Perspective Ruler

Perspective Ruler

Perspective rulers, like Clip Studio Paint's, for drawing rooms, streets and buildings in perspective. Strokes snap to the ruler's lines, so freehand lines come out straight and aimed at the right vanishing point. New in 0.16.0-2; set up from the Ruler tool since 0.16.0-4.

Adding a ruler

Pick the Ruler tool (it shares a slot with the Eyedropper; press and hold that slot, or press Shift+I until it comes up). In its options bar, choose a ruler under Perspective:

Ruler	Vanishing points	Strokes snap to
1-Point	One, on the eye level	Lines toward the point, level lines and upright lines
2-Point	Two, on the eye level near the sides	Lines toward either point, and upright lines
3-Point	The two above plus a third below the canvas	Lines toward any of the three; upright edges lean toward the third

None removes it. Picking a ruler replaces the one already there. The ruler draws coloured lines fanning out from each vanishing point, and the eye level (horizon) as a yellow line through the first two.

Drawing with it

With the Brush, Pencil or Eraser (and the other painting and retouch tools), start a stroke and head roughly where you want it to go. After a short distance the stroke picks the closest ruler direction and stays on that line until you lift the pen or finger. A short stroke that ends before then still keeps to its line.

Snapping on and off

While a document has a ruler, a ruler button shows in the options bar, just right of the symmetry button (on a phone, swipe the options bar to reach it).

• Highlighted: strokes snap to the ruler.
• Not highlighted: you draw freely, and the ruler's lines dim.

The Snap checkbox in the Ruler tool's options bar does the same as the button. Holding Shift while you draw doesn't draw freely: it gives Photoshop's straight lines at 45° steps instead of the ruler's directions. Let go of Shift mid-stroke and the stroke picks a new ruler line from where it is.

Moving vanishing points

With the Ruler tool, drag a vanishing point's round handle on the canvas. The eye level follows the first two points, so tilting it tilts the whole scene. Painting tools never grab the handles, so a stroke can start right on a vanishing point.

Showing, hiding and clearing

• The Show checkbox in the Ruler tool's options bar hides or shows the lines.
• Perspective › None removes the ruler.

Saving and undo

• The ruler is saved with .pcraft files and crash-recovery autosaves, so it is there when you reopen the document.
• It is not kept in PSD files.
• Adding, moving or clearing the ruler can be undone, like guides. Turning snapping or showing on and off is not an undo step, and a reopened document starts with the ruler shown and snapping on.

Not available yet

Clip Studio features not in the port yet: fisheye perspective, fixing the eye level in place, vanishing points at infinity, and adding your own guide lines to a ruler.