Scott_R Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 I know there's a way to measure a distance from an object, but is there any way to measure a distance between two points on the canvas? I.e., say I have a closed irregular shape, and I want to measure a certain distance from one of its perimeter lines to a point within. I can't select the object and press Command to measure, since that only gives me the distance from its outermost component to a different object (if any) within. But if the object is irregular and I want to measure from a part of it closer to its center to a point (not object) within--our outside it, for that matter--this method fails in two regards--the measurement doesn't start from that inner line, and there's no second object to measure to. I was hoping for a tool that simply measured the distance between any points A and B. nodeus, Aftemplate, DressCodeless and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdenby Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 AFAIK, there's no dimensioning tool, aka "tape measure." You might want to look into a CAD program, like LibreCAD, or the free SketchUp for private use. The dev comments for AD mention that the app at this point is being developed for general use scenarios. Basic stability & features that are must haves for a majority of users. If you can describe how such a tool is used by you to what end, and the team decides its something that many people could use, put it in the feature requests. (He howled so loudly it could be heard throughout the earth... Out of the skull sprang Athena full grown and in a full set of armour) Software development is neither as easy or quick. Quote iMac 27" Retina, c. 2015: OS X 10.11.5: 3.3 GHz I c-5: 32 Gb, AMD Radeon R9 M290 2048 Mb iPad 12.9" Retina, iOS 10, 512 Gb, Apple pencil Huion WH1409 tablet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott_R Posted February 25, 2018 Author Share Posted February 25, 2018 Well, I don't need any 3D drawing at all, and I absolutely loathe web-based applications. I already own Affinity Design so I was hoping it had this feature. And since it's relevant to something I'm doing now (rather than something I'll need in the future) and had been asked for by others in the past, that hope extended to it having been implemented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_B_C Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Well, you can always draw a straight line from point A to point B and use the side lengths of the line’s bounding box to calculate the distance between A and B. MikeTO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R C-R Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 11 hours ago, A_B_C said: Well, you can always draw a straight line from point A to point B and use the side lengths of the line’s bounding box to calculate the distance between A and B. While not elegant, you could do this in Affinity Designer: 1. Draw the A to B line 2. In the Transform panel in the x field, enter sqrt(w^2+h^2) then press Return or Tab 3. The new x value is the distance between A & B 4. Delete the A to B line lukasivanovic and A_B_C 2 Quote All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7 Affinity Photo 1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl123 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 If you like it quick and dirty, try this... 1. Draw a line from A to B 2. In the Transform panel rotate the line so it is perfectly horizontal (Use CTRL + Arrow keys to rotate in 0.1 degree increments if needed) 3. With the line still selected hit the Reset Selection Box button in the context toolbar The width now displayed in the Transform panel is the original A to B distance lukasivanovic and R C-R 2 Quote To save time I am currently using an automated AI to reply to some posts on this forum. If any of "my" posts are wrong or appear to be total b*ll*cks they are the ones generated by the AI. If correct they were probably mine. I apologise for any mistakes made by my AI - I'm sure it will improve with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glinkot Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 A measurer would be great. Particularly for the isometric grids and things like that - the demo of isometric drawing had the instructor hand counting how many large/small divisions between objects - a little arrow that shows distance between elements on a given plane would be excellent. For Max users there's XScope, which is great for lots of things, but for windows I haven't found anything similar. Let me know if you know of one! Thanks Klababa and Lutz Pietschker 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyRover Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 I just got this program expecting it to be like PageStream, which gave me the dimensions of my lines. For some reason this feature is not here though from the comments I can see the math is available to do transforms and find the line dimensions in a roundabout fashion. I don't like the 'tape measure' tool, Pagestream had a window with the co-ordinates and dimensions of the drawn object. I'm afraid I'll have to find another program to do my drawings RockyRover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixx Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 Indeed AD should be able to tell length of a line. I hope it will be added soon. sqrt(w^2+h^2) works but surely feels a funny UI for a measure tool 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyRover Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 I can't understand Design without measurement. The designs will be applied in the real world and so the dimensions come from there also. SoftLogic Pagestream, although a desktop publishing program, was able to supply drawings and designs that satisfied theatre set builders, surveyors, government offices and home buyers. AD offers far more Ilustration power but it's not much help for drawing plans without providing the built-in math in a readout That sqrt(w^2+h^2) is going to be a very British kludge! ( I love English Motorcycles therefor I can build one ) Aftemplate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aftemplate Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 Besides. Vector curve length measurement. There is also area measurement. Quote The more restricted you put on the program, the closer you program is to idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_James_Ghost Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 Totally agree, would love a tape measure tool across all 3 products. Please implement! Loyal Affinity Customer. -John R. Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. Aftemplate, DressCodeless and pruus 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Kominek Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 +1 hoping this gets implemented. DressCodeless and Aftemplate 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamanderside Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 (edited) I'mma +1 this as well. I work side-by-side with our engineers, a measuring tool would be indispensable when they send cad drawings to have decals made. Edited June 18, 2021 by warzmanda clarification Aftemplate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain_Villager Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) I have not even opened Affinity because it does not give me dimensions. Soft logic Pagestream had an inspector that draws all the dimensions of your drawing. I used it for everything tho it was ostensibly a Desktop Publisher. Edited June 19, 2021 by Mountain_Villager Aftemplate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.skill Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 +1 for a measuring tool! Essential for laser cutting Aftemplate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebastienbarre Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 I'm not sure when it was implemented, but I'm using 1.9.3 and if you draw a line, the Transform panel will show its length (the L: field). No need to sqrt() :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamSteele Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 For one or two simple measurements between 2 points I use a 1990's kludge: Draw a box between them, or a line, and get the dimension off the Transform palette. Works with all 3 pgms. But really Affinity, You should at least have a tape measure. Aftemplate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.skill Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 2 hours ago, SamSteele said: For one or two simple measurements Measuring a straight line or a distance between 2 shapes is not a problem… What we need is the ability to precisely measure a curved line. Aftemplate, TomT and Panthamilk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTO Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 On 4/24/2020 at 1:46 AM, RockyRover said: I just got this program expecting it to be like PageStream, which gave me the dimensions of my lines... Pagestream had a window with the co-ordinates and dimensions of the drawn object. Designer and Publisher have almost the same measurement features as PageStream's "Edit Palette" did. Turn on View > Studio > Transform and you'll see X/Y, width/height, rotation, and slant. The other PageStream Edit Palette features for objects such as corner radii and flip can be found in Affinity's Context Bar. I don't think there's anything you used in PageStream that isn't available in Affinity. On 6/18/2021 at 10:32 PM, Mountain_Villager said: I have not even opened Affinity because it does not give me dimensions. Soft logic Pagestream had an inspector that draws all the dimensions of your drawing. Dimensions are there, just in a different location. PageStream had only one floating palette or panel because it was a first-gen UI approach to breaking free of menus and dialog boxes. Before that UI feature was introduced, you had to keep choosing menu commands and closing dialog boxes to accomplish anything. Screen resolutions were tiny back in the nineties so there was just one palette, there wasn't space for anything else. The Affinity apps use a newer UI approach that combines a dynamic palette (Context Bar) with a right column of panels that you can organize however you like. Serif chose to put measurements into the Transform panel instead of in the Context Bar and perhaps you don't have Transform visible. Quote Download a free manual for Publisher 2.4 from this forum - expanded 300-page PDF My system: Affinity 2.4.2 for macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.skill Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 11 hours ago, sebastienbarre said: Transform panel will show its length (the L: field). Yes, but no ability to measure a curved shape or line. Aftemplate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamSteele Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 9 hours ago, ra.skill said: Yes, but no ability to measure a curved shape or line. Out of curiosity, and if you can share it, I would be interested to see an image(s) of the shapes you are talking about. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.skill Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 On 7/5/2021 at 5:07 AM, SamSteele said: Out of curiosity, and if you can share it, I would be interested to see an image(s) of the shapes you are talking about. Cheers! Hi @SamSteele I use Affinity for many different uses, from technical drawing, graphics, laser cutting through to pattern drafting for fashion garments... Pattern drafting for fashion garments is the use that I particularly need a measurement tool for, as I need to measure the length of 1 curved line and match it to the length of another curved line (see image attached). In illustrator there is a documents info window that shows you the length of any line no matter what its shape (see image). I really wish Affinity would bring this option... it's a very simple tool but essential, plus I think affinity has the ability to bring this info in a more user friendly way that Ai's ugly, hidden window pane. DressCodeless and Aftemplate 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconoclast Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Yes, even I didn't miss it yet, a measurement tool would be cool. In the meantime I would use the Rectangle Tool and the Transform Panel. ra.skill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firstdefence Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 So basically bring a bit of CAD into the apps, it's a shame the likes of Hot Doors CADtools (Illustrator Add-on) can't be made to work in Affinity Designer. Aftemplate and DressCodeless 2 Quote iMac 27" 2019 Somona 14.3.1, iMac 27" Affinity Designer, Photo & Publisher V1 & V2, Adobe, Inkscape, Vectorstyler, Blender, C4D, Sketchup + more... XP-Pen Artist-22E, - iPad Pro 12.9 (Please refrain from licking the screen while using this forum) Affinity Help - Affinity Desktop Tutorials - Feedback - FAQ - most asked questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.