See and type the angle of a slanted interior wall
A wall that isn't square shows its angle as two small arcs at its starting end, one for each wall it meets there. Tap an angle, type the one you measured, and the wall swings round its start to that angle, keeping its length.
Most walls are square, and the plan says nothing about their angle. A slanted wall is different: a chamfered corner, a bay, a wall under the stairs. For those you usually have a measured angle, and typing it beats dragging until it looks right.
The pictures use the Medium 2-Bedroom Apartment template with a short slanted wall pulled out of the corner of the living room.
What you'll need
- •A design with an interior wall that isn't at a right angle (or draw one: see below)
Step by step
- 1
Select the wall: two arcs appear where it starts
Tap a slanted interior wall. At its starting end (the end a typed length keeps fixed) two blue arcs appear, one on each side of the wall, each with its angle: - At a corner, one arc measures the angle to the outside wall and the other to the interior wall on the other side. - Where the wall starts on the side of another wall, both arcs measure to that wall, one each way, so they add up to 180°. That's the case here: the wall starts on the long interior wall just by the corner, 33.7° from it one way and 146.3° the other. - A free-standing wall measures to the horizontal: a dashed guide runs through the crosshair and the arcs sit on it. A square wall gets no arcs; there's nothing to tell you.
Two arcs at the starting end: the wall's angle to the wall on each side. - 2
Tap an angle and type the one you measured
Tap either angle label (its tooltip reads Angle to the wall it starts from. Tap to type a new angle: the wall swings round its starting end and keeps its length.). A degrees box opens with the current value. Type the angle and press Enter (or tap elsewhere). The wall swings round its starting end to that angle and keeps its length; the other arc updates too. Press Esc to leave it as it was.
Tap the angle and the box opens; type and press Enter. - 3
The wall swings to the new angle
Typing 45 here swung the wall to 45° from the long wall (the other arc now reads 135°). Its length stayed 6′ 0.15″. The wall it starts from doesn't move, even when that wall's length is locked: the corner simply closes at the new angle. A length you typed for this wall is kept too: typing its angle is one of the three edits that are always allowed on a held length (retype it, drag its own end, type its angle). See Set an exact wall length.
After typing 45°: same length, new direction. - 4
An angle that hits another wall is refused
If the new angle would swing the wall into another wall, nothing moves and a note appears: That angle would run the wall into another wall. Pick an angle that clears it, shorten the wall first, or move the wall in the way.
Refused: the wall would have run through the outside wall. - 5
A free-standing wall measures to the horizontal
A wall that touches nothing is measured against a horizontal line: a dashed guide runs through its starting crosshair and the two arcs read, for example, 51.6° and 128.4°. Typing one works the same way. (Until it touches something, an unselected free-standing wall is drawn in amber to show it isn't connected to anything.)
No wall to measure against: the arcs measure to the horizontal (dashed). - 6
See the angle while you draw or drag
You don't have to wait until the wall is drawn: - Pulling the next wall out of a wall's end (the + handle at the end of a selected wall) shows its angle to that wall under the live length: 0° straight on, 90° square. It turns blue when it has settled on one of the angles the drag snaps to. - Dragging an end crosshair of a slanted wall keeps the arcs on screen and they follow live. While you drag, the wall snaps gently onto horizontal, vertical, straight on, square and 45° off the wall it's connected to, within a few degrees, and lets go once you're clearly off the line (about a finger-width). Any other angle goes exactly where you point. To place it with no snapping at all, hold Ctrl (⌘ on a Mac) while you drag, or tap the wall's magnet so it reads Free.
Pulling the next wall: its angle shows under the length, blue when it has snapped to 45°.
Tips
Draw roughly, then type
Pull the wall out in about the right direction, select it and type the measured angle, then type its length. Two numbers and it matches the room.
Which end is the start?
The arcs sit at the end the wall was drawn from, the same end a typed length keeps fixed (the yellow pin). To swing the wall round its other end, drag that end's crosshair instead.
Show every corner's angle
For the angles of the outside walls, turn on Layers → Show corner angles: square corners get the right-angle mark, every other corner its arc.
Common mistakes
Typing the angle into the wrong arc
Each arc is the angle on its own side of the wall. If you measured the angle on the room side, type it into the arc on that side; typing it into the other one points the wall the wrong way.
Expecting the arcs on a square wall
A wall at 90° or straight on shows no arcs. Drag its end a little off square and they appear.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set an interior wall to an exact angle?
Select the wall. If it isn't square, two arcs with angles appear at its starting end. Tap the angle on the side you measured, type the degrees and press Enter. The wall swings round its start to that angle and keeps its length.
Can I draw a wall at 45 degrees?
Yes. While you pull a wall out, it snaps gently onto 45° (and 90° and straight on) off the wall it comes from; the angle shows under the live length and turns blue when it has settled. You can also draw it at any angle and type 45 afterwards.
Why doesn't the wall move when I type an angle?
The new angle would run the wall into another wall, and the note under the box says so. Choose an angle that clears it, shorten the wall first, or move the other wall.
Does typing an angle change the wall's length or the wall it starts from?
No. The length stays as it is, and the wall it starts from stays where it is, even if that wall's length is locked. Only the direction changes.
Why is my wall drawn in amber?
It doesn't touch any other wall. Drag an end onto a wall (it lands on that wall's face) or leave it; it's only a reminder.
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