How to use modifier keys efficiently in Revu

Applies to:

  • Revu 21
  • Revu 20
  • Revu 2019
  • Revu 2018

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Using modifier keys

The Alt, Shift and Ctrl keys aren’t limited to keyboard shortcuts. They can also be used to modify the way your mouse interacts with Revu, improving the speed and efficiency of your workflows. Each key will activate a different function based on the context they are used in.

General
  • Ctrl can be used to override Snap To settings while creating or editing a markup, allowing you to place the point anywhere.
  • Hold Shift while clicking and dragging a markup to move it in a straight line up, down, left or right.
  • Ctrl also toggles the mouse wheel between zoom and pan. For more information, read Configuring the mouse wheel.
  • While placing a markup, moving a markup, or holding a control point, you can pause these actions and pan around the document by holding Spacebar. Return to editing your markup by releasing Spacebar.
Control points in Polyline or Polygon markups
  • Add new line segments to a polygon or polyline markup (such as the Cloud, Polygon, Polyline, Perimeter or Area tools) by creating new control points. Hold Shift and click on a line segment to add a control point.
  • Delete a control point in a polygon or polyline markup by holding Shift and clicking on a yellow control point.
  • Press Ctrl while clicking on a polyline’s control point to convert it from straight to curved (or vice versa). This is a shortcut to Convert Control Point (right-click > Control Point > Convert Control Point to Curve.)
  • Normally, the handlebars for a curved point will move together. Ctrl+click on a handlebar’s control point to move that point independently.
Arcs
  • Hold down the Shift key while creating an Arc to create a circular arc.
  • To create an arc from three points, select the Arc tool, hold down Alt and select the desired points.
  • Shift will also break the aspect ratio of polyline- and polygon-based markups when you’re moving the corner control point. This modifier also breaks the aspect ratio of Image markups when you’re creating or editing them.

Learn more about arcs and curves here.
Rotation

Markups will snap to 15° increments when rotated using the top control point. Hold Shift while rotating a markup to release the snap and allow for rotations in 1° increments.
Copy and paste markups
  • Ctrl+click and drag a markup to copy it.
  • Ctrl+Shift+click on a markup to copy it, then drag to move the copy in a straight line.
  • After using Ctrl+C to copy a markup, you can press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste that markup in the same position as the original. For example, if you need to cloud a room that appears on multiple pages, you can create a cloud, then use this modifier to quickly create the same markup in the same position on each subsequent page.
Drawing straight lines
  • Hold Shift while using Line, Arrow, Polyline, Polygon, or any Measurement markup to draw a straight horizontal, vertical or 45° line.
  • Hold Shift while using Polyline Sketch to Scale or Polygon Sketch to Scale to snap to 45-degree increments.
  • Hold Shift while using the Pen or Highlight tools to draw straight lines horizontally or vertically.
Highlight

The Highlight tool turns into an I-beam cursor so long as the Enable Text Highlighting setting is active (Revu > Preferences (Ctrl+K) > Window > Tablet). To override this setting and draw freely, hold Ctrl as you use the tool.

You can also draw straight lines and override the I-beam cursor at the same time by holding Ctrl+Shift over text.
Drawing circles and squares
  • Hold down Shift while using the Ellipse tool to create a circle.
  • Hold down Shift while clicking on a square control point on an ellipse to change it to a circle and resize it from the center outwards.
  • If you are using the Rectangle tool, hold down Shift to create a square.
  • If you want to draw circles from the center outward, simply hold down Alt before drawing with the Ellipse tool. This is useful if you are drawing a circle based on a known radius.
 Callouts 
  • The Callout tool has many control points that allow you to move each of its parts individually. To move the markup as a whole, simply hold down Alt as you click and drag it.
  • You can also Add Leader lines in a Callout by holding down Shift while clicking on a control point in the bend of an existing leader. Use Shift+click on the control point of the leader’s point to Delete Leader.
Moving measurement captions

Hold Shift while clicking on the caption of a Measurement markup to move it separately from the markup.

This only applies to the Length, Perimeter, Area, and Volume measurements.
File access and hyperlinks

Ctrl+click on a hyperlink or PDF in the File Access tab to open it as a new tab in the background (i.e. the file or link will not become your active tab or window). Use this if you want to open something to look at later.
Selecting multiple markups

Shift+click on each of the markups. This method may be used as an alternative to clicking and dragging a rectangle around the markups.

 

How-To

Revu 21

Revu 20

Revu 2019

Revu 2018

Markup

Interface & Navigation

Getting Started

Modifier keys are keyboard shortcuts that unlock additional functionality for your favorite tools in Revu. Learn more about using the Alt, Shift, and Ctrl keys in Revu.

Revu 20

Other versions of this article

Revu 2017 and older

Putting every feature into a menu would make many tasks too complicated, so certain features of Revu can be accessed by simply holding down a key and clicking.

Let’s go over some of the many modifier keys in Revu. These keys alter the way your mouse normally interacts with various markups and tools. Some of these shortcuts will make it simple for you to quickly change the properties of a markup or tool, while others will help you open files more efficiently. Like all keyboard shortcuts, modifier keys will empower you to complete your work more quickly.

Shift

If you are ever unsure about how to modify a shape or line markup, the Shift key will likely be the answer.

As you may know, holding down Shift while using the Line line, Polyline polyline and Polygon polygon tools will snap the line to 0, 45 or 90 degrees. But did you know that this key will also create a circle or square when used with the Ellipse circle or Rectangle rectangle tool?

That’s not all: Shift can even be used while dragging a markup to move it in a straight line vertically or horizontally. If your work requires precise markup placement, this feature could be a lifesaver. You can also Add Leader leader lines to a Callout callout by holding down Shift while clicking the control point in the bend of the existing leader. Using Shift and clicking the control point of the leader’s point will Delete Leader leader-delete.

Be sure to try this modifier with other tools as well. You might be surprised by all the new things you can do!

Alt

Another helpful key to remember as you’re doing your markups is Alt, which provides two alternative methods of creating circles and arcs:

  • By holding Alt before you click and drag out an Ellipse circle, you can create a two-point circle, from the center outward. This tool is useful for drawing circles based on the measurement of a radius.
  • You can draw an Arc arc by clicking on three points of the arc’s radius while holding down Alt.

Ctrl

Like Shift, Ctrl has a number of useful, context-sensitive functions. For example, hold Ctrl and click on a file in the File Access file-access tab to open it in the background.

You may find yourself using Ctrl often for the following features:

  • Hold Ctrl and click a control point on a Polyline polyline or Polygon polygon markup to convert a straight line to a curved line, or vice versa. This is a shortcut for Convert to Arc arc-convert-point.
  • On certain markups, such as the Polyline polyline, you can use Ctrl and click on a handlebar to curve only certain segments of a line, allowing you to highlight unique shapes in your blueprints.
  • Hold Ctrl while clicking on a control point to connect every point on a segment smoothly into an arc.

ctrl-click

Using Ctrl while clicking on a handlebar to highlight a unique shape.

This article covers only the most essential modifier keys you will use in Revu. If you would like to see the entire list, check out the Modifier Keys List.

How-To

Revu 2017 & Below

Markup

Interface & Navigation

The Alt, Shift, and Ctrl keys aren’t limited to keyboard shortcuts. They can also be used to modify the way your mouse interacts with Revu, improving the speed and efficiency of your workflows.

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