How to add a snap feature to models?

Succulent Fruit

So I've seen several building sets for Daz that have the snap feature built in, so you can move them around in increments which automatically snap to each other. One of these is the Medieval Construction Kit. Can someone tell me how to add that to my own products so I can make them easy to position and build with?

BradCarsten

It spent ages trying to figure this out a while back for a product that I was creating. The only way I could get it to work was by using the following method:  

Select your object. 

Open the property hierarchy panel (Window > Panes > Property hierarchy)

you will see your object with many items listed underneath it. Say you would like to snap the object along the y Axis: right-click on the ytranslate item and click ERC Freeze. 

On the next window click Create new.

A third window will pop up 

Property Type- make sure it's set to Int, not float. 

Name, and Label: set this to whatever you would like the new slider to be called. ("Snap Y 1m" for example) 

Path: this is where you would like the slider to appear. choose General > transforms > translation

color A and color B set to whatever colour you would like your slider to be

X is typically R=150 G=97 B=97

Y is typically R=97 G=150 B=97

Z is typically R=97 G=97 B=150

Use Limits: No 

Click Create.

This will take you back to the ERC Freeze Option window. Click Cancel. 

Now if you look in the property hierarchy, you should see your new item listed there- (Snap Y 1m)

What you need to do is drag it onto YTranslate > Controllers > 1st Stage. 

This will add a new line called ERC [DeltaAdd] Snap Y 1m. It looks like this in the hierarchy: 

YTranslate(Y Translate)

........Controllers

.................1st Stage (Add/Subtract)

...........................ERC [DeltaAdd] Snap Y 1m

Expand that to 

.........................................Attributes

Change scaler to however much you would like the item to move in cm. 100 will make it move 1m

Now, if you go into the parameters pane > general > transforms, you should see your new slider and moving it left or right should snap your object 1m along the Y-axis.

Hope this helps. 

 

Succulent Fruit

Thanks Brad! Your explanation was perfectly detailed, I was able to create working snaps perfectly!