Document grid
Align and snap objects against a saved X/Y lattice with its own origin and rotation.
AlignmentCanvas systems / precision
Every grid has a job.
Varve separates alignment, pixel inspection, typography, and frame composition so your guides stay useful instead of becoming visual noise.
Document-authoredCamera-awareExport-safe
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Frame guide
Document gridFrame guide
Building responsive child relationships? Read the Auto Layout guide; canvas grids remain independent composition guides.
The grid family
Four systems. One clear canvas.
Choose the guide that matches the decision you are making.
Pixel grid
Inspect raster detail at high zoom. Display and integer-pixel snapping stay separate.
InspectionBaseline and isometric
Author typographic rhythm and exact axonometric axes for plane-aware construction.
Typography / constructionFrame layout guides
Show reusable columns, rows, or uniform boundaries without rearranging children.
Composition01 / Alignment
Document grid
The document grid is the dependable lattice for movement. Its geometry travels with the file, while view controls decide when that geometry is shown.
Find it in the inspectorDocument GridSaved in document
Show grid
Snap to document grid
Spacing X / Y8 / 12 px
Origin0, 0
Need magnetic pointer assistance as well? Configure its tolerance and candidate families in the Inspector's Document → Snapping section.
800%
One square = one document pixel
02 / Inspection
Pixel, baseline, and isometric overlays
Pixel-grid display is a high-zoom view preference. Pixel snapping is a separate choice, so a close inspection never forces a movement decision.
Baseline and isometric overlays are authored document settings. Their step, origin, axes, and visibility follow the same camera projection as the artwork.
02b / Construction
Isometric and axonometric construction
The isometric grid is a precise construction aid, not a filter. Pick a preset or enter an exact ratio — true isometric is 30°, and the 2:1 game-art preset storesatan2(1, 2) rather than a rounded degree value — then choose the plane you are building on: Top, Front, or Side. Drawing stays ordinary 2D work; the plane only interprets the pointer.
Spacing is the projected length of one step along each axis. Line separations are derived from that single number, so the three families always meet at real intersections instead of drifting apart.
Snapping resolves to the nearest lattice intersection, not to independently rounded coordinates, so dragging artwork onto the grid lands a real anchor on the grid. Fit to Plane is a deliberate, separate command for existing artwork, and Unproject applies the exact inverse. Turning the grid on never transforms anything by itself.
Isometric GridSaved in document
Show isometric grid
Snap to isometric grid
PresetDimetric 2:1 (26.565°)
Construction planeTop · Front · Side · Off
Spacing (axis step)24 px
Origin / rotation0, 0 · 0°
Fit existing artworkFit to plane · Unproject
03 / Composition
Frame layout guides
Layout guides belong to a frame, not to the auto-layout algorithm. Add one or more authored guides and choose columns, rows, or uniform tracks with their own count, size, gutter, margins, color, visibility, and snapping.
They never arrange or resize children. They simply make the frame's intended structure visible and give its children useful snap targets.
Hero frame
Content stays where you put it.
Guide Layouts workflow
Preview first. Keep ownership clear.
Open View → Guides → Guide Layouts… or press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G on a frame, a batch of selected frames, a publishing page, a master, or document defaults.
The dialog keeps keyboard focus inside while it is open and returns focus to the command when closed. For a frame target, select a frame before applying; without one, the dialog explains what is missing and disables Apply.
Add without surprises
Add to existing is the default. Replace all tells you how many layouts will be removed; Clear all is a separate confirmed action.
Preview, cancel, apply
Values preview immediately, invalid input keeps the last valid preview, and Apply creates one undo step. Escape and Cancel restore only the targeted guide fields.
Reuse structure, not links
Built-in and personal presets are copied and reminted. Batch application works across selected frames, while mixed existing collections remain safe to edit one frame at a time.
Pages inherit visibly
Page override wins over master, which wins over document defaults. Reset to inherited removes the page override without touching content.
Hidden does not mean inert: a hidden guide can still snap when global guide snapping and its snap toggle are enabled. Feedback names the exact winning segment as “Layout guide”.
Quick diagnosis
When a guide is not visible
- 01Check the global switch.
Turn on Show layout guides in the Document Grid section.
- 02Check the local switch.
The frame and each authored guide can be hidden independently.
- 03Check the active scope.
Guides outside the active page, canvas, master, or isolation scope stay out of view.
- 04Check the geometry.
Margins, count, fixed size, and gutter must fit inside the owning frame.
- 05Isometric grid shows but nothing snaps.
Check the global magnetic-snap switch, the grid's Snap to isometric grid toggle, and whether a custom third axis is drawn dashed — dashed directions are construction guides and are not snap targets.