# Draw a wooden folding rule in Aquarell: connect sections through alternating joints

Language: en
Canonical: [Draw a wooden folding rule in Aquarell: connect sections through alternating joints](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-wooden-folding-rule-sections-alternating-joints/>)
中文：[中文 HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-wooden-folding-rule-sections-alternating-joints/>)
English: [English HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-wooden-folding-rule-sections-alternating-joints/>)
Published: 2026-11-14T00:00:00+08:00
Modified: 2026-11-14T09:37:30+08:00
Author: Bison

Trace an invented four-section rule through endpoints and overlaps without treating drawn graduations as measurements.

English translation of the [Chinese original](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-wooden-folding-rule-sections-alternating-joints/>), translated on 2026-11-14. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

An unfolded wooden rule looks like several strips but requires clear hinged continuity from one endpoint to the next. Draw an invented four-section zigzag in Aquarell, focusing on joints, thickness and graduation direction. Four sections belong to this exercise, not a claimed standard manufacturer model.

## Sketch four sections through five endpoints

Use an approximately 1800×1300 px canvas and five checking endpoints linked into four similar-looking zigzag sections. Slight perspective allows unequal screen lengths, but widths should belong to one rule. Keep joints open enough and the far section visible so the whole path can be traced. Inspect shadows if five sections appear; shift the final section if only three read. Five points and four segments are explicit illustration choices, not universal section counts or pixel-to-metre measurements.

## Give sections consistent width and edge thickness

Build paired edges around each centre path, with slightly rounded ends. Keep believable common width and thickness despite mild perspective, without one section becoming a beam. Use a narrow shaded near edge and directionally consistent end faces. Add separate joints and thickness if it looks like folded paper; repair endpoint contact before grain if it looks like loose sticks. Thickness is not a uniform black outline. Determine visible edges from overlap and stop far edges hidden below the next section.

## Connect exactly two adjacent sections at each hinge

Place one small hinge at each of the three internal turns, with both adjacent rounded ends overlapping around it. Check 1-to-2, 2-to-3 and 3-to-4 without skipping a section. Simplified metal patches may enclose ends, but add no rod linking all joints. Remove crossbars if it resembles a ladder; separate misplaced hinge centres if sections become petals on one hub. These are exterior joint cues, not disassembly, lubrication or spring-repair instructions, and drawn pivots prove no real operation.

## Check overlap along the connected path

Temporarily tint all four sections and establish an invented overlap: second above first, third below second, then fourth continuing. This readable alternation is not universal hinge construction. Stop occluded edges at joints and resume visible contours beyond them. Repair an edge cutting through metal rather than blackening the whole patch. Redraw any joint where one section appears simultaneously above and below the other. Head-to-tail arrows belong to guides, never exported graduations or components.

## Turn graduations with each section

Run short graduation marks along one chosen edge per section, using the same schematic long/short rhythm and rotating with the section rather than all pointing upward on screen. Begin sparsely and add only after checking direction. Omit numerals or use clearly dimensionless partial labels, not misleading centimetres restarting at joints. Real graduations require separate verification of dimensions and face conventions, outside this task. Let marks stop at metal plates instead of showing through them; readability matters more than density.

## Distinguish wood from metal plates

Use pale beige wood, warm-grey narrow sides, cooler metal patches and darker caps. Add only two or three grain marks along each section rather than identical copied specks. Keep shadows consistent and overlap gaps narrow, without bridge-like raised joints. Reduce and attach an edge misread as a fifth section. Soften a shadow mistaken for a connecting rod into ground colour. Balance graduations, grain and highlights around the four-section path; ageing noise cannot conceal a broken connection.

## Troubleshoot from the first end to the last

Hide marks and materials, then travel from one free end through three hinges to the other, crossing exactly four sections without a closed loop or extra branch. Restore marks and verify orientation and occlusion. Adjust the invented unfolded pose if a final section is unreadable rather than making wood transparent. Record a precise fault such as separated ends at hinge two or unrotated marks on section three. Connectivity checks the illustration, not real hinge travel or length accuracy.

## Reopen and distinguish free ends from joints

Save native work, hide endpoints and numbering, export PNG and reopen. Count two free ends and three internal hinges, then check marks staying on four sections. Reduce local darkness and enlarge the subject if joints merge at small size. Inspect exported guides if a duplicate strip appears instead of cropping a section. Reopen editable work and label four sections as schematic, without measured length. This explains continuity and stacking, not a certified measuring tool, manufacturing drawing, verified assembly or automatic graduation feature.

## Related tutorials and sources

[Draw a folded map in Aquarell: turn printed lines with the folds](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-accordion-map-folds/>); [Draw a folding fan in Aquarell: bring pleats and ribs to one pivot](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-folding-fan-pleat-pivot/>).

Sources checked on 14 November 2026: the [official Aquarell App Store listing](<https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id1591340577>) and [Apple Lookup](<https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1591340577&country=cn&entity=software&timestamp=20261114>) show version 1.0.7, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later. Use the publicly described brush, colour, layer and saving capabilities manually. Dimensions, view and colours are original exercise suggestions; confirm controls against the installed version. Keep editable native artwork and PNG previews. No step-by-step device testing, product inspection or species identification is claimed.

Structural reference: [STABILA’s wooden folding rule description](<https://www.stabila.com/en/products/details/series-500-wooden-folding-rule.html>) distinguishes wooden sections, jointing plates and springs. Model section count, accuracy class, thickness and locking angles are not adopted; internal spring sections are not invented.