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Shape Tool: Measure and Draw

The Shape Tool is how you measure and draw in 3DStreet. Click the shape icon in the toolbar (or press r) to draw a polyline or polygon on the ground: distances appear as you draw, so a simple two-point line works like a tape measure, and a closed polygon reports its area. Shapes can also act as paths that streets follow, so a measurement line along a real corridor can become the centerline of your street design.

Where did the Ruler go?

The Shape Tool replaces the previous Ruler tool. Existing scenes are unaffected: any saved Measure Lines are automatically converted to shapes when the scene loads, keeping their names and positions, and gaining vertex editing.

Drawing a shape​

  1. Click the shape icon in the toolbar, or press r.
  2. Click on the ground to place points. The distance of the current segment displays live as you draw.
  3. Finish with Enter or a double-click. Backspace removes the last point if you misclick.

While drawing, the right panel shows two modes:

  • Close manually (default): draws an open line. Click your first point again when you want to close the shape into a polygon.
  • Auto-close: the shape closes as you draw, so the closing edge and enclosed area update live.

Measuring​

  • While drawing, each segment's length displays at your cursor.
  • Select a shape to see the length of each side, plus the angle at each corner and (for closed shapes) the enclosed area in the right panel.
  • Closed shapes also display their area directly on the canvas.
  • Use the m/ft toggle in the toolbar to switch between metric and imperial units.

Measurements are real-world: they always report the size the shape appears at in the scene, even if the shape is nested inside a scaled group.

Editing a shape​

Select a shape to edit it:

  • Click a blue vertex dot to move it or delete it
  • Hold Shift while dragging a vertex to raise or lower it
  • Click a side's length to add a vertex to that side
  • Edit line color, width and fill in the right panel

Changing a shape's line or fill style makes it the default for new shapes you draw.

You can move and rotate a whole shape like any other object. Shapes don't scale; resize them by moving their vertices instead.

Curve style​

A shape with three or more points can render its line as:

  • Straight / hard corners (default)
  • Smooth: a flowing curve through your points
  • Arcs: straight sides with rounded corners, with an adjustable corner radius

Pick the curve style in the right panel when a shape is selected. Direction • Reverse flips the drawing direction of the line, which matters when a street follows the shape (see below).

Streets can follow shapes​

Any managed street can bend along a shape:

  1. Draw a shape along the route you want, for example tracing a real corridor in a geospatial scene.
  2. Select the street and choose your shape under Follow Path in the right panel.
  3. The whole street, including lanes, striping, and placed models, bends along the shape.

Editing the shape's vertices re-lays the street live. Hold Shift while dragging a vertex up or down and the street ramps along the new grade. Use Direction • Reverse on the shape if the street's cross-section comes out mirrored from what you intended.