Ralph Grabowski

A step-by-step tutorial in creating and placing symbols in SmartSketch.

In SmartSketch, a symbol is a document with the filename extension of ".sym." Symbols are stored in the \SmartSketch\Symbols folder. You can create a symbol by following these steps:

1. Draw the geometry.
2. Select the geometry using the Select Tool on the Draw toolbar. (It's the first icon on the toolbar.)
   TIP: To select varied objects, hold down the Ctrl key as you pick them.
3. Click the Create Symbol button found on the Draw toolbar. (It's the last icon on the toolbar.)
4. On the status line, SmartSketch prompts you with
   Click to define Symbol origin. Notice the red target icon. Pick a point.
5. Notice that SmartSketch displays the Save as Symbol dialog box. Specify the name, and select the location to save the symbol.

Placing the Symbol
To place the symbol, use the Symbol Explorer. (If you do not see it, click the Symbol Explorer button on the Main toolbar.) The toolbar lets you navigate using Internet Explorer-like buttons. The Home button displays the home page for the symbols associated with the template (on which the active document was based). To set the home page elsewhere, select File>Properties>Browser from the menu bar.

The folder tree lets you navigate through your computer's folders to find symbols. The preview area shows you all the symbols in the folder.

In addition to displaying SmartSketch's SYM symbol files, the Symbol Explorer can also display HTML files and cruise the Internet -- provided Internet Explorer is installed on your computer. Enter the URL (such as http://www.smartsketch.com) in the Address field, then click the Refresh button.

The SmartSketch Symbol Explorer

To insert a symbol in the drawing:

1. Navigate to the folder where you stored the symbol you created earlier.
   TIP: If you find it difficult to navigate using Symbol Explorer, right-click in the Folder Tree area. From the shortcut menu, select Explore Elsewhere. Notice the Browse for Folder dialog box, which I find easier for selecting a folder.
2. Drag the symbol from the Symbol Explorer into the drawing. Notice that the cursor is attached to the symbol's origin.
   TIP: To place multiple copies of the symbol, hold down the Ctrl key as you drag the symbol into the drawing. Each time you click the mouse button to place the symbol, another copy of the symbol appears. Right-click to stop the copying process.

Once the symbol is placed, you can edit it in a number of ways. Notice the black and green handles that surround the symbol:

Symbols can be manipulated directly

Move: To move the symbol, simply drag it with the cursor. Most symbols align automatically with other objects in the drawing.

Copy: To make a copy of the symbol, hold down the Ctrl key and drag the symbol with the cursor.

Scale: To scale the symbol, drag one of the four black squares.

Mirror: To mirror the symbol, drag the green plus sign. Notice that you can do a horizontal or vertical mirror about the symbol's center.

Rotate: To rotate the symbol, drag the green circle. The rotation increment changes, depending on how close the cursor is to the symbol's origin. Close to the origin, the angle increment is 15 degrees; moving away from the origin, the increment changes to 5 degrees, 1 degree, and finally 0.l degrees.

Ralph Grabowski