Drawing an Ellipse, Arc, or Pie Shape
The ellipse element allows you to draw an ellipse, arc, or pie.
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Create an Arc from an Ellipse
- You have a graphic open and have selected an ellipse element on the canvas.
- Under the Ellipse Properties view, navigate to the Ellipse properties.
- From the Ellipse Type drop-down menu, select Arc.
- The control handles and the extent rectangle display around the element.
- On the canvas, click the Start (red) and End (orange) angles of the ellipse element and move the mouse arrow until the desired arc is achieved.
- The Start Angle and End Angle property values change as you move the control handles. You can also manually adjust the values, by either by typing a value or using the up and down arrows in the angle fields.
- (Optional) To close the arc, check the Close Arc property box.
- A line is drawn from the Start to the End angles to close the arc.
Create a Pie Shape from an Ellipse
- You have a graphic open and have selected an ellipse element on the canvas.
- Under the Ellipse Properties view, navigate to the Ellipse properties.
- From the Ellipse Type drop-down menu, select Pie.
- The control handles and the extent rectangle display around the element.
- Click the Start (red) and End (orange) control handles and move the mouse until the desired a pie dimensions are achieved.
- The Start Angle and End Angle property values change as you move the control handles. You can also manually adjust the values, by either by typing a value or using the up and down arrows in the angle fields.
- (Optional) To close the arc, check the Close Arc property box.
- A line is drawn from the Start to the End angles in the shape of wedge to close the arc.
Draw an Ellipse or Circle
- You are in Design or Test mode and have a graphic open.
- On the Home tab, from the Elements group, select Ellipse .
- The mouse arrow changes to a crosshair when you move your cursor over the canvas.
- Do one of the following:
- To create an ellipse, click the canvas and drag the crosshair until you have created the desired ellipse dimensions.
- To create a circle, press CTRL, click the canvas and then drag the crosshair until you have created the desired circle dimensions.
- The ellipse or circle is created.
Related Topics
For background information, see the following:
- Element and Graphic Properties.
- Element Types.
For workspace overview, see Elements Group.
For keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Shortcuts.