Add LaTeX equations to a diagram

The Math tool lets you place a typeset equation anywhere on the canvas, alongside the rest of your diagram. The source stays LaTeX, the render uses KaTeX, and you can re-open the source any time. This guide assumes you’ve done the 5-step tutorial and want a task-by-task recipe book.

Start an equation

You want to	Do this
Place a new equation	Click the fx icon in the bottom toolbar, then click on the canvas.
Same, keyboard-only	Press `/`, then click on the canvas.
Re-edit an existing equation	Double-click it. The inline editor reopens with the original LaTeX.
Cancel an empty equation	Press `Esc` while the input is empty — the shape is removed.

Type math

The textarea is plain LaTeX. The preview below it re-renders on every keystroke, so syntax errors show up immediately (highlighted in red, never breaking the editor).

\int_0^{\infty} e^{-x^2} \, dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}

\sum_{i=1}^n i = \frac{n(n+1)}{2}

\hat{y} = \sigma(W x + b)

See the Math reference for the full vocabulary (Greek, operators, decorations, matrices, chemistry, etc.).

Multi-line systems with equation numbers

Wrap the block in align for paper-style equation numbers (1), (2), (3). drawtonomy ensures the equation bodies and the numbers never overlap, even at large sizes.

\begin{align}
  \nabla \cdot \mathbf{E} &= \frac{\rho}{\varepsilon_0} \\
  \nabla \cdot \mathbf{B} &= 0 \\
  \nabla \times \mathbf{E} &= -\frac{\partial \mathbf{B}}{\partial t} \\
  \nabla \times \mathbf{B} &= \mu_0 \mathbf{J} + \mu_0 \varepsilon_0 \frac{\partial \mathbf{E}}{\partial t}
\end{align}

Use align* or aligned if you want alignment without numbering.

Chemistry — `mhchem`

mhchem is bundled — \ce{...} for reactions and \pu{...} for units render with proper arrows, subscripts, and roman-styled units.

\ce{H2 + Cl2 -> 2 HCl}

\ce{H2O ->[\text{electrolysis}] H2 + 1/2 O2}

\pu{2.5 km/h}

Color and size

Select the equation. The Math (LaTeX) panel sits in the top right:

Color — palette swatch, or More… for the full color palette.
Size — slider, 8 px (footnote) to 200 px (poster headline). Drag the slider to scrub; the change collapses into one undo step.

For grayscale-print figures (most IEEE / journal pages), pick black or a dark grey — the equation will still read after conversion.

Rotate

Grab the rotation handle on top of the selection box and drag. Math is a regular shape, so the entire rendered equation rotates together.

Move with the keyboard

With one or more Math shapes selected:

Keys	Effect
Arrow keys	Move by 1 px
`Shift` + arrow	Move by 10 px

Copy and paste

Cmd+C then Cmd+V. The copy is placed at +20 px offset so you can see it. The LaTeX source is preserved.

Persistence

While you’re working, drawtonomy autosaves the canvas to localStorage (debounced, also flushed on tab close). After a page reload, your equations come back exactly as they were — LaTeX source, color, size, position.

Export to the right format

You want to put the equation in…	Export as
A LaTeX paper (most common)	PDF — text is path-converted, no font issues.
A LaTeX paper, vector-embedded	SVG (via the `svg` package) or EPS.
Google Slides / Keynote / PowerPoint	PNG (transparent background) or SVG if the tool supports it.
A Notion / Confluence / blog post	SVG for sharp scaling, PNG if the platform rejects SVG.
A figure you’ll re-edit later	.drawtonomy.svg — drawtonomy’s native re-editable format. It’s also a valid SVG.

See export formats for the full matrix. The render path for math is the same as for the rest of the canvas, so equations export at the same fidelity as everything else.

When not to use the Math tool

Inline math in a paragraph of text — drawtonomy’s Text and Math shapes are separate. For an equation that flows inside a sentence, use plain Text for the sentence and place a small Math shape next to it. (Real inline math belongs in your LaTeX source or a Notion-style editor, not in a whiteboard.)
Computation — drawtonomy renders LaTeX, it doesn’t evaluate it. For step-by-step solutions, use a CAS (Mathematica, SymPy) and paste the resulting LaTeX into drawtonomy for the figure.