PlaceArc

Created: June 07, 2017 | Updated: January 29, 2019 | Applies to versions: 18.0, 18.1, 19.0, 19.1, 20.0, 20.1 and 20.2

Parent page: Schematic Commands

The following pre-packaged resources, derived from this base command, are available:

Place Arc

Applied Parameters: None

Summary

This command is used to place an Arc object onto the active document, with full control over start and end angles. An arc is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is essentially a curved line segment which can be used when, for example, creating graphical symbols, custom sheet borders and title blocks.

For detailed information about this object type, see Arc.

Access

Arcs are available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors:

Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
- Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Arc from the main menus.
- Locate and use the Arc command () on the Active Bar.
  If the command has been recently used from the Active Bar, it will become the active/visible button. Where other commands are available, this is indicated by a triangle at the bottom-right corner of the button. Click and hold on the active button to access a menu of all associated commands for that grouping.
- Right-click and choose Place » Drawing Tools » Arc from the context menu.
Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
- Choose Place » Arc from the main menus.
- Locate and use the Arc command () on the Active Bar.
  If the command has been recently used from the Active Bar, it will become the active/visible button. Where other commands are available, this is indicated by a triangle at the bottom-right corner of the button. Click and hold on the active button to access a menu of all associated commands for that grouping.
- Right-click and choose Place » Arc from the context menu.

Use

After launching the command, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and you will enter arc placement mode. Placement is made by performing the following sequence of actions:

Click or press Enter to anchor the center point of the arc.
Move the cursor to adjust the radius of the arc, then click or press Enter to set it.
Move the cursor to adjust the start angle for the arc, then click or press Enter to anchor it.
Move the cursor to adjust the end angle for the arc, then click or press Enter to anchor it and complete placement of the arc.
Continue placing further arcs, or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

At any time during placement, press the Tab key to access the Properties panel, from where properties for the arc can be changed on-the-fly. Pressing Tab pauses placement, allowing you to interact with the panel (or other area of the software) directly. To resume, click the pause symbol that appears over the workspace.

Additional actions that can be performed during placement – while the arc is still floating on the cursor, and before the center point of the arc is anchored – are:

Press the Alt key to constrain the direction of movement to the horizontal or vertical axis, depending on the initial direction of movement.
Press the Spacebar to rotate the arc counterclockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in increments of 90°.
Press the X or Y keys to mirror the arc along the X-axis or Y-axis respectively.

Tips

For information on how a placed arc object can be modified graphically, directly in the workspace, see Graphical Editing.
While attributes can be modified during placement (Tab to bring up the Properties panel), bear in mind that these will become the default settings for further placement unless the Permanent option on the Schematic - Defaults page of the Preferences dialog is enabled. When this option is enabled, changes made will affect only the object being placed and subsequent objects placed during the same placement session.

Place Full Circle

Applied Parameters: StartAngle=0|EndAngle=360|Repeat=True