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PencilCAD support

Answers to the questions we hear most. If yours isn’t here, email us: a person reads every message.

Email support

support@chockstonelabs.com. Tell us your iPad model and what you were doing, and attach a screenshot or logs if you can.

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Questions

Where are the settings?

Tap More, the last button on the toolbar, then Settings. The toolbar set, paper, page size, appearance, iCloud, privacy and diagnostics are all there.

How do I switch between the Sketch and CAD tools?

Open Settings → Tools and choose Sketch or CAD. Your pages stay the same. Only the toolbar changes.

Why didn’t my handwritten number become a dimension?

Numbers turn into dimensions in the Constrain tool, written close to the line, circle or pair of lines they size. Write the whole number in one go. If PencilCAD can’t read it for certain, it leaves your ink alone instead of guessing.

What does “can’t hold” mean on a constraint?

The new size or constraint fights one you already have. The card names the one in the way: tap Replace to swap them in one undo step, or Cancel to keep the drawing as it was.

How do I trace a photo or a PDF to scale?

Choose More → Import… and pick Photo, Scan paper or Files. The picture sits under the drawing on a locked layer. Open its panel from More or from the Underlay row in Layers, choose Set its scale, tap two points you know the distance between, and type that distance.

Why does my DXF or SVG open at the wrong size?

Check the units on both ends. PencilCAD writes millimetres or inches into the file, as you choose when you export. If the other app asks for units, pick the same ones, and make sure it isn’t set to scale the drawing to fit.

How do I turn on iCloud sync?

Open Settings → iCloud and turn on Sync with iCloud. You need to be signed in to iCloud on the iPad. Pages sync one by one through your own private iCloud database.

Can I draw on my iPhone?

No. On iPhone, PencilCAD is a viewer that shows the pages synced from your iPad, to pan, zoom and share. Drawing and editing happen on the iPad.

I tore out a page by mistake. Can I get it back?

Yes. Tap Undo on the page pill straight away, or choose Settings → Restore last page later.

How do I send a bug report?

Turn on Settings → Diagnostics → Detailed logging, make the problem happen again, then tap Export logs and email the file to support@chockstonelabs.com with a line about what you expected. Logs stay on your iPad until you export them.

What do I need to run PencilCAD?

An iPad with iPadOS 17 or later, and Apple Pencil. The iPhone viewer needs iOS 17 or later.

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