This feature is not available in GuideSIGN SIGMA.

The Place Object dialog box displays when an object is being placed, and the Move Object dialog box displays when an object is being moved. These dialog boxes are similar, and both of them allows a snap mode to be selected and spacing to be overridden.

Snap

The software provides several snap modes for placing and moving objects. Dragging the pointer moves the bounding box of the object to the nearest snap position.

Snap Mode	Description
Off	The object can be placed anywhere.
To objects	Snaps to other objects in the same sign panel. There are 12 snap positions around the outside of each object. To manually set the object spacing, select the Manual spacing check box, and then type the desired horizontal and vertical spacing values in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes respectively.
To margins	Snaps to the margins of the sign panel. There are 9 snap positions around the margins of a sign panel. To manually set the margin spacing, select the Manual spacing check box, and then type the desired left, right, top and bottom spacing values in the Left, Right, Top, and Bottom boxes respectively.
To panel	Snaps to anywhere on the sign panel perimeter. Usually used to place exit number panels. There are 12 snap positions around the outside of a sign panel.
To border (short line only)	Snaps to the linear border of the sign panel. If Calc was selected under Line Length in the Place Short Line dialog box, the short line will be centered between the inside of the perpendicular sign panel borders. If Fix was selected under Line Length in the Place Short Line dialog box, the short line will be snapped to the inside of the perpendicular sign panel border. To manually set the border spacing, select the Manual spacing check box, and then type the desired value in the Distance to border box. The distance is measured between the inside of the border and the nearest side of the short line.
Point to point	Snaps the placing object relative to a fixed object by specifying a distance between selected snap points on each. To specify the horizontal and vertical distances between the snap points (one on the placing object and one on the object in the sign panel), type the desired values in the Horizontal and Vertical boxes respectively. Note: When placing short lines, this mode is only available if Fix was selected under Line Length in the Place Short Line dialog box.
Center objects (with a short line as the fixed object)	Snaps a selected group of objects to the center of the area between the inside of the panel border and a short line snapped to the panel border based on the panel style's margin settings. Note: The Center objects mode is only available when a short line is selected as the fixed object (see Move Multiple Objects: To Center a Group of Objects).
To panel's edge	Snaps to the edge of the panel. Note: This option works best if the panel's Width and/or Height are Locked or if Auto update panel is off.

Note: Not all Snap Modes are available for all objects.

Manual Spacing

Select this check box to allow the horizontal or vertical object spacing, or margin spacing to be manually set.

Fix X/Y

When moving an existing object, either the X or Y coordinates can be held fixed. This is similar to setting the axis lock in MicroStation or using ortho mode in AutoCAD/BricsCAD.

• To have the software move an object only vertically, select the Fix X check box.
• To have the software move an object only horizontally, select the Fix Y check box.

After you select an object to be moved, a corresponding bounding box will display in the drawing area so you can preview the new position of the object. As you move the pointer choosing a new place for the selected object, the bounding box will move accordingly, displaying the available positions that may differ depending on the current snap mode and Fix X/Y settings.

Preview Area

Displays the placing/moving object.

Placing Objects in a Sign Panel

A panel must be selected before objects can be placed. Selecting the sign panel allows the software to retrieve the panel style which contains the parameters that will be used when placing or moving text or symbols and when updating the panel.

If the Auto update panel check box is selected in Program Settings' Locks - Design Category, the software will place objects in the sign panel; if the object spacing is greater than the margin setting, the software will expand the sign panel to include the object instead of placing objects outside of the sign panel. Exceptions:

• If you select Off under Snap in the Place Object dialog box (see Snap above), the placing object will be placed anywhere in the drawing.
• With short lines, the default (To border) snap mode does not update the sign panel to include the short line when it is placed outside of the sign panel.

Automatic text sizing can be overridden by using the Highway Text - Advanced dialog box that appears when you click Advanced in the Place Highway Text and Edit Highway Text dialog boxes.

Automatic symbol sizing can be overridden by selecting the Manual Override check box in the Symbol Parameters dialog box that appears after a symbol is specified.

Automatic color can be overridden by using the Arrow Parameters, Symbol Parameters, and Highway Text - Advanced dialog boxes.

Automatic spacing for text and symbols can be overridden by selecting the Manual spacing check box in the Place Object dialog box that appears automatically when text or symbols are placed.