Selection and editing

Selector (S) moves, scales and rotates whole objects. Node editor (N) works inside a path, on nodes and handles — this is where shapes actually get their form. Tweak (W) pushes, roughens or recolors many objects at once with a brush, useful for organic textures. Measure (M) reports distances and angles across the canvas without adding anything to the drawing.

Shape tools

Rectangle (R), Ellipse (E), Star/Polygon (*), Spiral (I) and 3D Box (X) create parametric objects: the star keeps its corner count and spoke ratio, the rectangle its corner radius, and you can change those numbers any time. Convert to a path (Ctrl+Shift+C) only when you need node-level control, because the conversion is one-way.

Freehand and line tools

Pencil (P) draws freehand or straight segments and can smooth as you go. Bezier pen (B) places nodes deliberately and is the precise option. Calligraphy (C) produces variable-width strokes and responds to pen pressure on a tablet. All three produce paths — see the paths guide.

Text

Text (T) handles regular text, text on a path and flowed text inside a frame. Font, size, spacing and alignment live in the tool controls bar; text and typography covers the details that matter when a file leaves your machine.

Color and paint

Gradient (G) drags linear and radial gradients directly on the canvas and edits their stops. Mesh creates grid-based color blends for soft shading. Dropper (D) picks a color from anywhere on canvas — Shift+click assigns it to the stroke instead of the fill. Paint Bucket (U) fills an enclosed region with a new path, handy after tracing.

Connectors, clips and helpers

Connector (O) draws lines that stay attached to objects, which keeps flowcharts and diagrams tidy when boxes move. Zoom (Z) and Pages (P in newer releases) manage view and multi-page documents. Spray (A) scatters copies or clones of a selected object.

Beyond the toolbox

Two dialogs deserve tool status. Path → Trace Bitmap converts raster images into paths, and the XML editor (Ctrl+Shift+X) exposes the underlying SVG so you can fix precisely what is wrong with an imported file. Extensions add more still, from generators to machine output — see the software overview.

Learning them efficiently

Do not try to learn all of them. The selector, node editor, rectangle, ellipse, Bezier pen, text and gradient tools cover the large majority of real work; add the rest when a project asks for them. Pair that with the shortcut list and the toolbox stops being a wall of icons.