Stroke Styles

Strokes control the outline of vector shapes and lines. A shape's stroke is one of the style components in the Inspector, so you can adjust it — or stack several — just like fills.

For notation symbols, outlines are set from the Shape Style button in the floating shape toolbar (see below). For connectors, see Connectors.

Editing a Stroke

  1. Select a vector shape or line
  2. Open the Inspector's Style tab
  3. In the Style section, click the Stroke component in the Style Components list

Colour

Click the colour well to choose the stroke colour. The colour picker's opacity slider makes the stroke semi-transparent.

Gradient Strokes

Turn on Gradient to paint the stroke with a gradient instead of a single colour. Set the Start Color and End Color, and turn the angle dial to set the direction.

Width

Drag the Width slider or type a value. Widths range from 0.5 to 20 points.

WidthTypical use
1–2 ptFine outlines, detailed diagrams
3–4 ptStandard outlines
5–8 ptBold outlines, emphasis
10+ ptDecorative or presentation use

Removing a Stroke

Uncheck the Stroke component's checkbox in the Style Components list.

Dash Patterns

Choose a pattern from the Dash Pattern menu:

  • Solid Line — a continuous line
  • Dashed — regular dashes
  • Dotted — small dots
  • Dash-Dot — alternating dashes and dots
  • Dash-Dot-Dot — a dash followed by two dots
  • Long Dash — longer dashes

Typical meanings: dashed lines for optional or future elements, dotted lines for secondary relationships, dash-dot for boundaries.

Line Caps

The Cap buttons control how the ends of open paths are drawn:

  • Butt — the line ends exactly at its endpoint
  • Round — the line ends with a semicircle
  • Square — the line ends with a square that extends by half the stroke width

Line Joins

The Join buttons control how corners are drawn where segments meet:

  • Miter — sharp, pointed corners
  • Round — rounded corners
  • Bevel — flattened corners

Joins are most visible at sharp angles with thick strokes.

Stroke Shadow

Turn on Shadow in the stroke controls to add a drop shadow to the outline. See Shadows & Effects for the shadow controls.

More Stroke Types

Click + (Add Style Component) and choose from the STROKES group: Stroke, Arrowed Stroke, Rough Stroke, Zig-Zag Stroke, or Path Decorator. Stack several strokes to create double outlines or decorative borders.

Outlines of Notation Symbols

Double-click a symbol and click Shape Style in its floating toolbar. The popover lets you choose Draw only contour, and set the contour colour, type (dash pattern), width, and opacity, plus shadow and inner shadow.

Tips

  1. Match stroke width to scale — thinner for detailed diagrams, thicker for presentations
  2. Be consistent — vary width only for emphasis
  3. Use dash patterns with meaning — for example always dashed for "future state"
  4. Round caps and joins look friendlier; butt caps and miter joins look more technical