Measure Distance shows the distance between two points that you click on a model, or between two features such as planes, cylinders or circles. Use it to check a dimension of a part: the length of an edge, the height of a step, the distance between two holes.
Measure a distance
- Select the object in the Scene Tree.
- Click Inspect › Measure Distance. The panel asks you to select two points and/or features.
- Click the first point on the model, then the second point.
The panel shows the result, for example 3D distance 249.695 mm, and the X, Y and Z coordinates of Point 1 and Point 2. The same value appears as a label next to the measurement line in the viewport.
To measure the next distance, just click two new points. New Measurement also starts a new measurement, and Reset clears the points you have picked.
3D or along one axis
The four buttons at the top of the panel set what is measured:
| Button | What it measures |
|---|---|
| 3D | The straight distance between the two points. This is the default. |
| X, Y, Z | Only the part of the distance along this axis, for example the height difference along Z. |
Where the measurements are kept
With Add to Scene turned on (the default), each finished measurement stays in the scene as an object named Distance 1, Distance 2 and so on, in a Dimensions folder under the measured object in the Scene Tree. Hide or delete it there like any other object. With Add to Scene turned off, each new measurement replaces the previous one.
Point placement options
| Option | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Snap to vertex | Each point jumps to the nearest mesh vertex, for example to an exact corner. Hold Shift to place one point freely on the surface. | On |
| Snap to edge | Each point jumps to the nearest mesh edge. | Off |
| Chain measurements | Each new measurement starts at the end point of the previous one. Hold Ctrl (Cmd on macOS) to chain one measurement. | Off |
| Place point on the surface of a feature | The point is placed on the surface of a feature instead of using the feature as a whole. Hold Alt (Option on macOS) for one point. | Off |
Holding the key turns the option the other way while you hold it: if the box is ticked, holding the key turns it off.
Measure between features
You can click features instead of points: a point, line, plane, circle, sphere, cylinder or cone that you have fitted to the model with the Create group of the Inspect tab. This is the reliable way to measure a scan, where single vertices are noisy: fit a plane to each face, then measure between the planes. See How to create and measure features.
Advanced settings › Mode sets how the distance between features is computed:
| Mode | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Simple (default) | The distance between the centers or central axes of the features. |
| Exact (separation distance) | The exact gap between the features. Not all combinations of features are supported. |
For two plain points both modes give the same result.
The Subfeatures section lists the reference points and lines of the clicked features, for example the center of a circle or the axis of a cylinder. Click one to measure from it.
Compare with a nominal value
Open Nominal & Tolerance after a measurement (before it, the section says Perform a distance measurement first.). Enter the Nominal distance, the design value, and the allowed Tolerance to compare the measured distance with the design. To check many dimensions of a part in one document, see Quality Control Report.
To measure an angle instead of a distance, use Measure Angle.
