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QuickSnap

by julienh·Modeling

Images © julienh. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

QuickSnap earns its place for bringing Maya and 3ds Max-style point-to-point snapping to Blender at no cost, and it sits at rank 59 on Superhive. Keep in mind it is not built for very high-poly objects, where performance can drop when many heavy objects are under the mouse.

What is QuickSnap?

QuickSnap is a free addon for Blender that moves objects, vertices, edges, faces and curve points by snapping a chosen source point to a destination point. You can snap from and to the scene cursor, object origins, vertices and curve points, edge mid-points and face centers, switching the point type through a pie menu opened with the same hotkey that starts the tool.

You can snap using either a click-and-drag motion or two clicks, and cancel a translation with the right mouse button or ESC. Translation can be constrained to a single axis or a plane with the (Shift+)X, Y, Z hotkeys. The addon can snap onto both visible and non-visible points, prioritising those closer to the camera, and highlights target vertex edges, edge mid-points and face centers for readability. With auto-merge enabled in Edit mode, vertices merge with vertices at the same location after a snap.

The default hotkey is Ctrl+Shift+V, and it can be changed in the add-on settings. QuickSnap includes the Blender Addon Updater for updating from within Blender. It is not intended for very high-poly objects.

Who is QuickSnap best for?

QuickSnap is best for blender artists who want to snap objects, vertices, edges, faces or curve points to precise points, in a way similar to vertex snap in Maya and 3ds Max.

How much does QuickSnap cost?

QuickSnap is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Snap from and to the scene cursor, object origins, vertices and curve points, edge mid-points and face centers
  • Pie menu, opened with the same hotkey that starts the tool, to change the point type you snap from and to
  • Constrain translation to a single axis or a plane using the (Shift+)X, Y, Z hotkeys
  • Automatic wireframe display for the mesh you are snapping to and the object under the mouse, which can be turned off
  • Snapping onto both visible and non-visible points, with points closer to the camera prioritised
  • Target highlighting for vertex edges, edge mid-points and face centers
  • Optional vertex auto-merge in Edit mode and the included Blender Addon Updater for in-Blender updates

Tags

#Blender#snapping#vertex snap#modeling#addon#free#workflow

Frequently asked questions

What is the default hotkey for QuickSnap and can I change it?

QuickSnap uses Ctrl+Shift+V as its default hotkey, with V standing for Vertex. Pressing that same hotkey again while the tool is active opens a pie menu where you choose what you snap from and to: vertices and curve points, edge mid-points or face centers. You can change the tool hotkey from the add-on settings window, where the other hotkeys are also listed and can be tweaked to your own preferences. On Windows with multiple keyboards, watch out because Ctrl+Shift may cycle the active keyboard.

How do I snap points with QuickSnap?

QuickSnap gives you two ways to snap after selecting the object, vertices, edges, faces or curve points you want to move. With click-and-drag, move the mouse over the point you want to snap from, hold the right mouse button, move to the destination point, then release. With the two-clicks method, click the point you want to snap from and then click the point you want to snap to. To cancel a translation, press the right mouse button or the ESC key.

Does QuickSnap work well with high-poly objects?

QuickSnap is not made for very high-poly objects, and performance might get poor when many really heavy objects are under the mouse. On lighter meshes it highlights target vertex edges, edge mid-points and face centers for readability, and it can snap onto both visible and non-visible points, prioritising those closer to the camera. The developer's documentation page has more information about these limits.

How do I update QuickSnap from within Blender?

QuickSnap includes the Blender Addon Updater. To update, open the add-on preferences, scroll down and click 'Check now for QuickSnap update'. If the button then reads 'Update now to (x,y,z)', a new version exists; click it to update and then restart Blender. You can also enable or disable update notifications in the add-on preferences, and a video showing how to update from within Blender is available on the developer's page.

Is QuickSnap free?

QuickSnap is listed as free here. The developer notes they are not making money from the addon, so feature requests are considered as time allows rather than promised. For current licensing details, check the developer's page. Once installed, the bundled Blender Addon Updater lets you keep it current from inside Blender and notifies you when a new version is released.

Alternatives to QuickSnap

Also in Modeling for Blender.

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