When drawing a line or a shape, users do not have to pick every point with the mouse. The points can be typed in instead, as coordinates, as an X/Y offset from the previous point, or as a length and an angle from the previous point. This works the same way in every drawing tool:

• Drain, sewer and water pipe, and moving a drain end
• Road horizontal alignment
• Wall line, cut line, end area and cut section master string
• Platform, effective platform, boundary, catchment and platform string
• Move Corner, for any of the entities above
• Translate Selected (Specify Base Point)

Drain, sewer and water nodes can also be placed by typing their coordinates (see below).

How to type a point #

Start the drawing tool as usual and simply start typing. A small input box appears next to the cursor, showing what can be entered. Press Enter to accept the typed value.

All values are in metres. Use . for decimals (e.g. 45.5,34.2); negative values are accepted.

What can be typed #

The @ must come first, and is followed by exactly two numbers. An X/Y offset is in plan only: @3,4,5 is not accepted.

The first point of a line or shape can only be typed as a coordinate, because an offset, a length and an angle all need a previous point to measure from. The input box shows X,Y (m): for the first point and X,Y (m), @dX,dY (m) or Length (m) < Angle (degree): for every point after that.

Typed points and mouse clicks can be mixed freely, e.g. type the first point as a coordinate, click the second one, type @20,0 for the third, then 20<90 for the fourth.

If what was typed is not one of the forms above (for example @3 with the second number missing), pressing Enter does not place anything. The input box comes back so the value can be typed again.

Moving a corner #

With Move Corner, click the corner to move, then click its new position or type it. A typed @3,4, 45<80 or 45 is measured from the corner’s original position, so @0,-2 moves the corner 2 m in the negative y direction. A typed 56,45 moves the corner to that coordinate.

Placing a node #

When adding a drain, sewer or water node, type its coordinate (e.g. 56,45) and press Enter instead of clicking. A node on its own has no previous point to measure from, so only a coordinate can be typed here, not an offset or a length and angle. A z value typed for a node is ignored.

Typing a z value #

A third number is used as the z value, where the entity being drawn stores one:

• Drain, sewer and water pipe — z sets the ground level of the new node at that point. The level is kept as user-defined, so it is not replaced by the ground level from the terrain. A node that already exists keeps its own ground level.
• Platform — if every corner of the platform is typed with a z value, each corner gets that elevation. Such a platform is not trimmed to the boundary the way a flat platform is. If any corner is clicked, or entered as a length and angle, the platform is created flat as usual.

Other entities are drawn in plan only, and the z value is ignored.

Cancelling with Esc #

Pressing Esc after typing a value cancels the input, the same as pressing it without typing anything.

For platform, effective platform, boundary, catchment and platform string, Esc cancels only the line currently being drawn. The corners already placed are kept, and the tool waits for that point again. Pressing Esc a second time exits the tool.