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

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

Rectangular Array

Available in: FREE, Plus, Pro and Architectural

Click on this button Rectangular Array button create a rectangular array. This command is not available until a selection set is present. i.e. you must pre-select the item(s) to array before selecting the array command.

Once you have selected the item(s) to array select the button and the prompt reads:

Give Reference Point:

Now select a reference point using any of the snaps and input options. This is the point by which the array offset distances are measured, any point/position can be used here but it makes sense to use one that has some relevance to the selected item(s).

The prompt now reads:

Give point to Array to:

The system toolbar changes to display the snaps and input options. Similar to the following (depending upon the last use). input boxes and snap mode buttons

The Ribbon changes to display options for the array, 'No.X', 'No.Y', 'Rotation' and 'Fit Copies' as follows. Rectangular Array options

Each time the Draft it program is started the values for these fields to the defaults, subsequently they retain the values last used. These values are 'No.X' (number of copies in the X axis, 'columns'), 'No.Y' (number of copies in the Y axis, 'Rows') and 'Rotation' (rotation of the array). This rotation is applied to the array i.e. it is the angle that the X & Y axis is tilted through, however this angle is not applied to the selection set entities, each copy of the entities remains in the original orientation. We will look at the effect of the final option 'Fit Copies' later in the topic.

The spacing of the array copies is controlled by the distance from the 'Reference Point' to the cursor. A dynamic line is drawn between these positions and as the mouse is moved multiple copies ('No.X' & 'No.Y') of the selection set will also move dynamically. The position of this 'point to array to' can be specified using any of the snaps and input options<. Most commonly as it is a rectangular array the XY mode button X, Y input option would be used to specify the distances between the rows and columns.

In both examples below 'No.X' & 'No.Y' are set to 2 therefore the array will comprise 2 columns and 2 rows, the spacing in both X & Y is set to 50. However the left hand array the rotation angle is 0 whilst the example to the right the rotation is 15º. As you can see the X & Y axis of the array is tilted through this angle but the entities remain in their original orientation.

Rectangular Array example 1 Rectangular Array example 2

Let's look at the affect of the 'Fit Copies' option. This option changes how the spacing values are interpreted. If in the example above the No.X & No.Y where both set to 5 then you can see that the 5 copies in both axis would be spaced with a gap of 50 between each one. This is because the spacing defined is used as an incremental spacing. When 'Fit Copies' is selected the spacing becomes the total absolute span of the array.

Here is another example to demonstrate.

Rectangular Array example 3

This example is a 10mm square with 3 copies in X and 3 in Y.

On the left the spacing in 50 in X and in Y, as represented by the dotted line. On the right all of the values are identical but 'Fit Copies' is selected, so the copies are equally spaced between the distances or 2 points.