Working with Linear Measurements

Create a Linear Dimension Markup

Find coordinates of a point

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Point Coordinates. Red dots designate available points on the model.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click the point on the model whose coordinates you want to see. Crosshairs indicate when the pointer is properly positioned over a point.
Drag the label and click to set it in position.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Find coordinates of an arc center

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Arc Center Coordinates.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Position your pointer over the circle/arc whose center coordinates you want to see. The circle/arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click the highlighted circle/arc.
Drag and click to position the label in the scene.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Find coordinates of a point on a surface

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Surface Point Coordinates.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Position your pointer over the point on a surface whose coordinates you want to see. The surface is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned and red crosshairs indicate the location of the point.
Click on the surface point.
Drag and click to position the label in the scene.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure an edge length

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Edge Length.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Position your pointer over the edge whose length you want to measure. The edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned.
Click the highlighted line.
Drag and click to position the label in the scene.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure thickness

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Thickness.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Position your pointer over the surface whose thickness you want to measure. The edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned.
Click a surface on the model.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

By default, the Thickness command measures the direct (Normal) thickness of an object. To measure the thickness of an object with respect to an axis, click an axis radio button in the Point to Point Measurement dialog box.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure point to point distance

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Point to Point.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click a point on the model. Red dots designate available points on the model. Crosshairs indicate when the pointer is properly positioned over a point.
Click another point on the model.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

By default, the Point to Point command measures the direct (Normal) distance between two points. To measure the distance between the two points with respect to an axis, click an axis radio button in the Point to Point Measurement dialog box.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure point to edge distance

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Point to Edge.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click a point on the model. Red dots designate available points on the model. Crosshairs indicate when the pointer is properly positioned over a point.
Click an edge on the model. The edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

By default, the Point to Point command measures the direct (Normal) distance between two points. To measure the distance between the two points with respect to an axis, click an axis radio button in the Point to Point Measurement dialog box.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure arc center to edge distance

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Point to Arc Center to.Edge.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click an arc on the model. An arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click an edge on the model. An edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Drag the label and click to set it in position.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure the distance between two arc centers

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Arc Center to Arc Center.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click the first arc you want to measure in the model. An arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click the second arc.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

To measure the centerline of an arc to centerline of an arc distance, right-click on the Arc Center to Arc Center markup label and click on Centerline. The label will now show the centerline of an arc to centerline of an arc distance.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure arc center to surface point distance

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Arc Center to Surface Point.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click an arc in the assembly. An arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click a point on a surface. Red dots designate available points on the model. Crosshairs indicate when the pointer is properly positioned over a point.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure surface point to surface point distance

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.
Select Surface Point to Surface Point.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click a point on a surface of the model. Red dots designate available points on the model. Crosshairs indicate when the pointer is properly positioned over a point.
Click another point on a surface of the model.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure surface point to an edge distance

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Surface Point to Edge.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click a point on the surface. Red dots designate available points on the model. Crosshairs indicate when the pointer is properly positioned over a point.
Click an edge on the model. The edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

To cancel this operation, press Esc on your keyboard.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure tube length

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Tube Length.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click a starting arc radius on the model. (Recommendation: To find arc radii more easily, select your model and render as smooth surfaces with edges. See also Measurement Tips.)
Continue to click radii on the model in sequence until the end is reached.
A green line that traverses the center of the tube will indicate what will be measured.
Click the end arc radius a second time to end the measurement.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If the green indicator line appears incorrect then you either did not select the correct sequential arc or a portion of the tube cannot be measured correctly by SpinFire 11.0.

You can save your annotation and tube measurement in your .3D file and recall it when you open the file again. Previous versions of SpinFire will not allow you to view tube lengths; however, the .3D files will open without them.

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Determine sum of connected edges

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Click Sum of Connected Edges.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click each connected edge that you would like to measure. An edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Double-click to end selection and display the measurement label.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure minimum distance between parts/surfaces

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Minimum Distance....
Choose the type of object(s) you are measuring: Parts (default) or surfaces.
Click the part or parts (or surfaces) on the model to create SET1. When you have finished selecting, click the Stop Selection button.
Click the part or parts (or surfaces) on the model to create SET 2. When you have finished selecting, click the Stop Selection button.
Click the Calculate button to display the measurement label.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure minimum thickness of parts/surfaces

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Minimum Thickness....
Choose the type of object(s) you are measuring: Parts (default) or surfaces.
Click the part or parts (or surfaces) on the model to create your set of objects. When you have finished selecting, click the Stop Selection button.
Under Parameters, select values from the draft angel and modeling tolerance drop-down lists.
Click the Calculate button to display the measurement label.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If red dots do not appear on the model when you call the command, you may need to go to the 3D Viewer Settings page and click the Points Visible on Picking checkbox.

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure minimum distance between edges

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Minimum Distance Between Edges.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click an edge on the assembly. An edge is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click another edge on the assembly.
Drag the label into position and click once

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure minimum distance between two surfaces

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Minimum Distance Between Two Surfaces.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click a surface on the assembly. A surface is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click a second surface on the assembly.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure minimum distance from arc center to surface

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Minimum Distance from Arc Center to Surface.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click an arc on the assembly. An arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Click a surface on the assembly. A surface is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure boundary center by edges

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Boundary Center by Edges.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click an edge or arc on the assembly. An edge or arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
If necessary, continue clicking connected edges or arcs on the model until SpinFire 11.0 can determine the edges of a boundary.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Boundary area by edges

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select Boundary Area by Edges.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click an edge or arc on the assembly. An edge or arc is highlighted when the pointer is properly positioned for selection.
If necessary, continue clicking connected edges or arcs on the model until SpinFire 11.0 can determine the edges of a boundary.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

Measure distance between two surfaces

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. (How? Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear icon. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.)
Select to Distance Between Two Surfaces.
Optional: Navigate to or enter a hyperlink to a file or a ???.
Click on a surface of the model.
Click on a second surface of the model.
Drag the label into position and click once.

Note

If you want to add several of the same type of markup, you may select the Lock tool checkbox that appears when you select a markup command. This will allow you to keep adding the same type of markup to the scene until you click Stop.

The context menu contains functions based on the selected markup type. For example, a point coordinates markup context menu will differ slightly from an Arc Center to Arc Center markup context menu. (See the Markup Context Menu for details.)

FUNCTIONS TO BE INCLUDED? We talked about Extents. Not sure if this is a "linear" measurement. Maybe have another set of measurements which include min. bounding box, axis aligned bounding box, volume, surface area, weight calculation.

I have to check if the Tube Length Bill of Materials will be included in the release build.

Measure the extents of a model

The Extent Box command draws a box around an object in the scene along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes.

Select the Assembly pane.
Click Scene. If you would rather measure the extents of a part or subassembly, then click that object instead.
Click the Extent Box button. This button is located at the top of the Assembly pane.

Measure the extents of a single part

The Extent Box command draws a bounding box around a single part and measures the part along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes.

Select the Assembly pane.
Select the part, assembly, or sub-assembly that you would like to measure.
Click the Extent Box button.This button is located at the top of the Assembly pane.

Create a tube length bill of materials

The Tube Length Bill of Materials command exports the measurements of the model's existing tube lengths to a .csv file.

Prerequisites:

Tube length measurements have been created.
In the Markups view, any Tube Length markups that are checked will be used to create the Bill of Materials. Check/Uncheck the markups appropriately.

Open the Linear menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. How?Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Linear button. You should see a drop-down menu listing the available commands.
Point to Tubing.
Click Tube Length Bill of Materials.
Select a folder and file name to save the bill of materials .csv file.
Click OK.

Known Limitations

Differing Diameters

The Tube Length Bill of Materials uses the diameter measurement from the start of the tube. If a the tube changes in diameter, this can be reported in the Bill of Materials incorrectly.

Unicode Characters

Because the CSV format is simply a text delimited file, some characters could not be properly represented. Bill of Materials in Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), and Korean will export in English.