---
title: "Using the drawing tool"
url: "https://knowledgebase.glintsolar.com/en/article/using-the-drawing-tool"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-05-21T10:04:03.938Z"
---

# Using the drawing tool

In Glint Solar, you can draw four types of objects: **polygons, lines, automatically calculated grid distance routes, and rectangles, circles, or points.** This guide covers:

-   How to use the drawing tool to create these objects
-   The properties of each object type
-   Common use cases for each object

You can create all these objects using the drawing tools at the bottom of your Glint Solar screen.

![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/f1ddec94-fa0a-433d-8be7-a315e68220a7)

## **How to use**

1.  Click on one of the Draw buttons at the bottom of the screen
2.  Click on the map to place your first point
3.  Continue clicking to add more points — these form the edges of polygons or the length of lines
4.  Press Enter to complete the object
5.  Your object will appear in the Objects list

### **Polygons**

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/57da638e0cfd47edada535e3b58e3fa3)

### **Lines**

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/bc743c43e696453dba4e9a4e147fa247)

### **Circles, Points, and Rectangles**

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/97e4705a294f4859976d820cbeac7e8f)

### **Routes**

-   Select a starting point and endpoint on the map
-   You can add waypoints during or after route creation
-   The routing tool automatically finds the shortest footpath and can be converted to a line for manual adjustments

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/50129f7cb05c4c77b43b5101f545492f)

### **Roads**

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/d15aebb1d09c4b2b9a82031f78a70be9)

## **Properties**

Objects in Glint Solar can be marked as Include, Exclude, or Other:

-   Include: Objects that will have panels added during analyses
-   Exclude: Objects that will not have panels added during analyses
-   Other: Objects that will not have panels added during analyses

### **Polygons**

-   Polygons have both length and width to create an area
-   Polygons require at least three points to be created
-   Polygons can be created by copying objects from map layers
-   A polygon can be set as Include, Exclude, or Other
-   Polygons can be merged, intersected, subtracted, or bulk deleted. You can read more [here](https://knowledgebase.glintsolar.com/en/article/merge-intersect-subtract-and-bulk-delete-polygons).

| ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/11412265-bbab-4055-8f86-3e254532ae96) | ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/98ac6f60-e884-4062-959e-cbf2de31328b) |
| --- | --- |

### **Lines**

-   Lines have length only
-   Lines require at least two points to be created
-   Lines can be created by copying objects from map layers
-   A line can be set as Exclude or Other

| ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/2be90152-149a-4e82-948d-27aa90e0aeed) | ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/a63ec114-c1f3-46c3-a2c2-34dc5d579a00) |
| --- | --- |

### **Rectangles, Circles, and Points**

-   Rectangles and Circles can be include, exclude, or other. Points can be exclude or other.
-   All three can be dragged and dropped to desired location
-   All three can be copied and pasted (command+c, command+v)
-   Rectangles can be rotated 360 degrees

| ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/1e608c1a-c361-4d74-8914-7be403555eff) | ![](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/ebca850c-b9a4-4821-b307-3fd0cf3bbb01) |
| --- | --- |

### **3D Objects**

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/b34aba0e12aa4adcbab7aabc07280bcb)

### **Example Use Cases**

#### **Polygons**

-   Draw areas that pass constraint analysis for panel inclusion
-   Draw areas too steep for panels that should be excluded
-   Draw areas containing buildings to exclude from panel placement
-   Draw areas with removable trees
-   Copy parcels from the parcel layer to mark as Include
-   Copy protected areas from layers to mark as Exclude

#### **Lines**

-   Draw access roads to the site
-   Draw rivers near the site and add buffers
-   Copy grid lines from the grid layer

#### **Rectangles, Circles, and Points**

-   Add points of interest to the map
-   Mark notable objects on promising sites
-   Add rectangles, circles, and points with buffers to create search radii for constraint analysis

## Additional resources

It is also possible and to import projects to new and existing projects in Glint Solar with the easy to use [**Import**](https://knowledgebase.glintsolar.com/en/article/import-projects) function.

Read more about configuring objects [here](https://knowledgebase.glintsolar.com/en/article/changing-object-properties).