The Project Window

The main functions of HighDesign are visible and ready to use in the Project Window and in the surrounding toolbars and Sidebar. 

The project window as it appears on a new document._

  • The Drawing Area in the middle of the project window displays the project views and the sheets used to draw and edit drafting objects and project elements.
  • The toolbars provide essential functions, such as the drawing tools, the drawing methods, the input fields and commands, the edit functions, and the properties controls. Through these commands, arranged in logical areas, all the drawing functions are easily accessible. 
  • The Sidebar provides functions that are mainly used to organize the project and manage project elements: the Project Browser and the Views panels, the Object Info and the Project Styles panels. 
  • The Menu bar on the top of the project window displays the menus listing almost all of the program functions, commands and features. 

Toolbox

  • Selection: select project elements by direct click or by selection area; modify  selected elements 
  • Sketch: create and modify 2D drawing elements. 
  • Documentation: insert and modify texts, dimensions, text notes, tags, and define detail areas (standard/pro) and add temporary measurements. 
  • Design: create and modify architectural elements like walls, openings, columns (Pro). 
  • View: change the position of the drawing in the canvas via the panning function, the level of zoom; by preferences these tools can also be grouped in a dock and displayed on one side of the drawing area. 

Main Toolbar

Placed on the top margin of the drawing area, the main toolbar bar lets you quickly access the most common functions used to modify the drawing with just one click on the icon. The buttons are contextually enabled when the conditions for the use of the tool are met, like number and type of selected items.

Note that this toolbar does not show all the available functions, but only the most commonly accessed. More functions and commands are available on the Drawing and Tools menus.

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Geometric Transformations:

Main Toolbar

Placed on the top margin of the drawing area, the main toolbar bar lets you quickly access the most common functions used to modify the drawing with just one click on the icon. The buttons are contextually enabled when the conditions for the use of the tool are met, like number and type of selected items.

Note that this toolbar does not show all the available functions, but only the most commonly accessed. More functions and commands are available on the Drawing and Tools menus.

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Geometric Transformations:
  • Move 
  • Duplicate 
  • Multiply / Distribute items along a line 
  • Multiply / Distribute items on a circular arc 
  • Rotate 
  • Angle of Rotation 
  • Mirror 
  • Mirror & Duplicate 
  • Stretch 
  • Scale drawing 
Object Editing: 
Composite Tools: 
Composite Tools: 
  • Fillet two lines with an arc 
  • Chamfer two lines with a straight segment 
  • Offset, to create concentric copies of the clicked objects at a given distance 
  • Extrude, to create a copy of the selected objects with projection lines 
  • Explode, to convert the selected items into their base components 
  • Convert to Poly-line 
  • Apply Hatch 
  • Calculate Area 
  • Find Center of Mass 
  • Fit Text box 

Methods Bar

The Methods Bar displays the construction methods and available options of the current tool, e.g. Line from one endpoint or from its midpoint, or arc by center, by diameter, by three points, etc. This bar is contextual and changes its contents according to the selected project tool and can include an additional input field to quickly insert a parameter value. 

Properties Bar

The Properties bar is located at the top of the main window, just above the horizontal ruler and below the Edit Bar. You can use it to quickly set the graphical properties of the drawing items and change those of the selected one. 

From left to right: Layer; Pen color; Fill color, gradient and transparency; Line-type; Start and end markers; Pen weight; Settings Window button (active when compatible items are selected); Copy and Paste Properties buttons.

Input Bar

Placed on the bottom of the drawing area the Input Bar provides all the controls to set the drawing constraints, geometric conditions and input of coordinates, lengths and angles.

From left to right: 

  • The menu to activate the snap options. 
  • The buttons to set the parallel, orthogonal and intersection constraints. 
  • The menu to change the drawing units and the drawing scale of the current sheet. 
  • Input fields: X, Y coordinates, length and angle. When drawing an item, the coordinates change from absolute to relative coordinates dX and dY. You can switch between absolute and relative coordinates by clicking the X and Y icons. 
  • The utility buttons and menus, to set the zoom level and the display mode of pen weights. 

NOTE: Depending on the available screen size, the appearance and contents of the Input bar can change. At smaller resolutions, the Snaps menu includes the constraint functions, and the zoom menu includes the Zoom to Fit, Zoom In, Zoom Out and Zoom Previous commands. The input fields are always visible. 

**Customize the Side Bar  **(Pro)

In HighDesign Pro the Side bar can be customized by using the commands on the Window menu:

  • Minimize Side Bar
  • Panels:
  • Show as Floating Windows;
  • Show in Side Bar;
  • Restore Defaults;
  • List of all available panels or floating windows.

Panes of the Side Bar and Utility panels

By default in HighDesign Pro the panes displayed in the Side Bar are Project Browser, Project Views, Object Info and Project Styles and Types. With other editions of HighDesign the configuration of the Side Bar is different. 

Project Browser (SE-Pro)

The Project Browser pane lists all the project sheets: drafting sheets, detail sheets and layouts.

Use this pane to manage and organize sheets and to browse the different components of the project. This pane is not available in HighDesign LT.

Project Views  (SE-Pro)

The Views pane shows a list of all the saved project views (available in HighDesign Pro only). 

Layers

The Layers pane shows the layers used in the project and provides the functions to manage them. 

Object Info

The Object Info pane allows to view and edit coordinates and geometric parameters of the selection. It also allows the setup of the current sheet and to add information. 

Graphic Attributes

This pane provides in one handy array the graphic features of project elements, including stroke and fill attributes: it also provides the Shadow section for a complete setup of the shadow property of elements.

Overview/Zoom

The Overview utility pane displays a real-time 2x magnification of the sector of the current pointer location on the drawing area; if the mouse pointer enters the thumbnail, an overview of the entire drawing is displayed and it is possible to centre the view of the project with a click. 

Snaps

This pane provides all the snap options and the main drawing constraints. 

Arrange

The Arrange panel displays the buttons for all the Arrange Order, Align and Distribute objects commands.

Project Styles and Types  (Pro)

In HighDesign Pro use this pane to view, browse and manage graphic styles and element types of the current project.

Photogrammetry Preview  (Pro)

This is a live preview of the projection of the current photogrammetry (Pro only).

Rulers 

Placed on the left and top of the main window, rulers help drawing and placing objects in a layout with accuracy. Rulers show the current position of the pointer and the bounds of the selected objects and are dynamically linked to the current measurement unit, drawing scale and zoom factor. 

Panes of the Side Bar and Utility panels

By default in HighDesign Pro the panes displayed in the Side Bar are Project Browser, Project Views, Object Info and Project Styles and Types. With other editions of HighDesign the configuration of the Side Bar is different. 

Project Browser (SE-Pro)

The Project Browser pane lists all the project sheets: drafting sheets, detail sheets and layouts.

Use this pane to manage and organize sheets and to browse the different components of the project. This pane is not available in HighDesign LT.

Project Views  (SE-Pro)

The Views pane shows a list of all the saved project views (available in HighDesign Pro only). 

Layers

The Layers pane shows the layers used in the project and provides the functions to manage them. 

Object Info

The Object Info pane allows to view and edit coordinates and geometric parameters of the selection. It also allows the setup of the current sheet and to add information. 

Graphic Attributes

This pane provides in one handy array the graphic features of project elements, including stroke and fill attributes: it also provides the Shadow section for a complete setup of the shadow property of elements.

Overview/Zoom

The Overview utility pane displays a real-time 2x magnification of the sector of the current pointer location on the drawing area; if the mouse pointer enters the thumbnail, an overview of the entire drawing is displayed and it is possible to centre the view of the project with a click. 

Snaps

This pane provides all the snap options and the main drawing constraints. 

Arrange

The Arrange panel displays the buttons for all the Arrange Order, Align and Distribute objects commands.

Project Styles and Types  (Pro)

In HighDesign Pro use this pane to view, browse and manage graphic styles and element types of the current project.

Photogrammetry Preview  (Pro)

This is a live preview of the projection of the current photogrammetry (Pro only).

Rulers 

Placed on the left and top of the main window, rulers help drawing and placing objects in a layout with accuracy. Rulers show the current position of the pointer and the bounds of the selected objects and are dynamically linked to the current measurement unit, drawing scale and zoom factor. 

  • The button located on the top-right hand corner between the two rulers lets you place the new origin: click it, move the orthogonal guides appearing on screen and click to set the new location. 
  • On the right end of the top horizontal ruler, a button opens a pop-up menu which lets you select a new measurement unit or open the “Units” pane of the Preferences window. 
  • You can add a horizontal or vertical guide by clicking on a ruler and dragging the pointer on the drawing area.