bone2k

I find it a very surprising that it is not obvious to the Affinity Design team how useful snapping of handles to the grid really is. 
 
I have used Adobe Illustrator for almost 10 years now for creating scientific illustrations and for almost every one of them I relied on precise snapping of the handles to a grid. For any kind of symmetric shape where the curve on one side should look exactly like the curve on the other side this feature is very helpful. In Affinity Designer I always have to draw one side and then duplicate and mirror it to achieve the same effect. Certain kind of regular curves I just don't know how to create precisly in AD. 
 
The attached image is an exercise for the pen tool I use in graphic design workshops for PhD students. Recreating the shapes precisely in Illustrator is very easy thanks to snapping of handles. In AD I have to eyeball it and am not able to exactly draw the same shapes. Or is there a way to do it with the snapping settings? 
 

I don't use Designer after I spent some trial with the trial version, although I thought it looked promising, super-easy to learn and certainly affordable. I still get email updates of posts to this forum, as I figured if this one feature were added I'd get a copy or two. The fact that its critical nature is even questioned makes me deeply suspicious of the programs design philosophy. I've just finished some logo jobs for which precise snapping is an absolute necessity, and which will pay for a few years of Adobe CC subscriptions.  I just don't understand what the problem with this is  - if the data for the handle position is stored in the file, we should at least be able to edit that data numerically, and surely adding an ability for optional snapping to grid is a no-brainer. If it wasn't required why do other applications allow it? I feel daft having to argue a case for this; it's like trying to explain to my children why I have to work for a living rather than stay at home playing Lego with them. If I wasn't concerned with precision, speed and efficiency I'd use a pencil and paper.

I find it a very surprising that it is not obvious to the Affinity Design team how useful snapping of handles to the grid really is. 
 
I have used Adobe Illustrator for almost 10 years now for creating scientific illustrations and for almost every one of them I relied on precise snapping of the handles to a grid. For any kind of symmetric shape where the curve on one side should look exactly like the curve on the other side this feature is very helpful. In Affinity Designer I always have to draw one side and then duplicate and mirror it to achieve the same effect. Certain kind of regular curves I just don't know how to create precisly in AD. 
 
The attached image is an exercise for the pen tool I use in graphic design workshops for PhD students. Recreating the shapes precisely in Illustrator is very easy thanks to snapping of handles. In AD I have to eyeball it and am not able to exactly draw the same shapes. Or is there a way to do it with the snapping settings? 
 

I find it a very surprising that it is not obvious to the Affinity Design team how useful snapping of handles to the grid really is. 
 
I have used Adobe Illustrator for almost 10 years now for creating scientific illustrations and for almost every one of them I relied on precise snapping of the handles to a grid. For any kind of symmetric shape where the curve on one side should look exactly like the curve on the other side this feature is very helpful. In Affinity Designer I always have to draw one side and then duplicate and mirror it to achieve the same effect. Certain kind of regular curves I just don't know how to create precisly in AD. 
 
The attached image is an exercise for the pen tool I use in graphic design workshops for PhD students. Recreating the shapes precisely in Illustrator is very easy thanks to snapping of handles. In AD I have to eyeball it and am not able to exactly draw the same shapes. Or is there a way to do it with the snapping settings?