Snap + grid in 3D

Snap and grid keep your 3D geometry clean. Configure step size, toggle endpoint and midpoint snaps, and use ortho-lock for straight runs.

2 min read · Level: beginner

Quick answer

Open the Snap panel: View → Snap or shortcut S. The panel shows grid step, snap toggles, and ortho mode in one place — keep it docked while you work.
Set the grid step. 250 mm is good for furniture placement; 500 mm for room layout; 1000 mm for early-stage massing. You can type a custom value (e.g. 100 for fine detail or 2500 for site-level work).
Toggle snap targets: Endpoint snaps to corner vertices. Midpoint snaps to the middle of edges. Intersection snaps where two edges cross. All three on is the safe default for normal work — turn them off only when you intentionally need an off-snap position.
Use ortho-lock for straight runs: hold Shift while dragging to constrain the move to the X, Y, or Z axis (whichever you started moving on). Useful for sliding a window along a wall without accidentally raising it.
Temporarily disable all snaps: hold Alt while dragging. Useful for free-form placement in a tight area where snap targets crowd each other. Release Alt and snaps return.
Set per-view snap overrides: in the View panel, each view (top, front, side, perspective) can have its own snap config. Top view often wants 100 mm grid; perspective often wants 500 mm. Right-click a view → Snap override.

Snap accidentally disabled: the snap-disable shortcut (Alt while dragging) is easy to trigger accidentally. If geometry suddenly lands off-grid, check the Snap panel — the indicator goes from mint-green to grey when snaps are inactive.
Ortho-lock confuses elevation: Shift constrains to whichever axis you started moving on. If you start a drag horizontally then need to raise a component, release Shift mid-drag — otherwise it stays locked to Z=0 and the component never lifts.
Grid step too small slows the view: setting grid to 10 mm on a large site causes the canvas to draw millions of grid lines and the framerate drops. Keep the grid step ≥ 50 mm for anything bigger than a single room.

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