Grab Handles and vertices

All editable items have visible grab handles at its vertices. Here we show you how to use these handles with the vertices.

Selecting vertices

To select a handle, simply click on it. It becomes filled to show it is selected.

Now press the TAB key to select the next handle.

Press Shift + TAB to select the previous one.

Moving vertices

  1. Click once on the item to select it.
  2. This will display the grab handles.
  3. Press and hold the mouse button down on the handle to be moved. The handle now becomes filled to show it is selected.
  4. With the mouse button held down, begin to move the cursor.
  5. Click at the new position for the handle.

Examples: To move a handle on a circle to change the diameter.

To move a handle of a circular arc to reposition one end, keeping the subtended angle the same.

 

To move the handles of Bezier curves to reposition the ends or the control points.

Note: If you select several grab handles, then you can move them all at once by using Shift-Click-Slide-Release on the last selected handle. (This is actually quite tricky, and you may prefer to use Move Path (CAD > Alter)  instead.)

Deleting vertices

  1. Click once on the item to select it. Its handles then become visible.
  2. Click on the handle to select it (it becomes filled to show it is selected).
  3. Press the Backspace key.

The vertex will be removed and the graphic will change (it will resemble elastic stretched between pins.

Deleting a vertex is like removing one of the pins. It is not possible to delete one of the two vertices of a single LineString item segment.

Adding vertices

You can insert a vertex anywhere along the outline of a selected item by holding the CTRL key down and clicking the cursor on the item outline. A handle appears at this point, which you can then move to the required position:

Adding a vertex to a circle will break the circle into a series of connected arcs. Moving these vertices moves the ends of the arcs:

The proportions of the arc are maintained; this means if the arc is a semicircle, it will remain a semicircle as the vertex is moved.

Note: Adding a vertex to a Bezier curve splits it into two Beziers each with its own four handles (two ends and two control points).