Draft it Help System

The complete Help system for Draft it is available on these pages.

How To

Activate Draft it Free Activate Draft it Plus Activate Draft it Pro Activate Draft it Architectural

Modify Items

Use Snaps And Input Options

Keyboard Snaps

Relative End Mid Perp Tan Quad X Snap Y Snap

The Origin Point Snap Direct Input X Y Input Polar Input Distance Input Scale Factor Input Arrow Key Input Force Angle IntelliSnap Wall Snap Points

Add Hyperlinks to Entities Cancel a Command Create a Symbol Create a Template Enter Calculations Insert a Door Insert a Window Insert an Opening Insert an Elevation Repeat a Command Select Items The Basics Use Shortcut Keys Use The 15 Day Trial Work with Layers/Colours/Styles Work with Documents

The Program Interface

File Menu The Ribbon

Architectural Ribbon Page

Building Group

Roofs

Accessories

Add Downpipe Add Gutter Angled Ridge Tile Box Valley Cement Gable Fillet Dry Verge System Edit Barge Boards And Gable Soffits Edit Facias And Eaves Soffits Horizontal Flashing Mono Ridge Tile Remove Roof Accessories Semi Circular Ridge Tile Stepped Flashing

Create Dormer

Create Dormer By Polyline

Create Roof

Bay Window Roof Roof From Polyline Roof From Rectangle Roof From Walls

Edit Roof

Add Multi Pitch Change Appearance Change Eaves Height Change Pitch Change Thickness Edit Overhang Make Barn Hipped Make Dutch Gable Make Gable Make Hipped

Legacy Roofs

Convert Legacy Roofs Delete Legacy Roofs

Manual Edits

Extend Face By Polyline Extend Face By Rectangle Trim Face By Polyline Trim Face By Rectangle Remove Roof Modification

Roof Openings

Roof Opening From Polyline Roof Opening From Rectangle

Bay Doors Elevation Hatch Openings Staircases Walls Wall Settings Windows

View Group

3D Viewer Elevation Level Simple Walls

Architectural Symbols Group Sections Group

Draw Ribbon Page

Annotation Group

Angular Dimension Arrow Attribute Break Dimension Line Chain Dimension Datum Chain Dimension Datum Dimension Diameter Dimension Double Arrow Find And Replace Linear Dimension Multi Point Dimension Radial Dimension Radial Length Dimension Set Datum Table Text

Draw Group

Constructions

Angular Construction Line Delete Constructions Horizontal Construction Line Incremental Offset Perpendicular Line To Line Perpendicular Line Repeated Offset Single Offset Tangent To Arc Tangent To Two Arc Vertical Construction Line

Arc Area Fill Centreline Circle Control Point Curve Fit Ellipse Filled Polyline Hatch Pattern Hatch Insertion Point Line Multiline Styles Multiline Offset Point Polygon Polyline Rectangle Rectangular Revision Cloud Revision Cloud Set Insertion Origin

Objects Group

Paste Special

Paste and Explode Paste and Keep Selected Paste as Block Paste to Current Layer and Explode Paste to Current Layer Paste to Original Co-ordinates

Insert Image Insert DWG Insert Symbol

Modify Ribbon Page

Modify Group

Blend Break Build Polyline Build Symbol Chamfer Clear Selection Copy Copy To Other Delete Divide Explode Fillet Hide Layers Isolate Layers Linear Array Make Layer Current Match Colour Match Layer Match Properties Match Style Mirror Move Polar Array Quick Trim Rectangular Array Rotate Scale Select All Select Colour Select Hyperlink Select Layer Select Style Selection Filter Stretch Tangent to 2 Arcs Trim Trim / Extend Un-Hide Layers Un-Isolate Layers

Settings Ribbon Page

Drawing Settings Group

Configure Textures Copy Settings Dimension Styles Grid And Snaps Layers Multiline Styles Page Pens Points Units

Info Group

Entity Info Measure

Show / Hide Group

3D Viewer Area Fill Command Hatching Layouts Properties Referenced Drawings Reset Layout Symbol Library

System Settings Group

Customise Toolbar Display Hot Keys Internet Settings Skins System Paths System Settings

Views & Zoom Ribbon Page

Named Views Group

Manage Views Save View Select View

Zoom Group

Pan Zoom Extents Zoom Full Page Zoom In Zoom Next Zoom Out Zoom Previous Zoom Window

Command Specific Ribbons Minimise/Expand the Ribbon

System Toolbar Quick Access Toolbar

Customise Quick Access Toolbar New Open Save Print Cut Paste Copy (Clip) Undo Redo

Command Window Drawing Tabs Layout Explorer Properties Explorer Referenced Drawings Status Bar Symbol Library Explorer

Tutorials

Architectural Tutorial

Part 1 - Drawing Setup Part 2 - The Ground Floor Plan

Drawing the External Walls Drawing the Internal Walls Inserting Doors Inserting Windows Add the Staircase Add the Furniture

Part 3 - Create the First Floor Plan

Copy the Ground Floor Details Modify the Staircase Detail Modify the First Floor Walls Adding the First Floor Doors Adding the First Floor Furnitire

Part 4 - Drawing Roofs Part 5 - Creating the Elevation

Tutorial No 1

T1 - Part 1 T1 - Part 2 T1 - Part 3 T1 - Part 4 T1 - Part 5 T1 - Part 6 T1 - Part 7 T1 - Part 8 T1 - Part 9 T1 - Part 10 T1 - Part 11

Tutorial No 2

T2 - Part 1 T2 - Part 2 T2 - Part 3 T2 - Part 4 T2 - Part 5 T2 - Part 6 T2 - Part 7 T2 - Part 8 T2 - Part 9 T2 - Part 10 T2 - Part 11

Tutorial No 3

T3 - Part 1 T3 - Part 2 T3 - Part 3 T3 - Part 4 T3 - Part 5 T3 - Part 6 T3 - Part 7

Control Point

Available in: Pro and Architectural

Click the 'Control Point' button Control Point button to add a 'Control Point' to a Symbol. Control Points are used to manipulate a symbol once it has been inserted into another drawing. There are five types of 'Control Point' which allow the scale and orientation of the inserted symbol to be modified.

Each 'Control Point' is defined by two points and the 'Control Point Type'.

After selecting the button the command prompt reads:

Give Origin Point:

Snap to a point on the symbol which is the origin point for the action. i.e. this is the point from which the scale or rotation change will be anchored. The example image below left shows the bottom left corner point of the symbol (P1) will be the anchor.
After selecting this point the prompt now reads:

Draw Control Point:

'The Control Point' is the point that is selected to modify the symbol after it is inserted. Here we have selected the top left corner (P2). The control point symbol is added showing the origin (an empty rectangle) at P1 and Rotation icon at P2. 'Rotation' is default type which can be changed in the Properties Explorer (below right) at any point during the creation of the point or afterwards by selecting it.

So when the symbol is inserted into a drawing it can be selected by clicking anywhere on it and the 'Control Point(s)' are displayed as shown below left. The symbol on the top left corner indicates that it is a 'Rotation Control Point', simply click on the point then move the cursor to the required position (below right). Click to accept the new rotation position.

The other 4 types of 'Control Point' all provide scaling options. In the example below the 'Rotation Control Point' has been removed for clarity and 3 new 'Control Points' have been added exactly as the 'Rotation Control Point' was added by selecting an origin point and the control point itself. The 'Control Points' here have been labelled showing that the 'Control Point' type can be easily identified.

When inserted into another drawing the 'Control Point Types' above work as follows when selected.

X Scale - Allows scaling in the X axis (horizontal only). Important this always scales in X in line with the symbol origin. So when placing a new control point of this type the 1st of the 2 points is largely irrelevant, the second point should always be in line (vertically) with the symbol origin.

Y Scale - Allows scaling in the Y axis (vertical only). Important this always scales in Y in line with the symbol origin. So when placing a new control point of this type the 1st of the 2 points is largely irrelevant, the second point should always be in line (horizontally) with the symbol origin.

Uniform Scale - X & Y axis scaling is proportional in both axis.

To further explain these scaling types think of it as re-sizing the 'Control Point' line itself. So for example the images below show the results of modifications to the 3 'Control Points'. If the 'X Scale Control Point' was moved and snapped to P1 (below left).

The final type of 'Control Point' is 'Differential Scale'. This allows scaling in the X axis and the Y Axis independently. If we change the top right hand 'Control Point' in the symbol to be the this type you can see the different result if this point was moved to P3 when inserted.

The displayed size of the 'Control Point' is controlled by the current 'Point size' in the system Points settings.