Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

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Fran_iii
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Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by Fran_iii »

Guess I'm searching the topic incorrectly so thought I'd ask if some kind soul would pitch in and save me some time.

1 - Measure Distance Tool:

1a - If I read online correctly the Measure Distance tool in the Draft WB was not intended for precise measurements and has no way to make it snap to the end of a line or the corner of a box or to a midpoint or a face... right?

1b - Measurements using this tool show up in the Model Tree and can be moved, colored, font & line modified, etc. Right?

1c - To delete one of the Measure Distance Tool measurements just click on it in the Model Tree and hit Delete. Right?

2 - Measure Toolbox Tools :

2a - Measurements show up in Red and Green but there seems to be no way to move the resulting measurment farther away from the object or elsewhere... it is fixed in position... right?

2b - And does "clearing" the measurements delete them our just hide them?
2c - And how to delete selected measurements?
2d - And they are gone once you close the file... right?

Finally - So, if the above is true... how can you create accurate measurements that will remain and can be edited for properties like type size, line thickness, line end symbols, location, etc?

I'm sure the answers are already online somewhere but I haven't been able to find them so thanks for any help.

System:
Windows 10 Pro on 64-bit Intel I7 machine with 12 GB of Ram and 5 1-TB drives.
Running FreeCAD 0.19
Last edited by Fran_iii on Thu Oct 21, 2021 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Roy_043
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Re: Draft TB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by Roy_043 »

1. Assuming you are talking about Draft_Dimension objects:
1a. No. I hope you have nor reached that conclusion from reading the Wiki...
1b. Yes.
1c. Yes. You can also select them in the 3D view.
Fran_iii
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by Fran_iii »

Regarding 1a:
From: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=1956
Wmayer said...

"First of all this tool is available in all workbenches, not only in the inspection workbench. And also this tool is kept very simple, yes you can only measure the distance between two points. So far, there is no possibility to set constraints or so. The actual intention of it was to get a rough feeling in what dimension an object is, so if it's in meters, millimetres, nanometres, ... But you can't measure precisely with it as is."

So now I'm totally confused.
Is the Measure Distance Tool Accurate?
Can I make it snap to an end point, mid point, face, or whatever... or just snap between two lines?
Does it measure the "delta distance" between the two objects or "The shortest distance between where you clicked"?

Also any comments on the second set of questions would be helpful.

I really appreciate the assistance as I"m trying to navigate my way through the learning curve.
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by Shalmeneser »

Fran_iii wrote: Thu Oct 21, 2021 7:45 pm Regarding 1a:
From: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=1956
Wmayer said...
2011 ?
Archeology is bad with FC which runs fast.
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thomas-neemann
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by thomas-neemann »

Fran_iii wrote: Thu Oct 21, 2021 7:45 pm ....
Can I make it snap to an end point, mid point, face, or whatever... or just snap between two lines?.
yes that works in draft. i draw a line with snap functions and the length of the line is displayed. after that I delete the line
Gruß Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Thomas Neemann

https://www.youtube.com/@thomasneemann5 ... ry=freecad
Fran_iii
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by Fran_iii »

OK, I think Shalmeneser is telling me the Measure Distance tool in the Part WB has improved since the 2011 post I had read.

thomas-neemann said he uses it in the Draft WB and I just found a video on how to measure distance in the Draft WB by first changing the Plane to be parallel to what you are measuring and then using the Create a Dimension Tool to display the measurement... and that seems to work... BUT... if I translate the object the measurement doesn't translate with it so I guess I should make sure the object is where I want it before I use the Create Dimension Tool.

But I was initially talking about the Measure Distance tool in the Part WB...

I guess I'll switch to the Draft WB and experiment with the Measure Distance tool there...

Then go back to the Part WB and see if it works the same way there.
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thomas-neemann
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by thomas-neemann »

Fran_iii wrote: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:28 pm ...

thomas-neemann said he uses it in the Draft WB ...
here you can see it from min 0:31


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l0mXUF4wUs


phpBB [video]
Gruß Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Thomas Neemann

https://www.youtube.com/@thomasneemann5 ... ry=freecad
Fran_iii
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by Fran_iii »

FYI, I still can not get the "Measure Distance" tool to snap in Draft WB.
However "Create A Dimension" will snap in Draft WB.

I'm testing with two parallel lines looking at them from Top View.
I created each line in Draft WB with "Snap to Grid" on and snapped each end to a grid intersection so they are indeed parallel.

I've experimented with a variety of snaps turned on.

Was hoping that the "Measure Distance" tool would tell me how far the two lines are apart... but instead it gives me distance between the two points I snap to... aka the shortest distance between the two points... not the shortest distance between the two parallel lines.
TheMarkster
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by TheMarkster »

Enable the report view when using the Part workbench measurement tool. You will find there the distances along the x, y, z as well as direct line.
heda
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Re: Draft WB Measure Distance vs Measure Toolbox Tools

Post by heda »

you have 3 ways to measure in the gui
  1. Std_MeasureDistance takes screen position of the shape (i.e. line, vertex etc) clicked (so no snapping)
  2. Draft_Dimension works like any draft object, i.e. allows snapping/moving/etc (if selecting an edge the orientation of the edge overrules workplane)
  3. Part_Measure_Menu measures between shapes (faces, edges, vertexes), displays shortest distance and cartesian xyz distances
selecting 2 edges/lines with part measure gives you the shortest distance between 2 lines (regardless of start/end point or orientation).

or there are add-ons.

in summary - one can get any measure one could want, though it might not be presented or possible to manipulate in all the ways one would wish
I do not think std_measure_distance has changed the last 10 years, and maybe sometime in the future someone will code a more coherent scheme to make measurements - the fact that the tools look like they do is a testament that they full fill most peoples need, albeit with a bit of annoyance around them, but no one has been annoyed enough to code something different yet.

have you considered making a drawing (as in techdraw) instead of placing measurements in 3d?
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