Editing
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl + A |
Select all in the active cell |
Ctrl + I |
Invert selection |
Ctrl + C / Ctrl + X / Ctrl + V |
Copy / Cut / Paste |
Ctrl + D |
Duplicate in place |
Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Shift + Z |
Undo / Redo |
Delete / Backspace |
Delete selection |
Arrow keys |
Nudge selection by one grid step |
Shift + Arrow |
Nudge by 10× grid step |
Escape |
Cancel draft / clear selection |
? |
Toggle keyboard cheat sheet |
Right-click on the canvas for a context menu (cut, copy, paste, boolean ops, group, move to layer).
Properties panel is authoritative: typing a number and pressing Enter (or blurring the field) overrides drag-edited values. Escape inside a field reverts. The W and H fields are editable for any shape selection — typing a new width or height non-uniformly rescales the selection around its bounding-box center (the other axis is held fixed). Editing W/H on a bitmap, SREF, or AREF falls back to a uniform scale since those carry a single magnification factor. The Layer dropdown sends the selection to a layer (and its declared datatype/purpose), and the Datatype field sets the GDS datatype on the selection directly — use it for dose classes or pin/label variants that share a layer number (e.g. 1/0 drawn vs 1/10 pin). For a selection of filled shapes the panel shows the true (shoelace) area and perimeter — summed across the selection, so concave combs / rings / van-der-Pauw crosses are measured correctly rather than over-stated by their bounding box; for paths it shows the centerline length. All values follow the active display unit. The Anchor toggle above X/Y switches those fields between the selection's bounding-box Corner (default) and its Center — pick Center to place a mark specified by its centre (e.g. an alignment cross at x = +45 mm) by typing the spec value directly instead of subtracting half its width.
Vertex and edge editing
With a single shape selected:
- Drag a vertex handle to move that vertex (or, on a rectangle, to resize — vertex drag on an axis-aligned rectangle keeps it rectangular).
- Drag a straight edge of a rectangle to push/pull that edge. The two vertices on the edge slide together while staying snapped to the grid.
- Alt-click an edge to insert a new vertex at that position.
- Alt-click a vertex to delete it (minimum 4 for boundaries, 2 for paths).
Construction geometry (SolidWorks-style)
Any shape can be marked For construction in the Properties panel. Construction shapes render with a dotted outline and no fill, participate in snap and measure, and are excluded from .gds export — they are pure visual/alignment guides.