Measuring Distances in the Autodesk Viewer

Any referenced datasets can be downloaded from "Module downloads" in the module overview.

Measure Distances in the Autodesk Viewer - Exercise

In this exercise, you will set up and measure distances in the Autodesk Viewer and test them against the original model in Revit. You will also post comments that include measurements.

You need to have access to Revit and a shared view to work through these steps. If you have not created a shared view in an earlier exercise, do that now. If you do not have access to Revit, ask someone who does to create a shared view and you can work through the Autodesk Viewer portion of the practice. You will also need a free Autodesk Account to access the Markup tools, but the rest of the Autodesk Viewer tools are available without signing in. 

  1. Open the Small Medical Center shared view through Revit or through a link that was shared with you.
  2. In the Autodesk Viewer, sign in to your Autodesk account.
  3. In the toolbar at the bottom of the window, click Measure.
  4. In the Measure toolbar, click Settings to open the dialog box.



  5. Set the Unit to Feet and Fractional Inches. Click Settings to close the dialog box.
    • If that Feet and Fractional Inches is not an available option in the Unit drop-down list, it can be set from the main Settings menu on the Configuration tab under Display Units, as shown below.



  6. Zoom in so you are closer to the end of the building.
  7. Move the cursor so you can see snap points on the 3D model.
  8. Click one endpoint snap and the other endpoint snap along the base of the wall.  You may not pick exactly the right points but get close.



  9. Open Revit if needed. Open the Small Medical Center_A-2021.rvt file if it is not already open.
  10. Open the Working Ground Floor Plan.



  11. In the Quick Access Toolbar, click Measure Between Two References.
  12. Pick points on each end of the wall on the right.



  13. The temporary dimension and the Options Bar displays that the distance is 71'-0".



  14. Switch back to Autodesk Viewer and review the measurement you made. Modify the endpoints if needed to get closer to 71'-0".
  15. Orbit and zoom to see the front door. You are still in the Distance tool. Measure the opening of the door.



  16. Switch back to Revit and measure the door opening size. It should be 5'-8".
  17. Switch to in the Autodesk Viewer.
  18. In the Measure toolbar, click Calibrate.
  19. Pick two points that define the door opening.
  20. In the Calibration dialog box, set Define Size to 6'-0" and click Calibrate.



  21. Click Distance. The measurement returns and now displays 6'-0".
  22. Pan over to see the other dimension. It has changed as well.



  23. Change the calibration back to 5'-8". 
  24. Click Measure to see the correct measurements.
  25. In the top toolbar, click Comments. The Comments pane displays where you see a copy of the existing view with the measurements showing.
  26. Type in a short question such as  "These are the dimensions I'm using. Are they right?" and click Post.



  27. Switch back to Revit.
  28. In the Shared Views palette, click Refresh.



  29. Review the comment. Click Reply, type "Good for a general estimate," and click Post.



  30. Switch back to Autodesk Viewer.
  31. In the browser, click in the URL and press <Enter> to reload the page. It zooms back out to the original view, but you can also see the reply.



  32. Use the ViewCube to switch to the Front view and zoom in on the Lobby area.
  33. In the Measure tool, select Angle and pick three points that define the angle, as shown below.



  34. Create a section view modifying the Z-plane so you can see the area under the canopy.



  35. In the ViewCube, click Top so you are looking straight down. Zoom in as needed to see this view.



  36. Click Measure.
  37. Select the angle dimension. In the Measure toolbar, click Clear.
  38. In the Measure toolbar, click Settings.
  39. In the dialog box, select Enable free measure.



  40. Click Settings again to close the dialog box.
  41. In the Measure toolbar, click Distance. Add several approximately 6'-0" dimensions down the sidewalk, as shown below.



  42. In the Comments pane, type "Add circle stickers at 6'-0" apart down the sidewalk." Click Post.



  43. You are finished measuring, so in the Measure toolbar, click Clear.