Drawing and point input
The drawing sequence, drawing on faces, typing lengths, angles and coordinates, direction locks and modifier keys. One method for every editor.
Every tool that takes points, from lines and shapes to walls and Move, works the same way. The assembly and 0D viewports, the cross-section editor, the tool profile editor and the plan all share the same keys and behavior, because they're built on one core. Learn this page once and it applies everywhere.
Basic sequence
Click → Direction → Click or type a number
- Click the start point.
- Move the pointer the way you want to go to set the direction, or lock the direction with the arrow keys (see Direction lock on this page).
- Click the next point, or type a length and press Enter.
When a tool is waiting for a point, the pointer becomes a crosshair with a small tool icon, and the click lands exactly at the center of the crosshair. The point is placed when you release the mouse button.
Drawing on a face
Before the first click, the line, shape, text and label tools make the face under the pointer the work plane. A faint purple frame, slightly larger than the face, marks the work plane. Snaps to that face's corners and edges also stay on that plane.
Lock the plane with Shift
- Before the first click, hold Shift. The plane under the pointer locks, and its frame turns bolder.
- Now, wherever you move the pointer, clicks land on that plane.
- After the first click, you can release Shift; drawing stays on the same plane.
Typing numbers and coordinates
At any step where a tool is waiting for a point, you can type a number instead of clicking. What you type appears in the hint line at the top of the screen, next to the current step.
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| A number, then Enter | Length along the current direction |
x,y |
Absolute point; in shape tools, the cross-section editor and the plan. Units and arithmetic are accepted. |
@dx,dy |
Point relative to the previous point; in shape tools, the cross-section editor and the plan |
400<30 |
Length 400 at a 30° angle |
<30 |
Lock the angle to 30° only |
40,20 |
Rectangle size (length,width); a single number makes a square |
Persian digits are accepted too: ۴۰۰<۳۰ works the same as 400<30. For the full rules on typing numbers, units and formulas, see Numbers, units and formulas.
Rectangles
- In one go: Type the length and width separated by a comma (for example,
40,20) and press Enter. The first number runs along the mouse direction; the second runs to its left. - Square: A single number makes a square.
- Step by step: Type the length and press Enter. The length is held while the width follows the mouse. Then set the width with the mouse and click, or type a second number and press Enter.
Place, back up and finish
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| A typed number, then Enter or Space | Places that point; drawing continues. |
| Enter, Space, right-click, or clicking the last point again | Finishes the command; everything you've drawn stays. |
| Esc | The first press clears only unfinished input: the typed number, the direction lock and any one-time snap. The second press ends the command; everything you've drawn stays. |
| Backspace | Deletes the typed number. If you haven't typed one, removes the last point. |
| Click the first point | Closes the line, shape or profile path, for example a frame around a door. |
Direction lock
Use the arrow keys to lock the drawing direction to an axis or an edge:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| → (Right arrow) | Lock to the work plane's horizontal axis: X, or the horizontal axis of the face you're drawing on |
| ← (Left arrow) | Lock to the work plane's second axis (Y) |
| ↑ (Up arrow) | Lock perpendicular to the work plane (Z) |
| ↓ (Down arrow) | Lock parallel to the edge under the pointer |
| The same arrow again | Release the lock |
| Tap Shift | Cycles: lock to the current direction → circle around the previous point → free. Holding Shift is Ortho. |
The 1D cross-section editor, the tool profile editor and the plan have the same locks: → for horizontal, ← for vertical, ↓ for parallel to the line or wall under the pointer, and a tap of Shift. In the plan, a lock is shown as a dotted purple line.
Snaps keep working while a direction is locked; see Snaps and SmartTrack.
Modifier keys
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Hold Shift | Inverts Ortho (on the work plane's axes) while held: on if it's off, off if it's on. |
| Hold Ctrl | The point moves only up and down (perpendicular to the work plane). |
| Tap Ctrl | Makes the point under the pointer a SmartTrack point. |
| Double-tap Ctrl | Clears SmartTrack points. |
| Hold Alt | Draw without snaps. |
Tool shortcuts
All shortcuts come from a single table in Settings > Shortcuts. The defaults:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| L | Line |
| A | Arc |
| M | Move |
| R | Rotate |
| Shift + M | Mirror |
| C | Copy |
| F8 | Ortho |
| Z | Zoom (selection or all) |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo |
- Copy (C) is Move with the Copy checkbox on. While a tool is running, the same key toggles the Copy checkbox.
- F8 and Z work in every editor, including the plan. Z zooms to the selection, or to the whole scene if nothing is selected.
- If you change a shortcut, it changes everywhere. A key that's already assigned to another action isn't accepted.
For the full list of keys, see Keyboard shortcuts.