Working with Drawing Objects on a Schematic in Altium Designer

Two placed Arcs (the one on the right is a Full Circle Arc)

Summary

An Arc is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is essentially a curved line segment that can be used when creating graphical symbols, custom sheet borders and title blocks, etc. A placed Circle is an Arc object that spans 360° (i.e. has the same start and end angle).

Availability

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 to place an arc with full control over start and end angles.
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Full Circle from the main menus to place a full circle arc where start and end angles are fixed at 0° and 360°.
  • Click the Arc button () or Full Circle button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. Click and hold or right-click an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the topmost item on that section of the Active Bar.
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Arc or Place » Drawing Tools » Full Circle from the context menu.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Arc from the main menus to place an arc with full control over start and end angles.
  • Choose Place » Full Circle from the main menus to place a full circle arc where start and end angles are fixed at 0° and 360°.
  • Click the Arc button () or Full Circle button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu, located at the top of the design space. Click and hold or right-click an Active Bar menu button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the topmost item on the Active Bar menu.
  • Right-click then choose Place » Arc or Place » Full Circle from the context menu.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the center point of the arc.
2. Move the cursor to adjust the radius of the arc, then click or press Enter to set it.
3. Move the cursor to adjust the start angle for the arc, then click or press Enter to anchor it.
4. 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.
5. Continue placing further arcs or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

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 Tab key to pause the placement and access the Arc mode of the Properties panel, from where its line properties can be changed on the fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.
• 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.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed arc object directly in the design space and change its size, shape or location graphically.

When an arc object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

Selected Arcs (Full Circle Arc on right).

• Click and drag A to adjust the radius.
• Click and drag B to adjust the arc end points (start and end angles).
• Click on the arc line – away from editing handles – and drag to reposition it. While dragging, the arc can be:
  • rotated (Spacebar for clockwise and Shift+Spacebar for counterclockwise) about the cursor.
  • mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis) relative to the cursor position.
  • moved in only the X or Y plane (hold Alt), depending on which direction the cursor is first moved from its starting point.
  • duplicated (hold Shift, then drag) to a new Arc object.

Location

• (X/Y)
  • X (first field) - the current X (horizontal) coordinate of the reference point of the arc, relative to the current design space origin. Edit to change the X position of the arc. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 
  • Y (second field) - The current Y (vertical) coordinate of the reference point of the arc, relative to the current origin. Edit to change the Y position of the arc. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 

Properties

• Width - use the drop-down to select the desired width. Choices are Smallest, Small, Medium, and Large. Click the color box to select the desired color for the arc.
• Radius - the radius of the arc.
• Start Angle - the start angle of the arc.
• End Angle - the end angle of the arc.

A placed Bezier curve

Summary

A Bezier curve is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is a free-form curved line that can be placed on a schematic sheet. The curve is defined by a series of vertex points that 'pull' the line into a curved shape.

Availability

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

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Bezier from the main menus.
  • Click the Bezier button ( ) in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Bezier from the context menu.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Bezier from the main menus.
  • Click the Bezier button ( ) in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Bezier from the context menu.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the starting point for the curve.
2. Move the cursor and click or press Enter to place a series of vertex points to define the curve. As you move the cursor, the curve will be continually redrawn to indicate how it would look if you placed a vertex at the cursor position.
3. After placing the final vertex point, right-click or press Esc to complete placement of the curve.
4. Continue placing further Bezier curves or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

Additional actions that can be performed during placement while the Bezier is still floating on the cursor are:

• Press the Tab key to pause the placement and access the Bezier mode of the Properties panel from where its properties can be changed on the fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.
• Press the Alt key to constrain the direction of movement to the horizontal or vertical axis depending on the initial direction of movement. 

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed Bezier object directly in the design space and change its size and/or shape graphically.

When a Bezier object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Bezier curve

• Click and drag an editing handle to "bend" the curve.
• Click anywhere on the Bezier away from editing handles and drag to reposition it. While dragging, the Bezier can be rotated (Spacebar/Shift+Spacebar) or mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis).

Properties

• Curve Width - use the drop-down to select the desired curve width. 

A placed Ellipse

Summary

An ellipse is a non-electrical drawing primitive that can be placed on a schematic sheet. It can be filled or unfilled.

Availability

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

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Ellipse from the main menus.
  • Click the Ellipse button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Ellipse from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Ellipse from the main menus.
  • Click the Ellipse button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click and choose Place » Ellipse from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the center of the ellipse.
2. Move the cursor to adjust the horizontal radius of the ellipse, then click or press Enter to set it.
3. Move the cursor to adjust the vertical radius of the ellipse, then click or press Enter to set it and complete placement.
4. Continue placing further ellipses or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

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

• Press the Tab key to pause the placement and access the Ellipse mode of the Properties panel, from where its properties can be changed on the fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.
• 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. The action can also be performed while dragging the object. Rotation is in increments of 90°.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed ellipse object directly in the design space and change its size, shape or location graphically.

When an ellipse object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Ellipse

• Click and drag A to change the horizontal radius.
• Click and drag B to change the vertical radius.
• Click anywhere on the ellipse – away from editing handles – and drag to reposition it. While dragging, the ellipse can be rotated (Spacebar/Shift+Spacebar) or mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis, respectively).

Location

• (X/Y)
  • X (first field) - the current X (horizontal) coordinate of the reference point of the object, relative to the current design space origin. Edit to change the X position of the object. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 
  • Y (second field) - The current Y (vertical) coordinate of the reference point of the object, relative to the current origin. Edit to change the Y position of the object. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 

Properties

• ​Border - use the drop-down to select the desired border. 
• X Radius - the x-radius of the ellipse, which may be edited.
• Y Radius - the x-radius of the ellipse, which may be edited.
• Fill Color - enable to use a fill color. Click on the colored box to access a drop-down from which you can select the color.
• Transparent - enable to make the object transparent.

A placed Elliptical Arc

Summary

An elliptical arc is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is essentially an open circular or elliptical curve that can be placed on a schematic sheet.

Availability

The Elliptical Arc object is available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors:

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Elliptical Arc from the main menus.
  • Click the Elliptical Arc button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design spacethen choose Place » Drawing Tools » Elliptical Arc from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Elliptical Arc from the main menus.
  • Click the Elliptical Arc button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click and choose Place » Elliptical Arc from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the center point of the arc.
2. Move the cursor to adjust the X radius of the arc, then click or press Enter to set it.
3. Move the cursor to adjust the Y radius of the arc, then click or press Enter to set it.
4. Move the cursor to adjust the first end point of the arc, then click or press Enter to anchor it.
5. Move the cursor to change the position of the arc's other end point, then click or press Enter to anchor it and complete placement of the arc.
6. Continue placing further elliptical arcs, or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

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

• Press the Tab key to access an associated properties dialog, from where properties for the arc can be changed on-the-fly.
• 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 anti-clockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in steps of 90°.
• Press the X or Y keys to mirror the arc along the X-axis or Y-axis respectively.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed elliptical arc object directly in the design space and change its size, shape or location, graphically.

When an elliptical arc object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Elliptical Arc.

• Click and drag A to change the vertical radius.
• Click and drag B to change the horizontal radius.
• Click and drag C to adjust the end points.
• Click anywhere on the elliptical arc – away from editing handles – and drag to reposition it. While dragging, the elliptical arc can be rotated (Spacebar/Shift+Spacebar) or mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis respectively).

Location

• (X/Y)
  • X (first field) - the current X (horizontal) coordinate of the reference point of the arc, relative to the current design space origin. Edit to change the X position of the arc. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 
  • Y (second field) - The current Y (vertical) coordinate of the reference point of the arc, relative to the current origin. Edit to change the Y position of the arc. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 

Properties

• Width - use the drop-down to select the desired width. 
• X-Radius - the x-radius of the elliptical arc, which may be edited.
• Y-Radius - the y-radius of the elliptical arc, which may be edited.
• Start Angle - the start angle of the elliptical arc, which may be edited.
• End Angle - the end angle of the elliptical arc, which may be edited.

A placed Image

Summary

An image object is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is essentially a container for an image file that can be imported and placed onto a schematic sheet. The image associated with an image object can either be linked or embedded.

Availability

Image objects are available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors:

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Graphic from the main menus.
  • Click the Graphic button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Graphic from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Graphic from the main menus.
  • Click the Graphic button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Graphic from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.

Placement

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

1. Position the cursor then click or press Enter to anchor the first corner of the graphic's frame in which the graphic itself will reside.
2. A dialog will open in which you can browse to and select the required graphic. Select the file you want to insert then press Open.
3. Move the cursor to adjust the size of the frame then click or press Enter to complete graphic placement.
4. Continue placing further graphic objects or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

During placement, before the graphic frame's second corner is anchored, press the Tab key to pause the placement and access the Image mode of the Properties panel from where its properties can be changed on the fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed image object directly in the design space and change its size, shape or location graphically.

When an image object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Image

• Click and drag A to resize the image frame in the vertical and horizontal directions simultaneously.
• Click and drag B to resize the image frame in the vertical and horizontal directions separately (provided the X:Y Ratio 1:1 option in the Properties panel is disabled).
• Click anywhere on the image away from editing handles then drag to reposition it. Press the Alt key to constrain the direction of movement to the horizontal or vertical axis depending on the initial direction of movement. While dragging, the image can be rotated (Spacebar/Shift+Spacebar) or mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis).

Using Vector Graphics

The majority of supported image formats - including bmp, png, jpg, and tiff - are Raster-based. Simply put, they are created (or composed) graphically of a fixed series of dots. While all of these image formats render adequately, their attraction diminishes when the image is scaled. Zoom in to an image in one of these formats and the 'blocky' or 'pixelated' nature of the image's dot composition soon becomes apparent. The solution to this is to use a Vector-based image format. Vector images are composed of graphical shapes rather than dots, which are preserved upon scaling.

The Schematic Editor supports vector-based graphics in the form of WMF (Windows Meta File) and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) formats.

An example image on a schematic. A PNG version above with its SVG incarnation below. When zoomed in, the quality of the latter becomes appreciatively noticeable.

Notes

• The following image formats are supported: .bmp, .dcx, .dib, .emf, .jpg, .pcx, .png, .rle, .tif, .svg, .tga, and .wmf.
• To retain the image's original aspect ratio, ensure that the X:Y Ratio 1:1 option is enabled in the Properties panel. When this option is enabled, the image will be scaled to fit optimally into the frame size specified while maintaining the original aspect ratio of the image. If the option is disabled, the image is stretched to fit exactly into the drawn frame size.

• A copy of a placed image will only be stored inside the schematic sheet if the corresponding Embedded option is enabled in the Properties panel. If this option is disabled, only a link to the image file will be stored. Care should be taken when using linked images – if the location of the image changes, you will need to update the link accordingly using the File Name field in the Properties panel.

  Alternatively, you can define a relative path to the image by editing the File Name field, for example:

  • \company_logo.png - the company_logo image is located in the same folder as the schematic/schematic library file.
  • \img\company_logo.png - the company_logo image is located in the img folder which, in turn, is located in the same folder as the schematic/schematic library file.
  • ..\company_logo.png - the company_logo image is located in the folder one level up from the folder in which the schematic/schematic library file is located.
  • ..\..\company_logo.png - the company_logo image is located in the folder two levels up from the folder in which the schematic/schematic library file is located.

Location

• (X/Y)
  • X (first field) – the current X (horizontal) coordinate of the reference point of the object, relative to the current design space origin. Edit to change the X position of the object. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default.
  • Y (second field) – the current Y (vertical) coordinate of the reference point of the object, relative to the current origin. Edit to change the Y position of the object. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default.

Properties

• File Name – the name of the graphic file. Click  to open a dialog in which you can search for and select an image.

• Embedded – click to embed the graphic.

  For having the image render correctly when viewing a schematic in an Altium 365 Viewer (e.g. the Web Viewer or the standalone Altium 365 Viewer), this option must be enabled for the image.
• Width – the width of the graphic.
• Height – the height of the graphic. 
• X:Y Ratio 1:1 – enable to make the X and Y ratio 1 to 1.
• Border – enable the box to show a border. Use the drop-down to select the default from the available choices.

Use Lines to annotate and enhance the schematic.

Summary

A line is a non-electrical Polyline drawing primitive. Lines are used for adding reference information to a document, such as building graphical symbols, custom sheet borders and title blocks, and annotating the schematic.

Availability

Lines are available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors.

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Line from the main menus.
  • Click the Line button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Line from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Line from the main menus.
  • Click the Line button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click and choose Place » Line from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the starting point for the line.
2. Position the cursor then click or press Enter to anchor a series of vertex points that define the shape of the line.
3. Use the Backspace or Delete keys to remove the last line segment placed.
4. After placing the final vertex point, right-click or press Esc to complete placement of this line.
5. Continue placing further line objects or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

Additional actions that can be performed during placement while the line is still floating on the cursor:

• Press the Tab key to pause the placement and access the Polyline mode of the Properties panel in which its properties can be changed on-the-fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.
• Press the Spacebar to rotate the line counterclockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in increments of 90°.

Placement Modes

When placing a line there are five placement modes. The mode specifies how corners are created when placing lines and the angles at which lines can be placed. During placement:

• Press Spacebar to cycle through the modes. You can change modes at any time during line placement.
• In all modes other than Any Angle, the line segment attached to the cursor is a look-ahead segment. The segment you are actually placing precedes this look-ahead segment.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed line object directly in the design space and change its size and/or shape graphically.

When a line object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Line, ready for graphical editing

• Click and drag A to reposition the end points of the line.
• Click and drag B to move a line vertex. The end points will remain anchored.
• Click and drag on a line segment to grab that segment and reposition it. The end points and other vertices will remain anchored.
• Right-click on a vertex point then choose the Edit Line Vertex n command to access the Vertices tab of the PolyLine dialog with the entry for the nth vertex selected ready for editing.
• Click and hold on a vertex, then press Delete on the keyboard to remove that vertex.

With the line selected, click on a segment to individually select that segment. This line 'sub-selection' is distinguished by the associated editing handles becoming red in color.

Individual segment sub-selection.

The associated vertices for the segment can then be edited directly using the List panel, with any changes appearing immediately on the schematic.

The Properties panel provides several options that can be used to change the style of a line. Using the Line, Line Style, Start Line Shape, End Line Shape, and Line Size Shape options, a large variety of arrow and marker designs can be achieved.

Some examples of Arrow and Marker designs that can be achieved.

Properties

• Line - use the drop-down to select the desired line. 
• Line Style - use the drop-down to select the line style.
• Start Line Shape - use the drop-down to select the shape of the beginning of the line. 
• End Line Shape - use the drop-down to select the shape of the ending of the line. 
• Line Size Shape - use the drop-down to select the shape of the line size. 

Vertices

• Vertices Grid - lists all of the vertex points currently defined for the object in terms of:
  • Index - the assigned index of the vertex (non-editable).
  • X - the X (horizontal) coordinate for the vertex. Click to edit.
  • Y - the Y (vertical) coordinate for the vertex. Click to edit.
• Add - click to add a new vertex point. The new vertex will be added below the currently focused vertex entry and will initially have the same X,Y coordinates as the focused entry. Click to remove the currently selected vertex.

A placed Polygon

Summary

A polygon is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is a multi-sided graphical object that can be placed on a schematic sheet. A polygon must have at least three sides and can be filled or unfilled.

Availability

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

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Polygon from the main menus.
  • Click the Polygon button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space and choose Place » Drawing Tools » Polygon from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Polygon from the main menus.
  • Click the Polygon button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click and choose Place » Polygon from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the starting point for the polygon.
2. Position the cursor then click or press Enter to anchor a vertex, move the mouse and repeat as often as required to define the shape of the polygon.
3. After placing the final vertex point, right-click or press Esc to complete placement of the polygon.
4. Continue placing further polygons or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed polygon object directly in the design space and change its size and/or shape graphically.

When a polygon object is selected, an editing handle (vertex) will appear at each corner as shown in the image below.

A selected Polygon

• Click and drag on a vertex to move that vertex.
• Click and drag on an edge to move that edge of the polygon.
• Right-click on a vertex point then choose the Edit Polygon Vertex n command to access the Vertices tab of the Polygon dialog, with the entry for the nth vertex selected ready for editing.
• Click and hold on a vertex, then press Delete to remove that vertex.

With the polygon selected, click on an edge to individually select that edge. This polygon 'sub-selection' is distinguished by the associated editing handles for the edge becoming red in color.

Individual edge sub-selection.

The associated vertices for the edge can then be edited directly using the List panel, with any changes appearing immediately on the schematic.

Properties

• Border - use the drop-down to select the border. Click the color box to select the desired color for the border.
• Fill Color - enable to use a fill color. Click the color box to select the desired color for the fill.
• Transparent - check to make the object transparent.

Vertices

• Grid - lists all of the vertex points currently defined for the region in terms of:
  • Index - the assigned index of the vertex (non-editable).
  • X - the X (horizontal) coordinate for the vertex. Click to edit.
  • Y - the Y (vertical) coordinate for the vertex. Click to edit.
• Add - click to add a new vertex point. The new vertex will be added below the currently focused vertex entry and will initially have the same X,Y coordinates as the focused entry. Click  to remove the currently selected vertex.

A placed Rectangle

Summary

A rectangle is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is a graphic element that can be placed on a schematic sheet and can be filled or unfilled.

Availability

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

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Rectangle from the main menus.
  • Click the  button in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Rectangle from the context menu.
  • Click the   button on the Utility Tools drop-down () of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Rectangle from the main menus.
  • Click the Rectangle button ( ) in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Rectangle from the context menu.
  • Click the   button on the Utility Tools drop-down ( ) of the Utilities toolbar.​

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the first corner of the rectangle.
2. Move the cursor to adjust the size of the rectangle then click or press Enter to complete placement.
3. Continue placing further rectangles or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

Additional actions that can be performed during placement while the rectangle is still floating on the cursor and before its first corner is anchored are:

• Press the Tab key to pause the placement and access the Rectangle mode of the Properties panel from where its properties can be changed on the fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.
• 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 rectangle counterclockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in increments of 90°.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed rectangle object directly in the design space and change its size, shape or location graphically.

When a rectangle object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Rectangle

• Click and drag A to resize the rectangle in the vertical and horizontal directions simultaneously.
• Click and drag B to resize the rectangle in the vertical and horizontal directions separately.
• Click anywhere on the rectangle away from editing handles then drag to reposition it. While dragging, the rectangle can be rotated (Spacebar/Shift+Spacebar) or mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis).

Location

• (X/Y)
  • X (first field) - the current X (horizontal) coordinate of the reference point of the object, relative to the current design space origin. Edit to change the X position of the object. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 
  • Y (second field) - The current Y (vertical) coordinate of the reference point of the object, relative to the current origin. Edit to change the Y position of the object. The value can be entered in either metric or imperial; include the units when entering a value whose units are not the current default. 

Properties

• Width - enter the width of the object, which may be edited.
• Height - enter the height of the object, which may be edited.
• Border - use the drop-down to select the default from the available choices. Click on the color box to access a drop-down from which you can select the default border color.
• Fill Color - check to enable fills. Click on the color box to access a drop-down from which you can select the default fill color.
• Transparent - check to make the primitive transparent.

A placed Round Rectangle

Summary

A round rectangle is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is essentially a rectangle object with rounded corners that can be placed on a schematic sheet and can be filled or unfilled.

Availability

Round rectangles are available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors:

• Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Round Rectangle from the main menus.
  • Click the Round Rectangle button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Drawing Tools » Round Rectangle from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down () of the Utilities toolbar.
• Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
  • Choose Place » Round Rectangle from the main menus.
  • Click the Round Rectangle button () in the graphic objects drop-down on the Active Bar menu located at the top of the design space. (Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the top-most item on that section of the Active Bar.)
  • Right-click in the design space then choose Place » Round Rectangle from the context menu.
  • Click the  button on the Utility Tools drop-down () of the Utilities toolbar.

Placement

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

1. Click or press Enter to anchor the first corner of the round rectangle.
2. Move the cursor to adjust the size of the round rectangle then click or press Enter to complete placement.
3. Continue placing further round rectangles or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

Additional actions that can be performed during placement while the round rectangle is still floating on the cursor and before its first corner is anchored are:

• Press the Tab key to pause the placement and access the Round Rectangle mode of the Properties panel from where its properties can be changed on the fly. Click the design space pause button overlay ( ) to resume placement.
• 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 round rectangle counterclockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in increments of 90°.
• Press the X or Y keys to mirror the round rectangle along the X-axis or Y-axis.

Graphical Editing

This method of editing allows you to select a placed round rectangle object directly in the design space and change its size, shape or location graphically.

When a rounded rectangle object is selected, the following editing handles are available:

A selected Round Rectangle

• Click and drag A to resize the round rectangle in the vertical and horizontal directions simultaneously.
• Click and drag B to resize the round rectangle in the vertical and horizontal directions separately.
• Click and drag C to change the curvature of the corners. This affects all corners equally regardless of which editing handle is chosen.
• Click anywhere on the round rectangle away from editing handles then drag to reposition it. While dragging, the round rectangle can be rotated (Spacebar/Shift+Spacebar) or mirrored (X or Y keys to mirror along the X-axis or Y-axis).

Location

• (X/Y) - the X (horizontal) coordinate and Y (vertical) coordinate of the object. 

Properties

• Width - can be edited.
• Height - can be edited.
• Corner X-Radius - the curvature of the rectangle's corners in the horizontal plane, which may be edited.
• Corner Y-Radius - the curvature of the rectangle's corners in the vertical plane, which may be edited.
• Border - ​use the drop-down to select the default border width from the available choices. Click on the color box to change the color.
• Fill Color - enable to use a fill color. Click on the color box to select the color.