GRASP

User manual

Make your first useful sketch in minutes.

This is the small part of GRASP you need for most classroom figures: draw, select, measure, label, adjust, and export.

Start with a triangle Open the app

01

A two-minute triangle

You can learn the main GRASP rhythm with one figure.

The GRASP workspace with the tool palette on the left, a measured triangle on the sheet, and object controls on the right
The workspace keeps drawing tools on the left, the sheet in the middle, and controls for the current sketch on the right.
  1. Choose Polygon. It is the pentagon-shaped tool on the left. The default variant creates both the interior and its edges.
  2. Place three corners. Click three positions on the sheet, then click the first corner again. You can also double-click the final corner to close the shape.
  3. Measure it. Choose Measure, select Area, then click inside the triangle. Switch the Measure variant to Length and click an edge.
  4. Test the construction. Press A for Arrow and drag a corner. The figure and its measurements update together.
  5. Save your work. Press Ctrl + S. In a browser that cannot write back to a file, Save downloads a new copy.
A triangle in GRASP with named vertices, side dimensions, angle measurements, area, and a live calculation caption
A finished construction can combine geometry, dimensions, labels, and live measurements.
The core idea: objects stay connected. Move a defining point and everything built from it follows.

02

The essential tools

Hover over a tool to see its name and shortcut. Tools with a corner marker have variants. Hover to choose one, or press and hold on a touch screen.

The Polygon tool expanded to show Polygon and Edges, Polygon, and Regular Polygon variants
Hover a marked tool to choose a variant. The key shown at the end selects that tool.
A

Arrow

Select, move, resize, and inspect. Use its variants when a crowded sketch makes one kind of object hard to pick.

P

Point

Click empty space for a free point. Click a path for a point that stays on it. Click a crossing for an intersection point.

S

Straightedge

Drag between two positions, or click the start and end. Its variants create a segment, ray, or full line.

C

Compass

Start at the center and finish at a point on the circle. Existing points can define either position.

G

Polygon

Click the corners in order and return to the first. Choose the regular-polygon variant for squares and other regular shapes.

M

Measure

Choose Length, Area, or Angle, then click or trace the geometry. Readings remain live as the figure changes.

T

Text

Drag a box on empty space and type a caption. Click geometry with Text to show or hide its label.

K

Marker

Add equal-side, parallel, or angle markings when a diagram needs to communicate its givens clearly.

03

Select and adjust

Select precisely

  • Click an object to add or remove it from the selection.
  • Drag across empty sheet to select several objects.
  • Click empty sheet or press Esc to clear the selection.
  • Use an Arrow variant such as Points, Paths, or Text when objects overlap.

Move what matters

  • Drag a free point to change the construction.
  • Drag a selected object or group to move what can move together.
  • Drag labels and readings to put them where they are easy to read.
  • Right-drag the sheet to pan. Use the zoom control in the lower corner to change scale.

If an object will not move independently, it is probably defined by another object. Move its parent point, or use Edit > Select Parents to find what controls it.

04

Measure and label

Measurements

Use the Measure tool for the common cases. Choose Length and click a segment, choose Area and click an interior, or choose Angle and drag from one arm to the other around their shared vertex. The direction you trace distinguishes a smaller angle from a reflex angle.

The Measure menu covers additional readings such as perimeter, circumference, radius, ratio, and point value. Select the required geometry first when a menu command is unavailable.

Labels and captions

With Text selected, click a point or other nameable object to toggle its label. Drag on empty sheet to create a caption. Double-click an existing caption with Arrow to edit it.

While editing a caption, click a measurement to insert its live value. It will keep updating with the sketch. Select captions, labels, or readings to format them with the palette.

05

Save, export, and print

Keep editing later

Use File > Save or Save As. A .grasp file preserves the construction, pages, labels, and measurements.

Use the figure elsewhere

Use File > Export Image to File. Select objects first to export only the selection, or clear the selection to export the page.

Make a worksheet

Use File > Page Setup, then Print Preview. Adjust the page before printing or saving to PDF with your system print dialog.

The GRASP File menu showing commands for saving, exporting, page setup, print preview, and printing
The File menu groups editable sketch files, image export, and print output.

Browser note: file and clipboard options depend on browser support. If direct saving is unavailable, GRASP downloads a copy instead.

06

Get unstuck

I cannot select the thing I want.
Press A, then choose the Arrow variant for Points, Paths, Markings, or Text. Press Esc first if a different tool is halfway through a gesture.
A menu item is greyed out.
It needs a suitable selection. Select the point, path, interior, or reading the command should act on, then open the menu again.
My line or circle will not finish.
Click its second defining position. Esc cancels the unfinished construction and returns to Arrow.
I moved something by accident.
Use Edit > Undo or press Ctrl + Z. Redo is Ctrl + R.
Labels or markings disappeared.
Check Display > Show Labels and the visibility controls in the side panels. Display > Show All Hidden restores individually hidden objects.
The sheet is hard to navigate.
Right-drag to pan. Hold Space and drag for temporary panning. Use the zoom control to reset or change the view.

07

Useful shortcuts

AArrow
PPoint
SStraightedge
CCompass
GPolygon
MMeasure
TText
KMarker
EscCancel and return to Arrow
Ctrl SSave
Ctrl ZUndo
DeleteDelete selection

That is enough to build most teaching diagrams. The menus expose more constructions, transformations, calculations, tables, and scripting when you need them.

Open GRASP and sketch