Construction Lines

Construction lines (also referred to as guides) are infinite lines that serve as references in the drawing for positioning and alignment.

Construction lines can be created with two methods:

Construction line from rulers

When the rulers are visible in the main drawing area (View ▸ Show Rulers), click and drag on the horizontal or vertical ruler to place an aligned guide. You can snap to drawing objects while dragging to place the guide at the desired location. This method works with any drawing tool.

Construction line by point

With this method you can create a guide oriented at an arbitrary angle.

1. Activate the Alignment Objects tool > Guides method.
2. Click to set the center and define the direction with the pointer. You can enter a definite angle by pressing the A key on the keyboard or clicking an existing linear object to draw a parallel construction line. To set the distance of the construction line from the reference linear object, press the L key on the keyboard, enter the value and click on the desired location.

You can create a guide parallel to an existing guide, like a duplicate: with the Guides method, click on an unselected guides in the drawing and move. Use the keyboard to enter a constrained distance.

Editing a Construction Line

Guides can be moved just like any other object: select the line, click anywhere on it and move the pointer. To constrain the translation by a definite distance, enter the desired length directly and press Return or Enter.