Drawing Lines

The function of the line tool is to draw lines at any length and at any angle. Lines can be drawn freehand or by using a set length. Angles for the line can be determined, set freehand or by the constraint settings.

Lines are used to create many of the components in a drawing. This can include the building walls, property lines, driveway lines among many others.

There are several different line tools available, each with their own unique function and purpose. All the tools described here are nested beneath the main line tool button and can be accessed by clicking and holding the mouse button down on the line tool. This will uncover the tools and allow you to switch between the active line tool, or the nested tools can be opened in their own toolbar by clicking on the line tool while holding the left mouse button down and dragging the mouse. As you move the mouse to the new location, a new toolbox will appear.

All line tools can be drawn freehand or by using modifier. Below is an explanation of each technique.

Freehand—Using the line tool ‘freehand’ allows you to insert lines anywhere on the drawing without setting the length of the line or the angle at which the line is being drawn.

Modifier—Using the modifier for the line tool you can set any combination of length and angle for a line. Lengths and angles can be entered in full and part units. This is the preferred method for entering measurements that are known and need to be exact such as the walls of the building, driveway and property measurements, etc.