Another example of how AccuDraw tries to help you is its previous distance feature. As you place elements in your model, AccuDraw keeps track of the distance between your last two data points. Known as the Previous Distance, AccuDraw uses this distance as a hint for your next data point.

Think of previous distance as a radius length from the compass origin. When you move the pointer within the Tolerance distance to this radius, AccuDraw displays a small tangent line called the previous distance indicator, and locks the pointer to this point.

As you keep the pointer within the Tolerance distance of this previous distance, AccuDraw will keep it locked. This, of course, only works with Polar coordinates. If you are using Rectangular coordinates, the previous distance only works when you are indexed to either drawing plane axis.

A data point will result in an offset distance from your last data point precisely the same as the distance between your previous two data points.

This "lock" on feature is not hard to override. Just continue dragging the pointer until it is outside the Tolerance and the previous distance lock disengages.