Step 3:  Adding Items to your Design

In addition to standard area shapes, there is another type of area we call a '1D area'.  In Visio, most shapes are 2D, such as rectangles, circles, etc., but there is another type of shape called a '1D shape'.  Typically, these are lines of various types: straight, curving, right angle connectors.  These shapes are especially useful when drawing different types of curves, and while a Visio 1D shape has a length, it does not have a width or an area.

Quotation Apprentice can handle classic 1D shapes, such as irrigation lines or wires, but we have also created a new type of shape, the 1D area.  The usefulness of this can be seen in the Landscaping Knowledge Pack, where walls and paths are treated as 1D areas.  This allows the user to draw a variety of curved paths and walls that would be very difficult to reproduce as 2D shapes, and set the width through the dialog box.  The Apprentice uses the width information not only to calculate prices using rates, but also to size the shape appropriately in the scale drawing.  Aside from the differences in drawing behaviors, the 1D areas behave very similar to the 2D areas, with related items (in the example, hardscape services) and rate-based pricing.

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