Saving and Loading Shapes

Many objects, such as houses, decks, and retaining walls, are defined by an open or closed curve called their shape. You can save and load shapes, even between objects of different types. For example, suppose you have created a fill region and now want to surround it with edging. You can simply select the fill region, save its shape, and then create edging using the shape.

To save an object's shape:

1.   Select the object whose shape you want to save.

2.   Click the option button next to the Edit Points button and select Save Shape.

3.   Enter a file name and click Save. Use a descriptive name so you can easily find it when you later load the shape.

To load a shape into an existing object:

1.   Select the object whose shape you want to change.

2.   Click the option button next to the Edit Points button and select Load Shape.

3.   Select the shape you want to load and click OK.

To load a shape while creating a new object:

1.   Click the Add button on the object creation toolbar for the object you want to create.

2.   Click the option button next to the Edit Points button and select Load Shape. The object will be created using the specified shape.

Example

Suppose we have a fill region, as shown below, and want to create edging to match. Of course, we could create the edging manually by following the shape of the fill region, but using the Save/Load Shape commands are much quicker.

Here's the landscape design after the edging has been created.

See also:

Editing Points
Selecting Points
Moving Points
Rotating Points
Scaling Points
Using Automatic Dimensions
Undoing and Redoing Changes