Shape Tools—Draw a circle, rectangle, donut, grid, or cone

Note: To use the Donut Tool (Pro), Grid Tool (Pro), or Cone Tool (Pro), you must be logged in to a Pro account. To learn how to upgrade, visit this link: How to upgrade to a Pro account

Contents

Draw the shape
Customize the selected tool
Style the shape
Draw in Map View
(Optional) View the shape in the Layers Panel
See also

Draw the shape

1. In the Map View, move and zoom the map to see where you want to draw the shape.

   To move the map:

   1. Select the Hand Tool in the top toolbar.

      Quick Key: Or you can hold the "Shift" button on your keyboard.
   2. In the center of the Map View, you will see the crosshair reticle.
   3. In the Map View, click-and-drag the map so the chosen location is at the reticle.

   To zoom in/out, there are 2 options:

   Option 1

   In the top-right corner of the Map View, click the:

   • Zoom-in button, "+".
   • Zoom-out button, "-".

   Option 2

   Use the scroll wheel on your mouse.

   For Windows

   • Scroll forwards to zoom-in.
   • Scroll backwards to zoom-out.

   For Mac

   • Scroll backwards to zoom-in.
   • Scroll forwards to zoom-out.

2. Select the Shape Tool in the top toolbar, followed by the shape tool you want to use.

   • Circle Tool
     Draw a circle.
     Quick Key: Or you can press the "O" button on your keyboard.
   • Rectangle Tool
     Draw a square or rectangle.
     Quick Key: Or you can press the "R" button on your keyboard.
   • Donut Tool (Pro)
     Draw circle or rectangle shapes with inner holes.
   • Grid Tool (Pro)
     Draw a grid on the map.
   • Cone Tool (Pro)
     Draw cones with a field of view on the map.

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Customize the selected tool

After you choose a shape tool, the toolbar will display the settings available for that tool. Adjust any settings before drawing the shape in Map View.

• Circle Tool
• Rectangle Tool
• Donut Tool
• Grid Tool
• Cone Tool

Circle Tool

3. Choose whether to use Projection Accurate.

   Projection Accurate helps improve radius accuracy when drawing large circles or working at lower zoom levels.

   In cases where the map’s zoom level is 5 or lower, a perfectly round circle may not accurately represent the area or distances on the Earth.

4. Style the shape →

Rectangle Tool

3. Choose whether to use Auto Trace.

   Use Auto Trace when you want the tool to assist with tracing as you draw a square or rectangle.
4. Style the shape →

Donut Tool (Pro)

3. Choose the donut settings.

   • Shape
     Choose the shape of the donut.
   • Inner Size
     Control the size of the hole inside the donut.

4. Style the shape →

Grid Tool (Pro)

3. Choose the grid settings.

   • Mode
     Choose how the grid is created.
   • Style
     Choose the grid style.
   • Width
     Set the width value for the grid.
   • Height
     Set the height value for the grid.

4. Style the shape →

Cone Tool (Pro)

3. Choose the Field of View.

   The Field of View controls the width of the cone’s viewing angle.
4. Style the shape →

View Contents ↑

Style the shape

4. (Optional) Choose the colour of the shape's fill area.

   To choose the colour:

   1. In the top toolbar, select the Fill Colour Picker.

      The Fill Colour Picker is the Bucket Icon displaying the tooltip: "Change fills. Fill connected lines".
   2. There are 2 options for this step:
      Option 1
      Type the Hex Colour Code into the field.
      Option 2
      1. Click on the "White+Colour" field to choose how much white is mixed with a colour.
      2. (Optional) Click on the Shade Bar to choose how much gray or black is mixed with the "White+Colour".
   3. (Optional) In the "Opacity" field, type-in the non-transparency percentage of the final colour.
      The opacity value:
      • 0% is invisible.
      • 50% is see-through.
      • 100% is the solid colour.

   Note: You can save colours to use later. To learn how, visit this link: Save a colour swatch, then apply it to a new line, shape, or label

5. (Optional) Choose the colour of the shape's border.

   The Border Colour Picker is the Pencil Icon displaying the tooltip: "Changes line/border colour".

6. (Optional) Choose the border thickness.

   To the right of the Border Colour Picker:

   • Click on the up/down arrows.
     OR
   • Type the number into the field.

7. (Optional) Choose the border style.

   To the right of the border thickness selector:

   1. Click on the current border style.
   2. On the drop-down list, click to select the new border style.

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Draw in Map View

8. In the Map View, draw the selected shape.

   • Circle Tool
     Click-and-drag to draw the circle.
   • Rectangle Tool
     Click-and-drag from a corner to the diagonal corner.
   • Donut Tool (Pro)
     Click-and-drag to draw the donut.
   • Grid Tool (Pro)
     Click-and-drag from a corner to the diagonal corner.
   • Cone Tool (Pro)
     Click-and-drag from the viewing angle outward to the arc.

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(Optional) View the shape in the Layers Panel

Note: To view the Layers Panel, you must be logged in to a Pro account. To learn how to upgrade, visit this link: How to upgrade to a Pro account

9. Select the "Edit/Measure Tool" in the top toolbar.

   Quick Key: Or you can press the "Q" button on your keyboard.

10. (Optional) If the "LAYERS" Panel isn't open on the right side of the browser window, click the vertical bar.

11. In the Map View, hover over the shape.

    In the Layers Panel, you will see the shape's row highlighted.

    Grid Tool (Pro): Since the grid is made of grid lines, you may see the grid's rows or folder in the Layers Panel.

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See also

How to upgrade to a Pro account

Save a colour swatch, then apply it to a new line, shape, or label

Change the colours of the border and fill area of a shape (circle/rectangle/polygon)

Change the style of the border of a shape (circle/rectangle/polygon)

Change the border thickness of a shape (rectangle, circle, polygon)

Add an overlay to a group/folder