askvity

How Do I Turn Off 3D Osnap in AutoCAD?

Published in AutoCAD 3D OSNAP 3 mins read

To turn off 3D OSNAP in AutoCAD and disable those persistent blue squares, you have a couple of quick options based on your operating system.

Turning off 3D OSNAP can help simplify working in 2D environments by preventing the cursor from snapping to 3D points in your drawing.

Methods to Disable 3D OSNAP

There are two primary ways to toggle 3D OSNAP on or off in AutoCAD, as outlined in the reference:

  1. Keyboard Shortcut: This is often the fastest method.

    • Windows: Press the F4 key.
    • Mac: Press the fn + F4 keys.
      This shortcut acts as a toggle, allowing you to easily switch 3D OSNAP on or off as needed.

  2. Command Line: You can control 3D OSNAP directly using the command line.

    • Type 3DOSNAP in the AutoCAD command line.
    • Press Enter.
    • The command line will usually prompt you for an option, such as [Enable/Disable] <current setting>:.
    • Select Disable to turn off 3D OSNAP.
    • (Note: According to the reference, this command line option is not available with F/X CAD.)

Using either of these methods will effectively turn off 3D OSNAP, removing the visual indicator of 3D snap points (often appearing as blue squares) and preventing your cursor from snapping to them.

What is 3D OSNAP?

3D OSNAP (Object Snap) is an AutoCAD feature that allows you to precisely locate and snap to specific points on 3D objects, such as vertices, edges, faces, and centers. While essential for 3D modeling, it can sometimes interfere with 2D drafting tasks if you're only working in a 2D plane within a drawing that contains 3D elements. Turning it off ensures your standard 2D OSNAP settings (like endpoint, midpoint, intersection) are used without interference from 3D points.

Quick Reference Table

Method Steps Notes
Keyboard Windows: Press F4
Mac: Press fn + F4		 Acts as a toggle
Command Line Type 3DOSNAP, Press Enter, Select Disable Not available in F/X CAD; requires typing

By using the methods above, you can easily manage the 3D OSNAP setting in your AutoCAD environment, allowing for more precise and efficient drafting and modeling.

Related Articles