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.
  1. Under the Ellipse Properties view, navigate to the Ellipse properties.
  1. From the Ellipse Type drop-down menu, select Arc.
  • The control handles and the extent rectangle display around the element.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. (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.
  1. Under the Ellipse Properties view, navigate to the Ellipse properties.
  1. From the Ellipse Type drop-down menu, select Pie.
  • The control handles and the extent rectangle display around the element.
  1. 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.
  1. (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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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:

For workspace overview, see Elements Group.

For keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Shortcuts.