How to Measure in DraftSight?

Understanding Area Measurement in Draftsight

Measuring area within Draftsight is essential for accurate drafting and design work. The following steps guide you through the process:

1. Access the tools by going to Tools and then selecting Inquiry, followed by Get Area (you may also simply type GetArea in the command line). This command allows you to measure specific areas within your drawing.

2. When prompted, choose the option Select Entity. This option is helpful for evaluating distinct geometric shapes such as circles, ellipses, arcs, or any polyline contours.

3. Click on the drawing entity within the graphics area to select the shape whose area you want to measure. Once selected, Draftsight will calculate and provide the area measurement on the command line.

Dimensioning in Draftsight

Applying dimensions accurately is crucial in technical drawings. Here’s how to update dimension values:

1. Begin by typing EditDimension in the command prompt. This command enables you to modify existing dimension values.

2. You will then need to specify what aspect you wish to change; for example, select Angle if you are adjusting an angular dimension.

3. Next, select the specific dimension you wish to update from the graphics area. To finish, simply press Enter to apply the changes. Your selected dimensions will now be updated in the drawing.

Changing Measurement Units

To maintain accuracy, it might be necessary to change the measurement units related to your project. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to Format and choose Unit System, or use the command UnitSystem directly in the command line.

2. A dialog box will appear allowing you to adjust various settings. Under Base Angle, Length, and Angle, set the desired units based on your project requirements.

3. Lastly, under Units Scale, select the appropriate reference measurement for blocks and drawings.

4. Confirm your settings by clicking OK.

Drawing Lines with Dimensions

Creating accurate lines in Draftsight with the defined dimensions can be done as follows:

1. Choose a starting point in your drawing area where you want your line segment to begin.

2. Next, specify the endpoint for the line segment you are drawing.

3. You can either indicate another point to create subsequent segments or simply press Enter to complete your line drawing.

Adjusting Dimension Sizes

If the dimensions present in the drawing are too small, adjusting their size is straightforward:

1. First, select the dimension that you want to enlarge.

2. Navigate to the properties tab where you will find the Text Height field.

3. Modify the text height by entering a desired numerical value, such as 10, to make the dimension text more prominent.

Changing Dimension Values

To revise dimension values quickly, follow these steps:

1. Invoke the command ReplaceDimensionText in the command prompt.

2. Enter the new dimension text or use specific symbols to indicate generated measurements. Using <> will represent the calculated value.

3. Click on the dimensions in the graphics area that you would like to update, then press Enter to apply the changes.

Joining Lines in Draftsight

For a cleaner drawing appearance, lines can be merged together as follows:

1. Select Edit Polyline from the Home tab under the Modify panel.

2. Choose the polyline, spline, line, or arc you want to modify.

3. Enter j to activate the Join command.

4. Select the lines or polylines that are aligned end to end that you wish to join.

5. Press Enter to finalize the join command.

Measuring Surface Area

For objects with more complex geometries, follow these steps to calculate surface area:

1. Begin by measuring the length and width of each face of the object.

2. For objects with two sides, multiply the area of one side by two.

3. Sum the areas of all faces together, as the total surface area will be the accumulation of the individual areas measured.