Drawing Angles
Using Rise Over Run
The "Rise over Run" method requires two known dimensions: the length of the Rise and the length of the Run.
1. Enter the length of the Rise and the Rise direction, then the length of the Run and the Run direction.
2. Press "Enter" to anchor the wall.
While it is not necessary to know the length of the wall itself, it is handy to have as a cross-check. The Rise over Run method is most often used when the length of the angled wall is short, as it is easy to measure the Rise and Run.
Using Length and Degree
The second method is Length and Degree. This method requires that you know the Length of the angled wall and the angle in Degrees. Additionally, you need to determine towards which direction the wall is angled. If you were standing at the point the angled wall begins, facing the direction towards which you've been drawing, is the angled wall to the Left or Right?
1. Enter the Length of the angled wall.
2. Press "L" or "R" to indicate the left or right direction of the angle.
3. Enter the Degree of the angle.
4. Press "Enter" to anchor the wall.
The Length and Degree method is most useful when the angle wall is long and the Rise and Run would be difficult to measure. However, this method does require the degree of the angle.
Drawing Arcs
Sketch-It allows you to draw precise arcs with just a few keystrokes. You may draw an arc using either of two methods:
Key Terms
Arc Angle: The angle representing the degree of curvature of the arc.
Arc Height: The straight line between the center point of the chord and the peak of the arc.
Arc Length: The length of the curve around the arc.
Chord: The straight line between the beginning of the arc and the end of the arc.
Direction: The direction towards which the arc curves. If you were standing at the beginning point of the arc, facing the direction towards which you've been drawing, does the arc curve to your left or to your right?
Using Length of Chord and Arc Height
1. Enter the length of the chord, then the arrow key representing the direction towards which the chord should be drawn.
2. Press "Ctrl+B". The Create Arc Dialog Box appears.
3. Ignore any angle data that may appear in the Angle field, but do not delete the value. Sketch-It will calculate the new angle once you enter Chord Length and Arc Height.
4. Note that the Chord Length is the same as that you entered in step 1.
5. Enter the Arc Height. Click OK. The corresponding angle appears in the Angle field and the Arc Height value defaults to 0.
6. Click OK again. Sketch-It draws the arc.
Using Angle and Direction
1. Press "Ctrl+B". The Create Arc Dialog Box appears.
2. Enter an angle in the Angle field, or click on one of the six standard angle buttons for 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, and 270 degree angles.
3. Select a Direction, Left or Right.
4. Do not enter Chord Length in this dialog box. Click OK.
5. Enter the length of the chord and the arrow key to indicate direction.
6. Note that Sketch-It has drawn the appropriate arc. Press "Enter" to anchor the line.
Last Updated: August 27, 2010