Work with drawings in SlabOS CAD

1. Start new, import DXF or reopen a saved drawing

New drawing starts an empty canvas and asks how to handle unsaved work. Open DXF imports a local file; inspect its units, layers, outlines, openings and warnings. Open from SlabOS loads a previously saved drawing.

After import, Assign to a job & quote links the CAD file to a project for later 3D work. Not now leaves it unlinked. This link supplies quote information to CAD; it does not edit the quote drawing.

2. Read the command prompt and enter exact values

Choose a toolbar tool or type its command followed by Enter. Read the orange prompt for the next point, selection or size. For example, REC then 0,0 then 100,25 creates a rectangle 100 by 25 drawing units.

Enter 12,24 for absolute coordinates, @3,4 for an offset from the preceding point, or @10<45 for a distance and angle. Command aliases run after Enter or Space; pressing a letter alone does not immediately switch tools. Escape cancels the current action; an empty Enter finishes a chain or repeats an available previous command.

3. Navigate without changing the drawing

Pan moves the view and the mouse wheel changes its zoom. FIT, or Z followed by Enter, fits the drawing and its sheet frames. The viewport scale button selects a standard viewing scale; zooming does not resize geometry.

Use Ortho/F8 for orthogonal input, OSNAP/F3 for object snapping and Grid/F9 for grid snapping. Confirm which switches are active before placing precise points.

4. Select one object or several

Use Select and click an object. Shift-click adds another object to the selection. Drag a box left to right to select fully enclosed objects; drag right to left to select objects touched by the box. Right-button dragging also creates a selection box from other tools.

Check the selected count before Move, Copy, Rotate or Delete. Right-click an object for its available editing actions. Hidden layers cannot be picked or box-selected; show the needed layers first.

5. Draw lines and connected polylines

Line (L) creates separate segments as you place successive points. Polyline (PL) creates one connected object. Finish the chain with Enter; while drawing a polyline, C closes it back to its first point and U removes the preceding point.

Use closed polylines for a complete outline. An outline that only appears closed on screen may still contain separate or unconnected endpoints, so check it before fabrication.

6. Create rectangles, squares, circles and arcs

Shapes contains Rectangle, Square and reusable stamps. Rectangle accepts opposite corners; Square constrains equal sides. A stamp enters placement mode: click to place it, repeat for another, and Escape to stop.

Circle (C) takes a center and radius; a typed 5 means a radius of 5, not a diameter of 5. The standard Arc (A) workflow takes two endpoints followed by a point on the curve. Sketch captures a freehand path while you drag.

7. Add and edit drawing text

Choose Text, click its position and type the note. Enter finishes; Shift+Enter adds a line. Double-click a note to edit its wording. Right-click for Text properties, including height, bold styling and color. Use Move to reposition it, or the selected note's corner handle to resize it.

Text height is in drawing units and therefore affects printed size. Multiline notes export as separate DXF TEXT lines with their line spacing retained.

8. Place manual or automatic dimensions

Dimension by hand takes two measured points and then an offset position. Use the arrow beside Dimension to choose Auto — dimension everything, which adds dimensions to eligible visible line and polyline edges. Review the result and delete unwanted dimensions.

Settings → Dimensions controls text size and the uniform offset. Snap dims to default distance applies the common offset to existing dimensions. DI measures a distance without placing a dimension; AREA and LIST provide geometry readouts in the command output.

9. Move and copy selected geometry

Select the objects first, choose Move (M), specify a base point and then a destination. Every selected object moves by that displacement. Copy (CO) keeps the originals and can place repeated copies at successive destinations; finish copying with Enter or Escape.

Use a recognizable corner or exact coordinate as the base point so placement is repeatable. Undo reverses a mistaken operation; Redo reapplies it.

10. Rotate, mirror and scale

Rotate (RO) turns the selection around a chosen base point by the entered angle. Mirror (MI) uses two points to define its axis and keeps the original objects alongside the mirrored copy.

Scale (SC) changes actual geometry around its base point. A factor of 2 doubles lengths and makes a closed area's size four times larger. Use Scale deliberately when geometry needs resizing; the units selector and viewport zoom do not perform that conversion.

11. Offset parallel geometry

Choose Offset (O), enter the distance, pick the source edge or supported object, then click the side on which the parallel copy belongs. Review the preview and result before repeating. The original remains in place.

12. Round or chamfer a corner

Fillet (F) uses a radius and two edge picks to trim their legs and join them with an arc. Chamfer (CHA) uses a cut-back distance along the legs and joins them with a straight cut. A zero value creates a sharp intersection.

Pick the sides you intend to retain, especially where lines cross. Inspect both surviving legs and the new join; reduce the value if the requested corner cannot fit.

13. Trim, extend and change an endpoint

Trim (TR) removes the picked portion using intersecting geometry as boundaries. Extend (EX) lengthens the picked end toward a suitable boundary. Lengthen (LEN) changes an endpoint by a signed distance; negative values shorten it.

Break (BR) splits supported geometry at the picked point. Join (J) combines connected segments into a polyline. Explode (X) turns selected compound geometry into editable component segments. Inspect the resulting endpoints after these operations.

14. Add a notch or bump

Choose Notch for a rectangular cut into a supported corner, or Bump for a protrusion from an edge. Set width and depth in the tool controls, pick the corner or edge and follow the placement prompt. Check the direction and resulting outline.

These operations change the physical outline and its area. Use Undo if the feature appears on the wrong side, then select the intended edge again.

15. Create a splash or miter strip

Choose Splash, set H and Gap, and pick the source edge. H sets strip height; Gap controls how far the strip is placed from the source. A zero gap puts it against the edge.

The strip's near edge inherits the source edge's layer; its far edge and end caps use the current layer. This supports different shop layer conventions for splash or miter joints. Settings → Splash & Miter supplies your saved defaults; inspect the resulting layers and dimensions.

16. Place seams and split an outline

Seam offers perpendicular, point-to-point and shaped joint modes. Choose the mode, enter any applicable key or jog size, and follow the point prompts. Seams appear on the SEAMS layer.

Split uses a seam crossing a closed outline to form separate closed pieces. Place the seam so its ends meet the boundary and inspect the two resulting pieces. A successful split preserves the combined outline area; moving the pieces apart is a separate action.

17. Organize layers and match properties

Use + New to add a layer, give it a name and select its Make current radio before drawing on it. Set its color and solid, dashed, center or hidden line style. Toggle visibility to inspect only the needed geometry; Hide all and Show all change visibility without deleting objects.

Right-click selected geometry to apply a layer, or use Match (MA) to copy supported properties from a source to a target. Deleting a non-base layer moves its objects to a remaining base layer instead of deleting their geometry. Review assignments before saving.

18. Use layer presets and personal defaults

Layer presets apply named shop layer conventions. Saving a preset has its own Save control and may affect the shop's shared presets. Do not replace a shared preset just to experiment with one drawing.

CAD Settings has Layer Presets, Text, Dimensions, Splash & Miter, General and Key Bindings tabs. Dimension and unit settings travel with the drawing. Save settings stores personal text/strip defaults in this browser. Key Bindings provides extra command aliases; built-in command names still take precedence.

19. Insert a fixture from the library

Open Fixtures, choose the type and a Brand / Supplier, then search for the DXF / Product. Select the appropriate version when several are offered, review the choice and click Place. Click the intended position on the canvas; Escape stops placement.

Check the inserted opening against the manufacturer's required cutout. Upload DXF adds a named fixture to the global library shared by shops; it is different from opening a DXF as your own drawing. Verify the file and naming before sharing a fixture.

20. Check open endpoints and geometry

BREAKS highlights open endpoints so you can find gaps before output. Print and Export DXF also check these boundaries. Deliberate reference lines may be open, but a required countertop boundary should be complete.

Review dimensions, seams, openings, duplicated lines and layers. Resolve warnings before preparing a manufacturing file; choosing Export anyway does not repair an incomplete outline.

21. Add and position page frames

Sheets adds a page frame to the canvas. Geometry inside a frame belongs on that sheet. Drag its title bar to place it over the intended room and drag its corner to change how much model space fits on the printed page.

Right-click a frame, away from objects that have their own menu, to edit its room label, paper size, orientation and print scale. Use Earlier or Later to set page order. Delete sheet removes that frame, leaving the drawing geometry.

22. Fill the title block and preview printing

Open Print / PDF. With frames present, choose All sheets for one page per frame or Fit on one page for a single overview. Review the selected CAD Sheets template and fill the job, material, drawn-by and other available title-block fields.

The title-block layout comes from Templates → Template Builder → CAD Sheets. Fields and frame labels identify the output; they do not choose material or change a quote. Review notes and the image-overlay option before Print / Save PDF.

23. Save a new drawing to SlabOS

Choose Save to SlabOS or Ctrl+S. Enter a drawing name and, optionally, attach a job. If that job has phases, choose the intended phase. Add a revision note explaining the change and click Save.

Confirm the saved status. The drawing appears in CAD → Templates and Open from SlabOS. Saving the drawing itself is separate from downloading a DXF or generating a PDF attachment.

24. Use Quick Save, details and revision history

After the first save, Ctrl+S or the cloud-up button saves the current file immediately and adds a revision. The adjacent details arrow, or Ctrl+Shift+S, opens the name, revision note, job link and PDF options.

Revision history lists who saved each revision, when and the note. Revert restores the selected geometry as a new revision, preserving the earlier history. Any current unsaved edits are replaced when you confirm the revert.

25. Handle conflicting edits or save a copy

If another session has saved a newer version, the stale save is rejected. Reopen the latest version before replacing it, or open Save with details and select Save as a separate copy to preserve your alternative under a new name.

A copy gets its own drawing record and history. Check its job/phase links and PDF checkbox before saving, particularly if the copy is only a working alternative.

26. Attach a shop PDF to a job

In Save with details, select Also attach the exported PDF shop drawing to the job's files. Choose the job, optional phase, PDF template and destination folder. With sheets present, review the title-block fields and page frames first.

This writes a PDF to that job's files as well as saving CAD. A browser Print / Save PDF download does not automatically attach itself to the job. Verify the generated attachment before using it in the shop.

27. Understand linked 3D, screenshots and Template Mode

Complete in 3D uses a saved CAD file linked to a job and quote. It reads the quote's areas, materials and slabs for the separate fabrication workflow. Follow the linked 3D guide for assembly, vein matching and slab exports.

2D SHOT and View Screenshots manage captures on a saved CAD file; scene settings control drawing overlays from the 3D workflow. Template Mode is a separate beta hardware workflow with serial connection, reading and capture controls. Follow your supported device setup; opening the panel alone does not verify a working instrument connection.

28. Inspect downloads and leave safely

Export DXF, then reopen it in the intended downstream workflow and verify known dimensions, layers, closed boundaries and openings. Review the PDF's page sizes, scale, clipping and title blocks separately.

Before New or Exit, save any changes you need. Cancel keeps working; discarding abandons the unsaved version. Leaving the editor does not create an automatic browser recovery copy.

Check the result

• A known dimension, units and resulting geometry agree with the intended design.
• The saved drawing reopens with the correct name, revision, job and phase.
• Exported DXF retains required boundaries, layers and openings; PDF sheets use the intended scale, order and title blocks.