The padlock indicates which layers are locked, so in the illustration all layers are protected from accidental changes, except the Components layer which can be edited. For example when cutting the tracks on the stripboard I just enable the 2 layers: Cut Board & CutTrack. Hidding layers via the eye icon is useful to minimise clutter.
There are 6 visible layers denoted by the eye icon alongside each layer in the list. If I'm not going to use dimensioning when I start a new drawing, I usually begin by zooming in until I have a fairly dense grid. The grid is shown by faint dots and lines on the work area. Snap on Grid is controlled from the Snap menu. This is a common "undo" key sequence for many different applications.Īgain, this also works on other applications, such as web browsers.Īlways use "Snap on Grid" until/unless you really know what you are doing. Use to undo last edit (and previous edits if you again & again). Again, you dismiss the line tool by hitting twice when you have drawn the line you need. When you draw a line, the drawing tool remains active so you can add an additional connecting line. So if you are not sure where you are, hit twice. Pressing the key a couple of times will de-select any drawing object and get you back to an arrow mouse pointer. Tinkered, and never read a CAD user manual. This also means I can add detail to the sketch as the plan unfolds.įor block diagrams this is a pretty quick method, although I guess this will probably be replaced by free-hand sketches on a tablet+stylus at some point in the near future.įor more complicated circuit diagrams, and for physical component layouts, a 2D CAD application such as LibreCAD (formally QCAD) is generally more appropriate.Īlthough I first used 2D CAD back in the mid 1980s, I've only ever
I know its only a sketch, but I just can't resist "colouring-in" the shapes So now I generally do a simple sketch on my laptop, often using the drawing application in LibreOffice. While this can be scribbled on a scrap of paper, its frustrating when, possibly weeks later, I can't lay my hands on it, and have to start again. I normally begin the planning process of a new home project with some kind of a sketch.
Open source applications such as LibreOffice Draw and LibreCAD can be valuable tools when working on DIY projects. While I'm not sure about the official exchange rate, it certainly helps to use both sketches and formal drawings to help understand concepts, and also to plan & execute projects.
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