AutoCAD Blog | Autodesk: Nearly every object in an AutoCAD drawing includes basic grips which are displayed at key points when the object is selected. For example, lines and polylines have grips at the midpoint and endpoints of each line segment. Circles and ellipsis have grips at the center and quadrants. And, blocks and text have grips at their insertion points. Using the these grips you can quickly and accurately modify the size, shape, or location of the selected object.
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I know that Auto CAD has struggled in the past with 3D features. Especially when other programs have been specifically designed for the world of 3D rendering. I think what it comes down to is the user interface and how intuitive it is to use. I have talked to many people about their preferred program and what the pluses and minus of each are. I think what it comes down to for me is that each program has its weaknesses and its strengths. The one big takeaway for me from this article is that auto CAD clearly has the features and the capabilities but it is very difficult to use them or even know that they exist. Auto CAD has clearly taken the prize on 2D drawing capability but I believe that as we move into a more 3D world they will be forced to make the program more intuitive or people and firms will begin to phase the program out of their culture.
Grips are a very useful feature in AutoCAD. They aren’t without their faults, however. In every program that I have used, if I draw a rectangle, I can change the size of that rectangle by clicking and dragging one of the corner grips. Not in AutoCAD. This seems backwards to me. This tip doesn’t seem like it is intended for very advanced users. Grips are one of the most basic elements of objects in AutoCAD. That isn’t to say that there aren’t things to learn about grips – I didn’t know that you could display grips for objects within blocks. I’ll be the first to admit that the grips are useful, but only to a certain extent. I’ve been using AutoCAD for a couple years and I still can’t believe that I can’t resize a rectangle by using a corner grip. Like anything else in AutoCAD, the more you use and figure out what each of the tools and grips does, the better you’ll be at using the program.
Oh, grips… Here AutoCAD explains in great detail all the many things and ways you can work with and manipulate grips in the program. It offers great possibilities, and like a lot of features you could get lost for days messing with them and getting them just where you want them, but it lacks a few key features that others have mentioned. Being both an AutoCAD and Vectorworks user since 2005 I would have to say that the two programs are now more similar than different. However, the interaction with objects and any drawn thing in Vectorworks is much more natural and automatic to many. These are features that are built in and allow much quicker transformations of both simple and complex objects. They also don’t feel as though you need a password and secret handshake in order to learn how to implement and change how they function.
I love grips so so much. They really are the best way to access commands in reference to specific objects and make you lean less on the keyboard while drafting. I feel like I run so many snaps, however, that my reliance on grips has been fading a little bit. Not to say that they aren’t useful, just when you get into a rhythm of clicking and snapping and dragging, sometimes the clingy-ness of grips gets a little distracting. That being said, using grips and snaps together is a great way to draft. I often find myself forgetting to select all the appropriate objects in a set, and that’s when snaps come in to save the day. However, snaps have never been useful with complex polyline shapes. Grips are the only way to tell if the lines meet end-to-end in true form, where the polyline in question is actually defined in space, and how to attach to it appropriately.
AutoCAD’s grips are an immensely useful tool – once you understand their use. I remember being frustrated for hours with the grips when I was first starting to draft. I would stretch an item without intending to, or be surprised by the right-click pop-up. I would love to be able to freely transform objects through these grips. I have recently fallen in love with the MOCORO (Move, Copy, rotate) command and I would love to be able to access that through the grips. Or even, as Dan mentioned, just be able to resize a rectangle object through the corner (similar to how one can modify a viewport). I am curious how Vectorworks handles object grip functions. Apparently all lines in Vectorworks are objects, and can be tied to each other and transformed. I was recently told about a “double-line” command where, when drawing a line, a second line is drawn at a predetermined offset (both lines are one object). I have heard that Vectorworks also offers a smoother 3D modeling experience.
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