I have a drawing with hundreds of objects. I just noticed that all objects in each of the several "views" in my drawing are off the grid, by the same fraction, for example, 1/16 inch. Possibly this happened when I used Flips, or maybe I accidentally selected whole "views" and then dragged while Snap was set to Free. (This is an architectural drawing with scale 1/15.)
How can I get my objects back onto the grid? For example, how could I move all items in a selection, say, to the right be 1/16 inch. I have tried: In Drawing Settings > Grid, I have set all eight "X" settings to 1/16 and then hit the right-arrow key. Result: Objects still moved by 1 inch, or 1/2 inch when 'opt/alt' key is down.
QCAD Pro 3.32.2.0, macOS.
Thank you.
Jerry Krinock
How to Get Back Onto the Grid? [SOLVED]
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jerrykrinock
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How to Get Back Onto the Grid? [SOLVED]
Last edited by jerrykrinock on Mon Jul 21, 2025 7:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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CVH
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Re: How to Get Back Onto the Grid?
Hi, and welcome to the QCAD forum.
First: There are those that align everything to the Grid and there are those that don't.
The latter group of users may hide the Grid and disable snapping to Grid-points.
These display each a limited window of all the content of the current Block e.g. Model_Space.
Each has an offset (Lower left corner) and a certain zoom state.
They may display things of other locations from your design and/or in a different zoom states and/or with a different Grid spacing.
Nothing more than a different look at things.
'Views' may also be associated with menu View .. Stored Views.
That is a list of views to quickly change the focus to a specific area of your design.
Without the need to re-pan and re-zoom over new each time.
The term 'Viewports' is also associated with Viewports in Layout Blocks.
These are cropped, partial windows of your design that you can present side-by-side on paper.
How this is presented on paper or PDF depends on a paper scale in a final stage.
The benefits of drawing in 1:1 is that you don't have to convert real world sizes to drawing sizes, forth and back on each edit.
An exterior wall is for example 30cm thick and drawn as 300mm thick on a drawing in mm.
At scale 1/150 that is presented on paper as 2mm thick ... Times 150 is 300 paper units or mm in this case.
Measuring things up in real world or in the design is exactly the same without the need of converting measurements.
Drawing in scale dates back to the time when we drew directly with ink on paper.
CAD made that easier and much better editable.
In a final stage we can decide on what paper size(s) and in which scale(s) it must be exported.
Also remind that CAD is typically in unnamed units ... In unit-less values.
1.23 can mean 1.23 inch, 1.23cm or 1.23km by simply changing the drawing unit its meaning.
The drawing unit is only important when converting between units or when presenting on well defined paper types.
You can not relocate the Grid origin = Drawing origin in XY = Position (0.0, 0.0).
One of many ways is for example:
- Ensure that everything is selectable.
- Select all required .. Move /Copy MV .. Indicate a known reference that should match with a Grid point.
- Indicate a target point snapping to the Grid point.
- In the dialog opt for 'Delete original' and clear 'Use current layer and attributes'.
- Execute by acknowledging the Dialog.
Simply dragging a selection to a new location is another way.
- Again ensure that everything is selectable and selected.
- Then point near/on the reference entity in question, near the reference marker but avoid pointing on the intended marker.
- Start dragging with holding down the left mouse button, move a little and release the button.
- A copy of selection sticks to your cursor by the most nearby reference marker in preview mode.
- Re-position the selection with a next left click on the target position snapping to the Grid point.
...
The Grid dots and lines are then at least 1/16" apart.
On zooming out that may be multiplied by 2-4-8-... >> Depending on a fixed or auto scaled Grid/Meta-Grid.
But on zooming in the minimal spacing is limited to 1/16" apart.
Hitting the right-arrow key with an open dialog would only attempt to shift your cursor in the current input field.
The Drawing Preferences dialog is closed with OK or Cancel ... Applying the changes or not.
Revert to auto minimal Grid spacing.
What happened on hitting the right-arrow key afterwards depends on a selection or not.
Without you are panning the view horizontally on your screen in pixels.
With a selection you move the selected entities by a configurable amount in drawing units.
See menu Edit .. Application Preferences .. Edit .. Move
The Shift or Alt modifier apply for both in all 4 directions.
One can Undo (OO) almost every step in the design process in the current QCAD session.
This is not saved with the drawing on closing or on exit.
Regards,
CVH
First: There are those that align everything to the Grid and there are those that don't.
The latter group of users may hide the Grid and disable snapping to Grid-points.
You probably mean the 1-4 configurable GUI Viewports. (Drawing Preferences .. Layout .. Viewports)jerrykrinock wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 3:45 amI just noticed that all objects in each of the several "views" in my drawing are off the grid, by the same fraction, for example, 1/16 inch.
These display each a limited window of all the content of the current Block e.g. Model_Space.
Each has an offset (Lower left corner) and a certain zoom state.
They may display things of other locations from your design and/or in a different zoom states and/or with a different Grid spacing.
Nothing more than a different look at things.
'Views' may also be associated with menu View .. Stored Views.
That is a list of views to quickly change the focus to a specific area of your design.
Without the need to re-pan and re-zoom over new each time.
The term 'Viewports' is also associated with Viewports in Layout Blocks.
These are cropped, partial windows of your design that you can present side-by-side on paper.
It is common to draw in Model_Space at scale 1:1 in the chosen drawing unit.
How this is presented on paper or PDF depends on a paper scale in a final stage.
The benefits of drawing in 1:1 is that you don't have to convert real world sizes to drawing sizes, forth and back on each edit.
An exterior wall is for example 30cm thick and drawn as 300mm thick on a drawing in mm.
At scale 1/150 that is presented on paper as 2mm thick ... Times 150 is 300 paper units or mm in this case.
Measuring things up in real world or in the design is exactly the same without the need of converting measurements.
Drawing in scale dates back to the time when we drew directly with ink on paper.
CAD made that easier and much better editable.
In a final stage we can decide on what paper size(s) and in which scale(s) it must be exported.
Also remind that CAD is typically in unnamed units ... In unit-less values.
1.23 can mean 1.23 inch, 1.23cm or 1.23km by simply changing the drawing unit its meaning.
The drawing unit is only important when converting between units or when presenting on well defined paper types.
By moving the objects.
You can not relocate the Grid origin = Drawing origin in XY = Position (0.0, 0.0).One of many ways is for example:
- Ensure that everything is selectable.
- Select all required .. Move /Copy MV .. Indicate a known reference that should match with a Grid point.
- Indicate a target point snapping to the Grid point.
- In the dialog opt for 'Delete original' and clear 'Use current layer and attributes'.
- Execute by acknowledging the Dialog.
Simply dragging a selection to a new location is another way.
- Again ensure that everything is selectable and selected.
- Then point near/on the reference entity in question, near the reference marker but avoid pointing on the intended marker.
- Start dragging with holding down the left mouse button, move a little and release the button.
- A copy of selection sticks to your cursor by the most nearby reference marker in preview mode.
- Re-position the selection with a next left click on the target position snapping to the Grid point.
...
What you did by setting all "X" to 1/16 is setting the minimal horizontal Grid and Meta Grid spacing to 1/16".jerrykrinock wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 3:45 amI have tried: In Drawing Settings > Grid, I have set all eight "X" settings to 1/16 and then hit the right-arrow key.
The Grid dots and lines are then at least 1/16" apart.
On zooming out that may be multiplied by 2-4-8-... >> Depending on a fixed or auto scaled Grid/Meta-Grid.
But on zooming in the minimal spacing is limited to 1/16" apart.
Hitting the right-arrow key with an open dialog would only attempt to shift your cursor in the current input field.
The Drawing Preferences dialog is closed with OK or Cancel ... Applying the changes or not.
Revert to auto minimal Grid spacing.What happened on hitting the right-arrow key afterwards depends on a selection or not.
Without you are panning the view horizontally on your screen in pixels.
With a selection you move the selected entities by a configurable amount in drawing units.
See menu Edit .. Application Preferences .. Edit .. Move
The Shift or Alt modifier apply for both in all 4 directions.
One can Undo (OO) almost every step in the design process in the current QCAD session.
This is not saved with the drawing on closing or on exit.
Regards,
CVH
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jerrykrinock
- Newbie Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2025 3:22 am
Re: How to Get Back Onto the Grid?
Thank you very much, CVH. I got everything back on the grid by temporarily setting the relevant Application Move preference to 1/16 or 1/256. And of course, now I understand more about the Viewports. I have bookmarked your answer for future reference.
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CVH
- Premier Member
- Posts: 4874
- Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm
Re: How to Get Back Onto the Grid?
The question remains if that is exact.jerrykrinock wrote: ↑Sun Jul 20, 2025 5:58 pmI got everything back on the grid by temporarily setting the relevant Application Move preference to 1/16 or 1/256.
Proposed methods were snapping to Grid points what is not the case with moving in absolute with the arrow keys.
1/256 = 0.00390625 what are 8 decimal digits after the comma.
Verify several key endpoints, intersections or corners in the Property Editor.
Displayed property values are rounded values, increase the precision for displayed values under:
Menu Edit .. Application Preferences .. Widgets .. Property Editor.
Also detected that the preference for moving by the arrow keys is a limited combo list of decimal values.
Editable It accepts 1/256 as expression but for as value the input field is kinda short and doesn't adapt.
If considered to be solved then please add '[SOLVED]' to the title of your first post by editing it.
Regards,
CVH
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jerrykrinock
- Newbie Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2025 3:22 am
Re: How to Get Back Onto the Grid?
Yes, indeed I entered 0.00390625 (to indicate 1/256) into the Move parameter field and it worked. I did verify several endpoints and they are integers now. Problem solved!