer over the edge of an object. When an edge snap point becomes highlighted, press H. Then, display the dynamic guide by moving the pointer off the snap point as if to draw a tangent. |
Display a dynamic guide that is perpendicular to an object |
Move the pointer over the edge of an object. When a snap point becomes highlighted, press U. Then, display the dynamic guide by moving the pointer off the snap point as if to draw a perpendicular line. |
Display a dynamic guide that is parallel to a line segment |
Click Tools Live Guides, click the Dynamic guides button, and ensure that the Generate parallel guides button is enabled. Start to draw a straight line, and then move the pointer over the edge of an existing line segment to register the angle. Then, display the dynamic guide by moving the pointer back as if to draw a line parallel to the line segment you just pointed to. You can use the 2-point line tool  , the Multi-point line
tool  , or the 3-point rectangle tool  to display parallel dynamic guides. |
Display a dynamic guide that is an extension of a line segment |
Click Tools Live Guides, click the Dynamic guides button, and click the Extend along segment button. Move the pointer over an end node in the line segment until the snap point becomes highlighted. Then, display the dynamic guide by moving the pointer as if to extend the line segment. |
The node, center, quadrant, and text-baseline snap points appear only when the corresponding gravity modes are activated. For more information about snap points and gravity modes, see Gravity snapping.
You can avoid displaying too many dynamic guides by clicking in the drawing window or by pressing Esc. Either of these actions clears the queue of points.
You can use the snap points you registered to display intersecting dynamic guides. First, display a dynamic guide, and then move the pointer along it to where an intersecting dynamic guide would be displayed from a registered snap point.
To position an object in relation to another object
1
With dynamic guides enabled, select an
object.
2
Drag the object to a
node, center, quadrant, or text-baseline snap point of the target object.
3
When the snap point of the target object becomes highlighted, drag the object along the dynamic guide to position it.
The node, center, quadrant, and text-baseline snap points are displayed only when the corresponding gravity modes are activated. For more information about snap points and gravity modes, see Gravity snapping.
To draw an object in relation to another object
1
With dynamic guides enabled, click a drawing tool.
2
Move the pointer over a
node, center, quadrant, or text-baseline end-node snap point of an object.
3
When the snap point becomes highlighted, move the pointer to display a dynamic guide.
4
Move the pointer along the dynamic guide to the point where you want to draw, and drag to draw an object.
To draw parallel lines
1
Click
Tools Live Guides, and click the
Dynamic guides button
.
2
Ensure that the
Generate parallel guides button is enabled.
3
Draw a straight line or an object that contains straight line segments.
4
Using the
2-point line tool
or
Multi-point line tool
, start to draw another straight line, and then move the pointer over the edge of an existing straight line segment.
5
Move the pointer back to where you want to draw the parallel line.
6
When a parallel dynamic guide appears, continue to drag along the guide until the line is the length you want.
To draw a parallel line, start drawing a straight line (left). Next, move the pointer over the edge of a straight line segment (middle). Finally, move the pointer back until a parallel dynamic guide appears, and drag along the guide until the parallel line is the length you want (right).
With the help of parallel dynamic guides, you can use the 3-point rectangle tool to draw rectangles that are parallel to straight line segments.
To position an object at the intersection of dynamic guides
1
With dynamic guides enabled, select an
object.
If you want to move the object by a specific snap point, move the pointer over the snap point until the point becomes highlighted.
2
Drag the object to an eligible snap point on another object, and continue to drag until a dynamic guide appears.
Don’t release the mouse button.
3
Drag the object to another eligible snap point, and don’t release the mouse button.
4
When the snap point becomes highlighted, continue to drag until another dynamic guide appears where the two dynamic guides would intersect.
5
When the intersection point appears, release the mouse button.
To set options for dynamic guides
1
Click
Tools Live Guides.
2
In the
Live Guides docker, click the
Dynamic guides button
.
3
Perform one or more tasks from the following table.
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Change the line style of dynamic guides |
Open the Line style picker, and choose a line style. |
Change the color of dynamic guides |
Open the Line color picker, and choose a color. |
Display or hide the angle of dynamic guides and the distance from the snap point that was used to create the dynamic guide |
Click the Display screen tips button  . |
Snap to specified invisible divisions along the dynamic guide |
Click the Snap to tick spacing button  , and type a value in the Tick spacing box. |
Choose the angles at which to display the dynamic guides |
Enable or disable the angle check boxes. When you enable an angle check box, a preview of the dynamic guide appears in the Guides preview window. |
Add a custom dynamic guide angle |
Type a value in the Custom angle box, and click the Add custom angle button  . |
Delete a custom dynamic guide angle |
Select a dynamic guide in the list, and click the Delete custom angle button  . |
Display dynamic guides at all available angles |
Click the Select all button  . |
Disable dynamic guides at all available angles |
Click the Deselect all button  . |
