Virtuoso Studio: Faster, Smarter Object Creation with Quick Dimension Editing

Our new AI-powered custom design solution, Virtuoso Studio, leverages our 30 years of industry knowledge and leadership, providing innovative features, reimagined infrastructure for unrivaled productivity, and new levels of integration that stretch beyond classic design boundaries. In this blog series, learn how the best analog design tools just got better to help you keep pace with your challenging design issues.

Imagine you're sketching a floor plan on paper. It would require you to draw a wall, grab a ruler to measure it and label its length. This method works perfectly, but it's manual, and in large designs, you need a lot of time to complete it. Also, being a manual process, precision could be a challenge.

What if your pencil already knew the exact dimensions the moment you drew the line? No pausing, no rulers, no erasers needed—just instant, precise lines, perfectly measured and placed automatically. That’s exactly what Quick Dimension Edit (QDE) offers when you are working on your layout designs.

What Is QDE?

QDE introduced in Virtuoso Studio IC25.1 is a context-aware widget, integrated into the status bar of the Virtuoso Layout Editor window. This widget activates during object creation and lets you input precise dimensions directly, eliminating the need for forms or manual adjustments.

QDE supports core layout objects such as rectangles, rulers, donuts, ellipses, and guides, that benefit most from precise dimension control.

You can use QDE for two purposes:

• Object creation: Create objects with precise dimensions from the start
• Object editing: Modify object dimensions while the create command is running

A Real-World Example

Let’s say you want to create a rectangle with dimensions 8x5 square units. Traditionally, you’d draw a rectangle of random width and height, select the object, go to the Edit Properties form, and then change the dimensions. This process requires several mouse clicks to create one object. Imagine having thousands of such objects in a design that you might need to edit.

With QDE, you can simply start the Create command, click the first point on the canvas, specify the dimensions, for instance 8,5, and press Enter. Voilà! A rectangle with the exact dimensions is created.

Additionally, if you want to place another object 8 units away, you can start the Ruler command, specify the first point, and enter the length of the ruler, 8, in the QDE widget; a perfect ruler distance is created on the canvas.

You can also modify an object's dimensions while the Create command is running. If you want to change the initial value you entered, simply delete it and type the new value until the command is running. There's no need to select the object and then adjust the values in the properties form.

Key Benefits of QDE

• Speed: Improved performance due to fewer clicks and fewer errors.
• Precision: Exact measurements from the first step.
• Flow: Stay in the creative zone without interruptions.
• Intuitive mouse-based direction: Automatically position objects based on mouse movement.

Next time you are working on a large design, use QDE to transform your object creation process. With QDE, precision and speed work together, delivering quick and accurate results. It's your design cookie cutter – no trimming, no cleanup, just perfect results.

Related Resources

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Happy Reading!

Rohini Garg