User Guide

Chapter 2: Documents and Setup
To display and hide rulers:
Toggle the Rulers check box in the Properties bar. The rulers must be displayed if you want to
create alignment guides in the layout area.
To set up rulers:
1. Choose Layout | Rulers.
2. In the Ruler dialog box, select a unit of measurement from the Document unit drop-down list.
This unit is displayed in the rulers, Object Specs palette, as well as Properties bar.
3. Define the drawing scale in the Document scale section. You can use the Pre-defined scales
or establish a custom scale; e.g., if you set the drawing scale to 1 inch = 1 foot, and draw a
line 1 inch long on screen, Canvas displays the line’s length as 1 foot.
4. Choose the formats for the numbers, angles, and coordinates. For the number format, you
can choose from no decimals to six decimals, or even use exponentials or fractions.
5. Click OK.
Adding and modifying units of measurement
You can further customize the rulers by adding units of measurements or modifying the definitions of
existing ones.
The Add unit feature is a document-based function; i.e., any units that you add pertain to
that particular document and will not be available when you open another document.
To access these functions, choose File | Configuration Center to open the Configuration Center. Under
the Measurements manager, click on Define unit.
To delete a unit of measurement:
Select the unit in the menu and click the Remove button.
To add a unit of measurement:
1. Click the Add button.
2. In the Add Unit dialog box, enter the Unit name, Plural name, as well as Abbreviation.
3. Set up the new unit’s drawing scale by using the Length and Minor divisions controls.
4. Click OK to add the unit to the menu.
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