Chapter 1

Lines

Subsections of Lines

About Lines

The Line tool lets you draw simple 2D lines of any length and angle. The tool includes four methods and allows editing of selected lines.

Topics in this Section

  • Line by start point
  • Line by center
  • Segmented lines
  • Double lines from one side or axis
  • Editing a line

Double Lines

Creates two parallel segments of the same length at the specified offset from each other. Activate the field next to the method icons to enter a value.

Double lines can be traced from the axis or from one side.

The standard method of drawing a line of given length is to set the first point, push the L key (or the corresponding shortcut), enter the value and push the Return key. The same procedure applies to Angle (A), X, Y. More methods are described in the Basic Tasks chapter.

Editing a Line

Line objects can be edited in the same way with the Arrow tool or the Line tool.

To stretch a line:

  1. Select the line.
  2. Click one of its end points.
  3. Move the pointer. Hold down the Shift key to keep the original angle.
  4. Click to end the operation.

To move a line:

Line by Center

To create a line from its center:

  • Click to specify the center or middle point of the line.
  • Move the pointer in the desired direction and by the desired distance. Note that as you move the pointer, you actually define one half of the line so when entering a length value you define the length of half line.
  • Click again to specify the end point.

Line by Start Point

This method lets you create a line from a start point to and end point.

To draw a line:

  • Click to specify the start point.
  • Move the pointer in the desired direction and by the desired distance.
  • Click to specify the end point.

Length and angle constraints are available during the construction of lines.

Segmented Lines

Creates a series of segmented lines connected on their end point. Note that this method creates a series of independent lines. To create a composite object made of multiple segments, use the Polyline tool.

To create segmented lines:

  1. Click to set the first vertex.
  2. Move the pointer.
  3. Click to set the next vertex.
  4. To end the series, double-click on the last vertex.