Transform Box

The transform box moves, scales, stretches, and rotates a whole polygon at once — the shape and its rounded corners come along as one piece. It’s the fast way to reposition a structure or resize a custom-style footprint without touching individual vertices. To reshape a polygon vertex-by-vertex instead, use the Vertex Tool.

The transform box

A dashed blue box wraps the selected polygon, with a handle for every kind of edit:

• Center bubble — the grip in the middle. Drag it to move the whole box.
• Corner handles — the four corners. Drag one to scale the box uniformly.
• Edge handles — the midpoint of each side. Drag one to stretch along a single axis.
• Rotate handle — the dot on a short stem above the box. Drag it to spin the box.

Every gesture — a move, a scale, a stretch, a rotate — is a single change: one Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z undoes it completely. Each also marks the touched layer modified, and the change stays in your draft until you Publish.

Enter the transform box

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There are three ways in:

1. With the Select + Pan (hand) tool active, double-click a polygon. Its transform box appears.
2. To transform several polygons together, Shift-click each one, then Shift+double-click any member. One box wraps the whole group and moves them together.
3. With one or more polygons already selected, press M.

Notes

• The transform box is for polygons — structure outlines, custom-style shapes, and imported GeoJSON map-reference shapes. Double-clicking with the Select (arrow) tool opens the Vertex Tool instead, for vertex-by-vertex editing.
• Imported GeoJSON reference shapes show a light dashed outline as you drag; all other polygons preview live inside the box.

Move the box

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1. Point at the center bubble in the middle of the box.
2. Press and drag. The box and its polygon follow the cursor.
3. Release to commit the move.

Notes

• Only the round handles transform the shape — corners scale, edge midpoints stretch, and the stem handle rotates. Dragging anywhere else, even inside the box, pans the map.
• Each move is a single undo step (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z).

Scale from a corner

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1. Point at any corner handle.
2. Press and drag. The box resizes uniformly — width and height scale together — while the opposite corner stays pinned in place.
3. Release to commit.

Notes

• Rounded corners scale proportionally with the shape, so the outline keeps its look.
• Each scale is a single undo step.

Stretch from an edge

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1. Point at an edge handle — the midpoint of any side.
2. Press and drag. The box stretches along that one axis only, and the opposite edge stays pinned.
3. Release to commit.

Notes

• A side handle changes width or height; a corner handle changes both. Stretch to change a shape’s proportions.
• Each stretch is a single undo step.

Rotate the box

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1. Point at the rotate handle — the dot on the short stem above the box.
2. Press and drag around the center. The box and its polygon spin to follow.
3. Hold Shift while dragging to snap the angle to 15° steps.
4. Release to commit.

Notes

• Rotation turns the box around its center, so the shape stays put while it spins.
• Each rotate is a single undo step.

Exit the transform box

Leave the transform box when you’re done:

• Press Escape, or
• Click anywhere off the box.

Either one returns you to the Select tool with the box dismissed. Nothing is left half-applied — each gesture already committed on its own release, and any gesture you cancel with Escape mid-drag leaves the polygon exactly as it was.

Glossary

• Transform box — the dashed blue box that moves, scales, stretches, and rotates a whole polygon as one.
• Center bubble — the middle grip; drag it to move the box.
• Corner handle — a box corner; drag it to scale uniformly about the opposite corner.
• Edge handle — a side midpoint; drag it to stretch one axis with the opposite edge pinned.
• Rotate handle — the dot on the stem above the box; drag it to spin the box, Shift to snap to 15°.
• Group box — one transform box wrapping several Shift-selected polygons that move together.

Related

• Vertex Tool
• Direct Select
• Select + Pan (Hand Tool)