Drawing Tools Overview
All drawing tools are in the toolbar. Click a tool button to activate it — the button highlights to show it is active. Click the same button again, or press Escape, to cancel the active tool without placing a shape.
Every shape you place becomes a feature in the feature tree. After placement, select the feature to edit its properties (name, operation, Z Top, Z Bottom) in the properties panel.
Rectangle
Click the Rectangle tool in the toolbar. Click once on the canvas to place the first corner, then click again to set the opposite corner. While dragging, dimension readouts appear on the canvas showing the current width and height.
You can type a dimension value while placing to lock it to an exact size. The rectangle is placed as an axis-aligned shape. After placement, use the resize or rotate tools to change its orientation.
Circle
Click the Circle tool in the toolbar. Click to place the center, then drag outward to set the radius. The radius is shown as a dimension readout while dragging.
Circles are stored as native circle geometry (not approximated as polygons), which gives clean toolpaths for pocket and edge route operations.
Polygon
Click the Polygon tool in the toolbar. Click to place each vertex. Each click adds a new point. When you have placed all the vertices you need:
- Click the first point again to close the polygon as a closed profile, or
- Press Enter to complete as an open path (useful for engrave operations), or
- Press Backspace to undo the last point.
A polygon requires at least 2 points. Closed profiles can be used for pocket, edge route, V-carve, and surface clean operations. Open paths can be used for engrave operations.
Spline
Click the Spline tool in the toolbar. Click to place control points. The spline is a smooth closed curve that passes through all the placed points using Catmull-Rom interpolation. Complete the spline the same way as a polygon — click the first point to close, press Enter to finish as an open path, or press Backspace to undo the last point.
After placement, you can enter sketch edit mode to adjust individual control points and their handles. See Editing Features.
Composite Path
The Composite tool lets you draw a path made of mixed segment types — straight lines, arcs, and spline curves — in a single feature.
Click to place points. Use the segment mode buttons in the toolbar to switch between Line, Arc, and Spline modes while drawing. The mode applies to the segment being drawn from the last placed point.
To finish the path:
- Click the first point to close the path as a closed profile.
- Press Enter to complete as an open path (for engrave operations).
- Press Backspace to undo the last segment.
- Press Escape to cancel.
Text
Click the Text tool to open the Text Tool dialog. Configure the text content, style (skeleton or outline), font, and size, then click Place. Click on the canvas to position the text.
Text is stored as an editable feature — you can change the text content, font, and style at any time without re-drawing. See Text Features for full details.