Pivot Line Tool

The Pivot Line tool allows you to create a line that is a radial offset from a line or side of a rectangle or polygon, even if in a group. It operates in many ways like the Offset Line tool, except that the new line is pivoted about one end of the line that you click on. Like the Offset Line tool, you can offset both ways if you press the Option key before you click in the drawing.

Use the Pivot Line tool to create perspective grids.

The Pivot Line tool is intended to aid in the creation of perspective grids. If you are tracing a photograph, you will probably draw two lines over the drawing and then use the Trim tool to trim them to their common intersection. This will be the vanishing point, and often it will be completely off the page. Once you have the two lines projecting off to the vanishing points, for two- or three-point perspective, then you can use the Pivot Line tool to duplicate these lines in one operation.

You have a choice of fixed or interactive length. If you select the fixed length option, then the new line will be the same length as the original line. If you select the interactive length option, then the new line will extent to the location of the cursor in the drawing.

Use the Shift key to switch between interactive and fixed length.

You may use the Option key to switch from which end of the line that you are pivoting about, or from the center of the line.