Drawing, selecting and editing

Use the Drawing tab to work on the actual geometry. Selection determines which objects an editing or machining command will use.

How do I draw a line, circle or another basic shape?

Open Drawing > Basic shapes and choose Line, Polyline, Rectangle, Circle, Arc, Ellipse, Spline or Text. Follow the prompt for the points and dimensions required by that tool. Use object snaps to reuse exact points from existing geometry.

Choose the active layer before drawing. Return to Select when you want to select existing objects. If a command is still waiting for another point, press Esc before starting a different task.

How do I place something precisely with snaps or coordinates?

Enable the object snaps you need in Object snap, such as endpoints or centers. Move the pointer close to the desired feature and accept the indicated point. A grid is a visual aid; seeing a grid crossing is not proof that an object endpoint was selected.

Where a point command offers dynamic input, enter the required X/Y values instead of estimating a position. Shape dialogs also offer Coordinates with insertion X and Y. Check the displayed unit, the reference point being requested and the position in the preview before accepting.

Which selection mode should I use?

Select opens the available picking modes. By pick is useful for individual objects. Crossing box or polygon includes objects touched by the boundary as well as those inside it. Enclosed box or polygon requires the objects to be completely inside.

Drag to make a box. For a polygon, click successive corners and close it by clicking the first corner again; Esc cancels. Dynamic visible picking helps when working with visible objects. Changing the selection mode preserves the selection already made. Use the mode suited to the shape of the area you want to select.

How do I select everything, clear selection or select the opposite set?

Use Select all, Clear selection or Invert selection in the Select menu. Select all and Invert selection work on visible, selectable objects; hidden layers are not silently included.

Clearing the drawing selection also clears the related selection on the operations list. If the right-hand parameter area becomes empty, select the operation you intend to edit again. Do not confuse selecting geometry with enabling an operation: these serve different purposes.

How do I move, copy, rotate, resize or delete objects?

Select the objects, then choose the appropriate command from Modify. Move and Copy request placement points; Rotate and Scale use a reference and the requested value. Read the active prompt rather than clicking an approximate point. Mirror, Offset, Trim, Extend, Fillet and Chamfer are also in Modify.

Delete removes the selected drawing objects and updates their operation references. Deleting an operation from the operations list removes that machining assignment rather than deleting the drawing. After editing, inspect the operation list and calculate again. Use Undo if the wrong objects were changed.

How can I measure geometry and add dimensions?

Information contains Length / Details, Area / Perimeter and Vertex coordinates. Use them to check a known length, a closed shape or a precise point before creating operations. Dimensions contains linear, aligned, radial, diametric, angular and ordinate dimensions, plus leaders.

Temporary dimensions help while inspecting or editing; use the corresponding toggle and clear command when needed. Dimensions and annotations are for documentation, not automatically cutting contours. For machining text as outlines, use Linear text or Circular text from Complex shapes.