Transform panel does not show Height, it shows Length.

[SamSteele]

The Transform panel does not show Height, it shows Length in all Affinity apps.

A can of pop standing up is approx 4¾" high x 2 5/8" wide (120 cm H  x 65 cm W). Lying down, it is approx 2 5/8" high by 4¾" wide. 

However, in all three Affinity applications, a pop can lying down shows as 4¾" HIGH x 2 5/8" wide. On other words, the Transform panel reports LENGTH (not height) regardless of orientation. Please see sample illustrations.

[sfriedberg]

@SamSteeleI believe you misunderstand what the Transform panel is telling you.  It does not tell you the bounding box of the object in its current orientation.  It tells you the bounding box of the object in the original orientation, and tells you what the current orientation is.  Do not expect the values for W and H to change one bit as you rotate the object.

Evidently, that purple rectangle was originally drawn (click/dragged) in the portrait (taller than wide) orientation.  If you were to create a new green rectangle in the landscape orientation, you would see that its W will remain larger than its H in all orientations as you rotate it after creation.

[SamSteele]

I understand what you are saying and that is my point: the values do not change but the Symbol H for the word "Height' is incorrect. H, meaning Height in English, refers to the vertical dimension or North-South dimension. There may be an engineering description which describes it better than I have. Up and Down Length would be simple terminology. For oddly shaped things or plane figures rotated off the vertical, one would measure from the base of the figure to a horizontal tangent touching the highest point. Height is always the perpendicular measure of something.

A measure off the perpendicular, i.e. rotated, is not height, it is length. Affinity's Transform panel shows Length, not Height.

A tree growing in a forest could be 300 feet HIGH, but when it is on the ground it is 300 feet LONG. The longest dimension of anything is always called "Length", regardless of orientation. The only exception that I can think of is a 6 ft dead man lying in his coffin. The man could be described as 6 feet TALL but his coffin would be 6 ft (plus a bit) LONG.

 

[Pšenda]

5 hours ago, SamSteele said:

The Transform panel does not show Height, it shows Length in all Affinity apps.

 

 

[Pšenda]

25 minutes ago, SamSteele said:

Affinity's Transform panel shows Length, not Height.

No. The transform panel shows the dimensions of the "object", not the dimensions of its projection on the canvas, and therefore does not change with its rotation - the object is still the same height/width, even if it is rotated. It's like in space, where there is no top/bottom, but the object still has some height/width.

 

P.S. What would the dimensions be called if the rotation was 45°, would it be still height, or would it be length?

Or if the canvas/document "View" rotates? Should all dimensions be renamed?

Edited April 18, 2021 by Pšenda

[Old Bruce]

Here is a trick, when the item is rotated just group it and the transform panel will show the Width and Height for the group (even if it consists of only one layer) in the way you want it.

[MEB]

Hi @SamSteele, @Old Bruce,
There's no need to group the object with itself. Just click the Cycle Selection Box button in the context toolbar (Move Tool).

[SamSteele]

Ahh, so THAT'S what those things are for. I guess I should play with them. Never stop learning, eh?

Thanks MEB.