The tool palette sits at the top of the page. Pick a tool, then draw on the sheet.
Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Select | Move, resize, and pick elements |
| Rectangle / Ellipse / Diamond | Drag to draw a box shape |
| Line / Arrow | Drag from start to end |
| Draw (pencil) | Freehand strokes |
| Text | Type on the page |
| Math | LaTeX equations |
All shapes are drawn in a hand-drawn, sketchy style (a native port of Rough.js), so diagrams look relaxed rather than clinical.
Freehand drawing
The pencil produces smooth, flowing strokes (not jagged segments). Two extras make it feel great:
- Hold to snap to a shape: draw a rough shape and hold still for about half a second; the stroke snaps to the clean shape it approximates: a rough circle becomes a real circle, and ellipses, rectangles, and lines snap too. A messy scribble is left as freehand.
Colors & fills
Select a shape (or pick a shape tool) and the style bar lets you set:
- Stroke color: the outline color.
- Fill color: the inside color (or No fill for outline-only).
- Fill style: Hachure (sketchy lines), Cross-hatch, or Solid.
This is what makes flow diagrams read cleanly: colored boxes for different categories, like a legend. New shapes use the current colors; changing a color while a shape is selected restyles it.
Selecting, moving, resizing
- Click an element to select it; drag to move; drag the corner handles to resize.
- Marquee: drag on empty space to select everything inside the box.
- Delete: press Delete, or use the Delete button in the floating action bar that appears when something is selected.
Keep a tool active (the lock)
Normally a tool switches back to Select after you draw one thing. Click the padlock at the left of the palette to keep the tool active, so you can place many shapes in a row, exactly like a toolbar lock.
Next: Images.