Display Builder

Layout Guides

Guides to aid Display layout.

The application allows the addition of two types of guides: guide lines and guide images.

Both types of guide can be parented to a DisplayGroup (and the guide maintains the same relative position to the parent if the DisplayGroup is moved), locked (preventing further manual transformation) and the opacity set.

The visibility of guides can be managed in the View Options tab.

Guide Lines:

The Add Line button adds a new guide line. By default, new lines are positioned at the centre of the work area.

The Auto Lines button adds new guide lines at the boundaries of the current Display Group.

Use the X and Y keys to switch between the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) axes. Use the (G)rab or (M)ove shortcuts to drag guides into place, or enter a value in the position fields.

Guide Images:

The Load Image buttons opens a file dialog to select an external image file (only JPEG or PNG formats are supported). Linked guide images are displayed in the background, behind Displays.

Guide images can be (M)oved, (S)caled and (R)otated as required.

The project stores the relative filepath of guide images. If the image is no longer available at the same location, or with the same name, when a project is loaded, it cannot be displayed.

Guide Measurements:

Arbitrary measurements can be made using the i tool:
Click to select the starting point, then drag to select the end point.

If the Mouse Position toggle is selected in the View tab, the distance and angle between the two points will be displayed in the UI while dragging the mouse.

Once completed, and the mouse-button released, a new Guide Measurement will be added to the list of Guides, with many of the same options (colour, parenting) as a Guide Line.