Precise snapping to guides and points, Smart Guides do not work properly!

[elturi]

I'm an architect and use Illustrator to do detail and presentation plans that need to be very precise.

I upgraded to CS5 from Freehand X, due to the fact the in OS Lion, Freehand doesn't work anymore and unfortunatelly finally died.

After more than 20 years using Freehand, I have noticed how hard it is to work with precision guides and snaping in illustrator CS5, instead of drawing precise objects in precise locations, it takes you 3x longer because you cannot snap to guides, the objects you draw are never aligned properly with a big error probability, so you have to double check always, adjust. move, resize and it's a hell!!!

Smart Guides don't work most of the time.

FORGET THE GRID (not the point in this problem).

Example 1:

I have 2 guides one vertical and one horizontal that cross eacother, I want to start a rectangle (Tool M) from the intersection to another intersection of another 2 guides, when you place the cursor near the starting intersection it doesn't snap to the guides, neither on the other intersection where you want the rectangle to end!

So I need to activate the bounding box, zoom in resize on one corner then go to the other and do the same, it's ridiculous.

Example 2:

When you grab a rectangle and want to place it in the corner of a guide intersection, you need to grab the exact corner to do that and drop it very close to the intersection and it does snap to the guides, BUT when you grab the rectangle from the middle (when you don't have the "Object Selection by Path Only" activated) it's impossible to snap it to any guide!!! That is a bum!

In Freehand doing these kind of tasks was so much easier and totally precise when you did that.

You had the option of Snap to Guides, AND Snap to Points.

Can someone tell me if Smart Guides just don't work properly and why do we have such ridiculous precision errors when we want to draw very precise...?

Help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[dsedlarski]

Let me tell you what the problem is...

The problem is that "I have the same question" button in these post still have just a few clicks. Maybe when the number there reach thousands and thousands, Adobe will decide to pay attention about this BIG PROBLEM!!!

[erlksdfhqp]

[abuse removed by moderator]

[erlksdfhqp]

20+ versions in, it's clear that the Illustrator team WILL NEVER understand intuitive UX.

[JaqScot]

I have used Illustrator for decades and have never been more dissappointed and frustrated because I cannot move objects precisely. I do not know what the developer did but perhaps it has to do with the pixel grid, but I used to be able to place objects precisely relationship to other items. But no more. I have tried changing settings, unselecting snap to pixel grid and nothing works. I have never been so dissappointed in Adobe. They have ruined the program in my estimation.

[Creatinnovate]

What a joke for Adobe to state this problem has been solved. Imprecise object alignment and snap to guide or object has been the Illustrator formula for more than a decade. You can reset Preferences till the cows come home, turn on Smart Guides ad nauseum - none of this has any effect on performance.

For every precise object placement, the work process is as follows:

1. "Snap" to object in Outline mode.
2. Zoom in to 64000% (requires several steps) in order to see that the alignment is waaaaaay off.
3. Squint and drag object until the outline of each object appears as one outline.
4. Repeat until you have to see an orthopedic surgeon and find another career.

Clearly, adobe doesn't care about critical basic functionality or the user experience.

Adobe Inc. Business Strategy:

1) Add more features   2) Raise the price   3) Force users to pay monthly for the privilege without ever owning the application they are paying for - Stop paying and you have no access to the files you have created.

[defaultgn5ldnk4o0di]

Almost 2024 and  this matter has not evolve a bit... I hope another develloper will take its customers needs more seriously.  Adobe at least quit pretending this subject has been taken care of, your detailed "solution" is nothing more than a time waster.

[Anubhav Majumder]

Hello @defaultgn5ldnk4o0di,

Sorry to hear about this experience. Would you mind sharing some more details, like the exact version of the OS/Illustrator, system config (CPU/GPU/Memory), and a screen recording of the problem (https://adobe.ly/41gprll), so we can investigate this further?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav