Shaping Polygons

A polygon is a piece of geometry where three or more straight lines join at endpoints to create shapes. The number of the lines determines the shape. For example, a pentagon is a polygon with five sides while a polygon with six sides is a hexagon.

LayOut’s Polygon tool ( ) enables you to draw a polygon with three or more sides.

You can draw a polygon by hand using your mouse. To create a polygon with precise dimensions, type coordinates and values in the Measurements box to specify its size. Below are a few tips to keep in mind when creating polygons:

• You can switch between the two methods (drawing by hand and specifying absolute measurements) as needed. For example, you might use the mouse to place a polygon’s center point but use the Measurements box to set the vertical plane.
• If you make a mistake, press the Esc key to start over.

To draw a polygon, follow these steps:

1. Click the Polygon tool ( ) on the toolbar, or, select Tools > Polygon .
2. Click in the drawing area to place the polygon’s center point. Move the cursor away from the starting point so the polygon is the size and shape that you want.
3. Click again to create the polygon.

Or, use the Measurements box to specify a polygon with a specific center point and size.y

After you have drawn a polygon, type g absolute coordinates that are relative to the upper-left corner of the drawing area. For example, to place the center point 5.5 inches along the X axis and 4.25 inches on the Y axis, type [ 5.5",4.25" ] .

4. Press Enter (Microsoft Windows) or Return (Mac OS X or higher).
5. (Optional) By default, polygons in LayOut have 5 sides. To specify the number of sides you want, press the up or down arrow keys. Or type a number and the letter s . For example, if you want 6 sides, as shown in the following figure, type 6s and press Enter or Return .
6. Move the cursor in or out from the center point to size the polygon and click to finish the shape. Or use the Measurements box to specify a radius. The radius value can be a unit of measure or a point value. For example, type 3" and press Enter or Return . You can continue to change the number of sides and radius until you draw another polygon or select another tool.

The Polygon tool can also do a few other tricks:

• As you draw a polygon, hold down the Shift key to lock a side of the polygon to the red or green axis.
• Immediately after you create a polygon, double-click in the drawing area to duplicate the polygon. You can keep double-clicking to create as many copies as you need.