Scale Bar and North Arrow
Add a scale bar and north arrow to printed plans for professional presentation.
The Scale Bar and North Arrow are two independent annotation tools found among the annotation tools in the Inspector's Annotations panel (with nothing selected). The scale bar renders a segmented ruler that automatically labels distances in your project's unit system — metric or imperial — so clients and contractors can measure directly from a printed or exported sheet. The north arrow displays a directional indicator that reflects the project's site north, helping readers understand sun exposure and property orientation. Both tools use click-to-place placement and expose their styling controls through the Inspector after placement.
North Arrow
Activate the North Arrow tool. Click on the canvas to place it. Use the Inspector to set the rotation angle so the arrow points true north relative to your drawing orientation.
Set the bar length and segment count
In the Bar Length field, enter the real-world distance the entire bar should represent — for example, 5 meters or 10 feet. In the Segments field, choose how many divisions the bar shows (1–20). More segments make it easier to read intermediate distances. Both fields accept typed values and update the canvas preview in real time.
Place the scale bar
Click Apply in the tool sidebar to place the scale bar at the specified position, or simply click on the canvas to place it directly. The labels alongside each segment update automatically to match the project's active unit system — no manual conversion is needed when switching between metric and imperial.
Style the scale bar in the Inspector
Select the placed scale bar and open the Inspector panel. Here you can toggle Show Text to control label visibility, adjust Label Size, switch Bar Style between Alternating (alternating filled and open segments for easy counting) and Solid, and set Label Position to Above or Below the bar. Changes apply instantly on the canvas.
Activate the North Arrow tool
Open the Annotations panel in the Inspector and click the North Arrow tool. The tool sidebar shows a Position field. You can type a position directly or click the canvas to place the arrow interactively. The arrow's orientation is not set here — it follows the project's site north (see the next step).
Place the arrow and set site north
Click the canvas (or click Apply) to place the north arrow. The arrow points to the project's site north, which is set once for the whole project in Analysis ▸ Site north — every placed north arrow follows that single value, so they all stay consistent. You can drag a placed arrow to reposition it at any time.
Choose an arrow style in the Inspector
Select the placed north arrow and open the Inspector. Choose an Arrow Style — Simple (a single pointer), Compass (a pointer inside a ring), or Ornate (a decorative needle inside a ring). The Inspector also shows a read-only North Angle value that reflects the project's site north. Keep the style consistent across all sheets in a project.
Group your scale bar and north arrow with the title block so they move together when you reposition the legend area. Select both, then use the Group command (right-click menu) to keep your sheet composition locked.
Scale bar labels are unit-aware: they automatically display in meters (or feet) based on the project unit system set in Project Settings. If a client asks for a copy in imperial, switch the unit system and the scale bar re-labels itself — you do not need to redraw it.
Exporting to PDF scales the view to fit the page. Always verify the printed scale bar against a known dimension after export — a mismatch usually means the PDF page size or print scaling option changed. Use the Export PDF dialog's scale controls to lock the output scale.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Escape | Cancel placement |
Key Parameters
| Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 0, 0 | X/Y canvas position where the annotation is placed. Set by clicking the canvas or typing values. |
| Bar Length | 5 m | The real-world distance the full scale bar represents. Minimum 0.5 m (or equivalent in feet). Labels update automatically for the active unit system. |
| Segments | 5 | Number of equal divisions in the scale bar. Range 1–20. More segments aid reading of intermediate distances. |
| North Angle (North Arrow) | 0° | Read-only in the North Arrow Inspector. Reflects the project's site north, set in Analysis ▸ Site north; the placed arrow has no per-arrow rotation. |
Frequently Asked Questions
My scale bar labels are showing meters but the project should be in feet. How do I fix that?
Scale bar labels follow the project unit system. Open Project Settings and switch the unit system to Imperial. The scale bar re-labels itself automatically — no need to delete and redraw it.
How do I make the north arrow point to the correct true north for my site?
North orientation is a single project setting, not a per-arrow value. Set it in Analysis ▸ Site north, and every placed north arrow updates to match. If your drawing is aligned so north is straight up, leave site north at 0°; if your site plan is rotated, set site north to the corresponding angle and all arrows follow.
My drawing has a detail inset at a different scale. Do I need a second scale bar?
Yes. Add a separate scale bar for each scale used on the sheet and position each one close to the area it describes. Label them clearly (for example, 'Site Plan 1:200' and 'Detail 1:50') so readers know which bar applies to which part of the drawing.
Can I resize the scale bar after placing it?
Yes. Select the placed scale bar and use the Bar Length and Segments fields in the Inspector to change its parameters. You can also drag its handles on the canvas to reposition it. The labels will update automatically to reflect any changes.
The north arrow disappeared after I exported to PDF. What happened?
Check that the north arrow is not on a hidden or locked layer — locked layers are excluded from PDF export by default. Also confirm the annotation is within the export area defined in the Export PDF dialog. If you are using a clipping region, annotations outside the clip boundary will not appear in the output.