AutoCAD-style sketching (guide lines, angle snapping, numeric input)

[AnanasAPod]

Hi,
I have an idea for the sketch mode: I’d like sketching to work more like it does in classic CAD tools such as AutoCAD. It should be precise, with guide lines, angles and keyboard input, so exact profiles for 3D printing can be drawn faster.
Proposal

1. Sketch tools: Line, rectangle, circle, arc and polyline.

2. Construction/guide lines: Lines that are used for reference only and are not extruded into the solid. Snap points such as endpoint, midpoint, intersection and perpendicular.

3. Ortho and angle snapping: Snap to 15° or 45° increments. Holding Shift locks the axis, the same way it already works when moving objects.

4. Numeric input: After placing the first point, type length and angle, e.g.  50<30  + Enter (like AutoCAD dynamic input), or press Tab to switch between the fields.

5. Live feedback: Length and angle are shown at the cursor, plus an angle dimension.

Questions
• Does this fit the roadmap, or is sketching already being worked on?
• Should construction lines be stored in the sketch data model or on a separate layer?

Thanks for the great project!

[henmedia]

Thanks for the detailed idea, @AnanasAPod! There is no fixed roadmap (see #112), and parts of this are already there: Line works as a polyline, there are rectangle, circle, ellipse and polygon shapes, Shift locks a new line horizontally or vertically, the length shows at the cursor while you draw, and afterwards you can click a line's length or a corner's angle and type it.

What I'll add next is your points 3 to 5 in one go: Shift snaps the line in 15° steps, the angle shows at the cursor next to the length, and while drawing you can type the length and angle - 50<30 and Enter, or Tab between the two fields.

Construction lines that aren't built into the body, with snapping to endpoints, midpoints and intersections, and a separate arc tool are bigger pieces; construction geometry is already noted from #128. If more people want them, please give this a 👍 - that helps me decide what comes after.

If you find layerling useful, a small donation helps me keep improving it. Thank you! 🙂

[henmedia]

Thanks for your donation :-)

[henmedia]

@AnanasAPod, points 3 to 5 are out in 1.54.0: while drawing a line, type the length, then "<" or Tab and the angle (50<30), and Enter sets the point; an empty angle follows the pointer. The angle shows next to the length at the cursor, and Shift snaps in 15° steps. The guide section: Lines by numbers. Construction lines and an arc tool stay noted - a 👍 here helps.

[AnanasAPod]

Thanks for the fast implementation, @henmedia! I tested 1.54.0 and it works great: the numeric input, the angle display and the 15° snap are exactly what I wanted. I gave the construction lines and arc tool a 👍. Thank you!