The Sketch tool in the schematic lets you draw the circuit the way you would on paper. You draw; when you pause, the app offers to recognise what you drew.
How it works#
- Pick Sketch in the tool column.
- Draw a symbol with the Pencil, in as many strokes as you like: a resistor as a box with two leads, a capacitor as two plates, a diode as a triangle with a bar, a ground as stacked lines.
- Draw wires as straight lines or L shapes between the symbols and existing pins.
- Stop for a moment. A bar appears beside the ink:
- Recognize turns everything you drew into parts and wires, in one undo step.
- Keep drawing hides the bar until your next pause.
- Keep as ink leaves the strokes as a hand-drawn note.
Nothing becomes a part while you draw, so take your time. When the app is not sure, a bubble shows the best candidates; tap the right one.
Gestures#
- Scribble back and forth over ink or parts to delete them.
- Draw a loop around parts to select them.
Recognised parts are generic: a resistor without a value yet. Tap it and set the value in the inspector, and choose the exact part with Change part….
Tips#
- Draw symbols about the size of a fingertip at the current zoom.
- Start a wire on a pin and it connects to that pin.
- On a Mac, hold Option and drag to draw.
Next: Libraries and packs.