Drawing an Arc - MapInfo_Pro - 2023

The Arc command allows you to draw an arc in an editable Map window. The arc will be the size and shape of one quarter of an ellipse. Once you have drawn an arc, you can reshape it to the desired size.

To draw an arc:

1. Make the layer that you want to work with editable. On the HOME tab, in the Windows group, click Tool Windows, and click Layers from the list, to open the Layers window.

   You can also see map layers in the Explorer window.

   Click the Editable icon beside the layer name to turn On editing.

   Click the Selectable icon beside the layer name to turn On selection.

2. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Create group, click Insert, and Arc.
3. Move the Arc command cursor where you want to begin drawing the arc.
4. When you want to draw an arc that is a quarter of a circle, hold the Shift key down while drawing.
5. Press and hold the mouse button.
6. Move the cursor. The arc appears on the screen and changes size and proportion as you move the cursor.
7. Release the mouse button.

When the arc does not curve in the direction you want it to, redraw it in the same place but move the mouse in the opposite direction.

The Arc command creates an arc that is one quarter of an ellipse. The endpoints are at 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees on the ellipse.

Repositioning an Arc

Make the layer that you want to work with is both editable and selectable.

To reposition an arc manually:

1. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Selection group, click Select from the list. Position the Select command at one of the two endpoints.
2. Press the mouse button and hold it down. The cursor becomes a four-way arrow.
3. Drag the arc to a new position.
4. Release the mouse button, and the arc moves to the new position.

To reposition an arc using coordinates:

1. Double click the arc to open the Arc Object Attributes dialog box.
2. Type your new center coordinates.

Reshaping an Arc

Make the layer that you want to work with is both editable and selectable.

To reshape an arc manually:

1. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Edit group, click Reshape from the list.

   A small box (node) appears at both the start and end-points of the arc.

2. Position the cursor over one of the nodes.
3. Click the node and drag it to a new location. The selected node becomes hollow. This node moves along the arc's ellipse and the angle between the two end nodes changes, reshaping the arc.
4. Continue dragging until the arc has the desired shape.

Reshape mode remains turned on until you turn if off. To turn off reshape mode, on the SPATIAL tab, in the Edit group, click Reshape.

Resizing an Arc

Make the layer that you want to work with is both editable and selectable.

To resize an arc manually:

1. Choose the arc by clicking on either end with the Select command. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Selection group, click Select from the list.

   Four edit handles, small squares, appear around the arc indicating that it is selected for editing.

2. Click any of the four edit handles and drag it in the appropriate direction. When you drag an edit handle, a dotted box appears around the arc.
3. Drag the edit handle until you have resized the arc appropriately.
4. Release the mouse button, and the arc resizes according to the size of the box. When the mouse button is released, the arc resizes so that it extends to the lower right corner of its bounding rectangle.

To resize an arc using coordinates:

1. Double-click the arc to open the Arc Object Attributes dialog box.
2. Type your new beginning and ending coordinates.

Specifying Arc Object Attributes

Make the layer that you want to work with is both editable and selectable. The object must be editable (reside in an editable layer) before you can specify attributes.

To specify arc object geographic attributes:

1. Select the arc. On the SPATIAL tab, in the Selection group, click Select from the list.
2. Do one of the following:
   • On the MAP tab, in the Options group, click Map Tools, and click Info.
   • Double-click the arc with the Select command to open the Arc Object dialog box.
3. Type in a new Start Angle and/or End Angle, as appropriate.
4. Click OK.