Frequently asked questions - Draw

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    How do I draw a regular equilateral triangle?

    The Drawing toolbar has a button to draw an isosceles triangle but not an equilateral triangle. To draw one, you must do a little geometry. In fact, an equilateral triangle is an isosceles triangle whose height h is:

    [math]\displaystyle{ h=\mathit{a.}\sin \left(\frac{\Pi }{3}\right)=\mathit{a.}\sin \left(60\circ \right)=\mathit{a.}\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\approx a\times \mathrm{0.866} }[/math] with a representing the length of any edge of the triangle.

    To draw an equilateral triangle:

    • click on the triangle to the right of the Basic Shapes icon to open the Basic Shapes toolbar. In the toolbar, click on the Isosceles Triangle button.
    Isosceles.png
    • click and drag to draw a triangle of about the size desired;
    • select the Format ▸ Position and sizemenu;
    • make sure Keep ratio is unchecked;
    • adjust:
      • the height so that it equals the width multiplied by 0.866,
      • the width so that it equals the height divided by 0.866,or
      • both, maintaining the proportion 0.866 between the height and the width;
    • If you change the size of the triangle, click Keep ratio to keep the length of the three sides equal.
    • Click OK.

    Another way to create equilateral triangle is to:

    • Draw first edge:
      • Draw a line, holding ⇧ Shift, so it is a straight line.
      • Click on it, press F4 to open properties.
      • Tab Position and Size, set Width to expected length.
      • Click OK.
    • Draw second edge:
      • Copy and paste Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V to create a copy.
      • Press F4 to open properties.
      • Tab Rotation, select Pivot Point on a left position and set Rotation Angle to 60".
    • Draw third edge:
      • Create another copy of the base line with Ctrl + V.
      • Press F4 to open properties.
      • Tab Rotation, select Pivot Point on a right position and set Rotation Angle to 300".
    • Combine edges in one shape:
      • Select all lines.
      • Select menu entry Shape ▸ Combine or ⇧ Shift + Ctrl + K.