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Polygon

The documentation on this page applies to Version 4 of Back to the Drawing Board.

The Polygon tool is used to draw irregular polygons. A polygon is similar to a multi-segment line except that it is always closed. Polygons can be filled or not filled.

The boundary of the polygon is defined by locating a series of points just as a multi-segment line would be defined. Existing objects (lines, arcs, rectangles, etc.) can be added to the boundary by shift-selecting the objects.

The options described below can be found in the bottom app bar or in the control panel.

The Layer option selects the layer on which new objects are created. Selecting a layer also selects the default color, line type, and line thickness used to draw the object. These properties can be overridden using the Properties tool. Layers are also used to logically group objects within the drawing. Layers can be created, modified, and hidden in the Layer definitions settings panel.

The Fill pattern option shows the fill options dialog, which allows you to select the pattern and color (if any) that will be used to fill the object. The dialog includes the following controls:

The Fill color menu specifies the color that is used to fill the object. The options are as follows:

No fill: The object is not filled
Use layer color: The object is filled using the color property of the object's layer
Use outline color: The object is filled using the color of the object's outline
Select a new color: An explicit color is selected for the fill using the Color Picker
[Recent colors...]: Choose from a list of colors that were recently selected in the Color Picker

The Pattern menu specifies the vector "cross hatch" pattern that is used to fill the object. If the Solid pattern is selected, the object will be filled with a solid color.

The Pattern scale value specifies the scale for vector patterns. This option is not available when the Solid pattern is selected.

The Pattern angle value specifies the rotation angle in degrees for vector patterns. This option is not available when the Solid pattern is selected.

The Fill rule option determines how self-intersecting regions of a polygon are filled. The options are "Non-zero" which generally means that all interior regions of the polygon are filled, and "Even-odd" which means that nested closed regions inside of a polygon will be alternately filled or not filled. See the Wikipedia Non-zero and Even-odd topics for more backgroud on the mathematical definitions of these rules.

The Fillet radius option allows you to specify an optional fillet radius for the polygon corners. The radius value is specified in model (real world) units when working in a scaled drawing. If the fillet radius value is zero, the polygon's corners will not be filleted.

The Edit Last option gives you an opportunity to modify the points used to define the last object created without leaving the current tool. This can be especially useful when using touch input because touch is an inherently imprecise way to locate points. You can use the arrow keys on the keyboard or control panel to fine-tune the location of each point. When you finish editing the object (by deselecting it) you will return to the current tool.

The Done option ends the definition of the current polygon boundary and lets you start a new one.