> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.synaps.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.synaps.app/drafting/draw-a-circle-or-arc.md).

# Draw a circle or arc

Draw a circle from its centre out to a radius, or draw an arc with three clicks — start, end, then how much it bends.

**Shortcut:** O (circle) · A (arc)

[Circle: centre and radius](#draw-a-circle) · [Arc: chord and curvature](#draw-an-arc)

## Draw a circle

To draw a circle, press **O**, or open command search and choose **Circle**.

1. Click once to set the centre point.
2. Move the pointer outward. The circle previews live, sized by the distance from the centre.
3. Click again to set the radius. The circle is finished as soon as you place the second point.

To draw to an exact size, the tool panel shows a **Radius** field while you are sizing the circle. Type a radius to override the size you would get from the pointer, then press **Enter** to place the circle.

**Example:** for a circle with a 0.5 m radius, enter **Radius = 0.5** in m or **500** in mm, then press **Enter**. Check the displayed unit before typing.

**Video examples**

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="With the mouse" %}
{% embed url="<https://610775476-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FqzriLrFv2ZhYgQvlapF0%2Fuploads%2Fjk8teu4AYbKwP1RWly5V%2Fdrafting-draw-a-circle-or-arc-01-hero.mp4?alt=media>" %}
Draw a circle by choosing its centre and radius with the pointer.
{% endembed %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Enter a radius" %}
{% embed url="<https://610775476-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FqzriLrFv2ZhYgQvlapF0%2Fuploads%2FSU1pcE33wHApAegeYCSk%2Fdrafting-draw-a-circle-or-arc-03-input.mp4?alt=media>" %}
Set a circle's Radius using the numeric input.
{% endembed %}
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## Draw an arc

To draw an arc, press **A**, or open command search and choose **Arc**. An arc takes three clicks.

1. Click once to set the start point.
2. Click again to set the end point. This sets the straight line between them — the chord.
3. Move the pointer to bend the arc, then click a third time to set the curvature. The arc is finished on the third click.

To use numeric inputs, complete the two stages in order:

1. **Set the chord:** after placing the start point, enter **L** for chord length, **A** for direction in degrees, or both. Press **Enter** to set the endpoint.
2. **Set the bend:** enter **R** for radius and press **Enter** to finish the arc.

Use the displayed length unit for **L** and **R**. The radius must be at least half the chord length; smaller values are raised to that minimum.

To redo the chord without starting over, press **Undo** during the curvature step. It steps back to the chord rather than cancelling the whole arc.

**Watch the steps · 7 seconds**

{% embed url="<https://610775476-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FqzriLrFv2ZhYgQvlapF0%2Fuploads%2FxZ7V9ykMvB4686F4m7el%2Fdrafting-draw-a-circle-or-arc-04-input.mp4?alt=media>" %}
Set an arc's radius using the numeric input.
{% endembed %}

## What you'll see

A circle drawn from the centre and radius you set, or an arc curving between your start and end points, drawn in your current line style. The finished shape appears selected, so you can move or restyle it straight away.

## Keep points snapped

As you draw a circle, the centre snaps to nearby points and sets the origin, and the radius point snaps relative to it. As you draw an arc, the start and end points snap to nearby points, and once the chord is set the tool offers a snap point square to the middle of the chord so you can bend the arc cleanly. Press **F3** to turn snapping off or back on.

## Cancel a circle or arc

Press **Esc** while drawing a circle or an arc to discard it in progress. Nothing is added to your drawing.

## Find the circle and arc tools

Use **O** for Circle or **A** for Arc, or open command search with **Cmd/Ctrl+K** and choose the tool by name.

## Properties

Select the circle or arc to open its shared appearance controls. Use a circle's fill for its interior and stroke controls for the linework.

* [Stroke](/reference/properties/stroke.md)
* [Fill](/reference/properties/fill.md)
* [Line style](/reference/properties/line-style.md)
* [Opacity](/reference/properties/opacity.md)

## Related guides

[Draw a rectangle](/drafting/draw-a-rectangle.md).

More: [Draw a polyline](/drafting/draw-a-polyline.md) · [Draw to exact lengths and angles](/drafting/draw-to-exact-lengths-and-angles.md).