# Drawing a pattern

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# Drawing a pattern

The canvas is a vector editor: every point is real, and you can move, add, delete and lock them.

## Moving around

- **Zoom** with the mouse wheel or a pinch.
- **Pan** by dragging an empty part of the canvas.
- **Grid** toggles with `G`, the **inspector** with `I` and the **help overlay** with `H`.

## Drawing

- **Freehand** — sketch a rough shape and it is simplified into clean points (Ramer–Douglas–Peucker),
  so a wobbly stroke becomes a usable pattern.
- **Edit** — drag any point. A point can be a **corner** or **smooth**; smooth points carry a
  handle that lets you bend the curve without adding points.
- **Select** — click points to select, then move or edit them as a group; `Ctrl+A` selects all.

## Points

| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Add a point | Click on the curve in **Select** mode |
| Delete points | Select and press `Delete` |
| Lock a point | Press `L` — the point keeps its position while you edit the rest |
| Nudge | Arrow keys or `WASD`; hold `Shift` to move further |
| Rotate selection | `Q` and `E` |
| Move selection | Drag any selected point |

## Undo, redo, and saving

- `Ctrl+Z` / `⌘Z` undoes and `Ctrl+Shift+Z` / `⌘⇧Z` redoes. One drag counts as one step.
- Editing a pattern saves it automatically a moment later, and it appears under **My patterns**.
- Loading a preset or a saved pattern resets the editor to that shape, keeping its own history so
  your undo steps follow what you did.

## Sharing and reusing

- Share a saved pattern with a link from **My patterns**.
- Share a search report with a link from the results panel.
- Share a pattern to a team so every member can reuse it — see
  [Teams and sharing](/docs/teams-and-sharing).
