Help with dx dy?

[a2ddeziner]

I’m doing my first layout in KiCAD. When making footprints, I can’t figure out why the dx and dy in the lower right corner are not relative measurments that reset to zero when I start to move something. I’ve never seen a CAD tool do this before so I have to assume there’s some trick to achieve what I’m after here. When I grab an object and move it, I expect the dx and dy to be relative measurements that reset to zero and tell me how far I moved an object in each direction. How do I make this happen?

[Starbird]

Those measurements are from a fixed position that you set with the space bar.

[a2ddeziner]

Thanks Starbird I see that when I hit the spacebar the dx/dy reset to zero very helpful. All the cad programs I’ve ever used automatically reset to zero when you go to move something.

[Rene_Poschl]

If you want to move something by a fixed amount then use the move exactly tool. Crtl+m starts it.

[dchisholm]

@a2ddeziner

. . . . . All the cad programs I’ve ever used automatically reset to zero when you go to move something.

KiCAD has several “delightful idiosyncrasies” (also known as “annoying misbehaviors”) that require some time and patience - and maybe a post or two on this Forum - before you get accustomed to them. Have you looked into the polarity-sense of the Y-axis coordinates?

Dale

[pedro]

@dchisholm

annoying misbehaviors

In this case I disagree. It is not annoying at all. I usually set the (0,0) relative origin for different purposes. Reseting to (0,0) when moving a footprint automatically would be very annoying for me.

[dchisholm]

I agree with you . . . . NOW. I have learned to work with a mouse in my right hand, and my left hand over the keyboard, with spacebar under my left thumb. In some previous incarnation I became accustomed to seeing the relative coordinates reset whenever I left-clicked over a new entity. It took a week or so to un-learn the old behavior and learn the new behavior. Then, if I stepped away from KiCAD for several days, it took time to re-learn the KiCAD behavior. Something about old dogs and new tricks. Intellectually I can’t say either behavior is superior to the other - they’re just different.

Dale