---
title: Smart Draw plugin
url: https://www.moldraw.com/docs/plugins/smart-draw-plugin-hand-drawn-sketch-to-structure/
section: Plugins
updated: 2026-10-11
publisher: LabCanvas
---

# Smart Draw plugin

> Install Smart Draw, pick the Smart Draw pencil in the left toolbar, sketch, then pause or press Enter to convert.

![MolDraw Smart Draw converting a freehand hexagon sketch into a clean cyclohexane ring with a methyl group](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/img/plugin-smart-draw-annotated-screenshot.webp)
*A hand-drawn hexagon with one extra stroke. Smart Draw turns it into methylcyclohexane.*

1. Smart Draw tool in the left toolbar.
2. Sketch area: freehand strokes are recognised as a ring plus a substituent bond.

## What it does

Draw with the Smart Draw pencil. MolDraw reads your strokes.

- Straight strokes become bonds.
- Closed shapes become rings of the same size.
- Written letters become atom labels.

The result is a normal MolDraw structure. You can edit it, clean it up or export it.

## Who it is for

Tablet and stylus users. Teachers who draw on a whiteboard. Students who find clicking slow.

## How to use it

1. Open the [MolDraw editor](https://www.moldraw.com/) and sign in. Click **Settings**, then **Plugins**, then **Install** next to Smart Draw.
2. Install Smart Draw from Settings , Plugins.
3. Select the **Smart Draw** tool in the left toolbar (callout 1).
4. Sketch bonds or a ring on the canvas (callout 2). Keep strokes reasonably straight.
5. Pause for about 1.2 s, or press **Enter**, to convert the strokes.
6. Write a letter at a bond end to place a heteroatom, or switch to the normal tools to refine.
7. Use **Cleanup** to tidy bond lengths and angles.

## Tips

- Draw rings in one continuous stroke for the best recognition.
- On iPad, use Apple Pencil and enable the touch-screen settings in Settings , Touch screen.
- After converting, copy the SMILES with Copy SMILES or check the formula with the [SMILES to formula](https://www.moldraw.com/tools/free-chem-tools/smiles-to-molecular-formula.html) tool.

## Questions and answers

**Does Smart Draw work offline?**
Yes. Stroke recognition runs locally in the browser; no data is sent to a server.

**Can I draw on a phone or tablet?**
Yes, with a finger or stylus. A stylus gives the cleanest strokes.

**What can it recognise?**
Single bonds, chains, rings (3 to 8 members), connections to existing atoms and simple atom labels.