How do I draw an arched-top sign blank or an oval plaque to an exact size?

The idea

There is no single arch tool. You build the outline from simple shapes with typed sizes, then combine them. Two methods cover almost every blank: weld a circle or ellipse onto a rectangle, or draw a true arc by its end points and height and join it to straight lines.

Oval plaque

1. Open Draw Ellipse.
2. Under Exact Size enter the position, Width and Height, then click Apply.
3. Or drag out any ellipse and, with the mouse button still held, type the width, a comma, the height, then Enter. For example 12,8 then Enter.

Full round top (half circle on a rectangle)

1. Draw the rectangle with Draw Rectangle using typed Width and Height.
2. Open the Measure tool and click the middle of the top edge. Note the X and Y shown for First Point.
3. Open Draw Circle, enter that point as the center, choose Diameter, and type the rectangle width.
4. Select both shapes and click Weld Vectors. Weld treats closed shapes as solid areas and keeps the outermost edge, which is your arched blank.

Shallow arch with an exact rise

1. Open Draw Arc. Under Exact Size enter the start point and end point as absolute X and Y positions (the two top corners of the blank) and type either the radius or the height of the arc. Click Create.
2. Draw the two sides and the bottom with the line tool, snapping to the arc ends.
3. Select the pieces and use Join Open Vectors. End points that lie within the tolerance are joined, giving one closed outline.

For a softer, non-circular arch, weld an ellipse onto the rectangle instead of a circle: make the ellipse as wide as the rectangle and twice the rise in height, centered on the top edge.

Pro tips

• Number boxes accept sums and material letters. Typing w/2= fills in half the material width, which is handy for centers.
• Draw Rectangle has three corner types: Square, Radiused Externally and Radiused Internally. Rounded and scooped corners need no extra shapes (see the entry on building a border or frame).
• Welding needs closed vectors. If the result looks wrong, check for open shapes first (see the entry on fixing open vectors).