Sometimes modular girder segments snap together - others times they refuse - why?

[jpinard]

I can't find any rhyme or reason to why sometimes I can get  modular girder segments to snap end to end, and other times, no matter what I do, they just will not.  Is there some trick to this?

[Guest]

You have to hold the attachment nodes close to each other while not having your mouse be over the part to attach to. So only the nodes snap to each other. 

[Geonovast]

You can hold alt to disable surface attachment.

[GluttonyReaper]

I've also found they have to be (roughly) in the right orientation to snap together by the nodes. You can get away with ~30 degrees off, but if you're trying to attach it at a 90 degree angle, it won't snap.

[pincushionman]

If you’re in the SPH, make sure you slew the camera around so you’re looking at the side of the already-placed girder. Looking from the end seems to not work at all for any parts..

(it happens in the VAB too, but you have to go out of your way to look at the end in that building)

Edited July 16, 2019 by pincushionman

[Vanamonde]

If I'm going to connect girder types end-to-end, I build them along the central axis of the craft and then move them to their desired location. It's the only reliable way I know to get them to align neatly. 

[Superfluous J]

45 minutes ago, Vanamonde said:

If I'm going to connect girder types end-to-end, I build them along the central axis of the craft and then move them to their desired location. It's the only reliable way I know to get them to align neatly. 

This is useful for so many purposes I do it myself frequently just out of habit, but just making sure they face roughly the same way and holding alt when it's being stubborn works perfectly.

(One other good reason to build centrally and then move, you can easily do symmetry around symmetrically-placed parts, and then do symmetry around those, as many times as you'd like)