Learn/Drafting/2D Sketch Editor
Draw Tools
At a glance
- Line — continuous connected segments
- Arc — 3-point definition (start, mid, end)
- Circle — center + radius
- Rectangle — axis-aligned, two-corner definition
- Parallel Line — offset from an existing line at a fixed distance
The core drawing tools live on the sketch toolbar, each one keystroke away: Line (L), Arc (A),
Circle (C), Rectangle (R), and Parallel Line (P). Every tool follows the same rhythm — click
to place points, watch a live preview with a length/angle readout, and press Tab at any step to
type exact values instead of eyeballing. All clicks respect snapping.
The tools
- Line — click start, click end. Hold Shift to lock to horizontal or vertical; any segment
drawn within 1.5° of an axis snaps exactly onto it and picks up an H or V constraint
automatically, with a live
— H/| Vcue in the readout. Select a circle or arc first and the line starts tangent to it, sliding the contact point as you move. - Arc — two modes: center → start → end, or two endpoints plus a third click anywhere on the arc to choose which way it bows.
- Circle — click the center, click (or Tab-type) the diameter.
- Rectangle — two opposite corners, committed as four separate lines so each edge can be dimensioned and constrained on its own. Slot and Hexagon tools work the same way.
- Parallel Line — select a line, activate the tool, and a copy of the same length previews at a perpendicular offset; the side your cursor is on sets the direction. Tab types the distance.
Typed input drives the sketch
Tab dialogs accept full expressions — 1/2in, 25.4mm,
3+1/8. The Line tool's Tab entry is polar (length + angle); Rectangle takes width and height.
Committing with a typed value automatically places driving dimensions on the new geometry, so a
rectangle entered as 4 × 2 stays 4 × 2 until you change the dimension — the same behavior as the
Slot tool. Endpoints that snap together are recorded as explicit coincident
constraints, never re-guessed later.