Measure models

Use the Measure tools and the Measure Tools window to measure areas, angles, and distances within your model.


00:03

Measuring distances in Navisworks is useful to help you understand the information in a model.

00:09

A practical use of measurements is that they can be included in markup views

00:14

and sent to the architect or engineer as a request for information, or to the construction superintendent to clarify a situation.

00:22

The measure tools are available from the Review tab of the ribbon, in the Measure panel.

00:29

Expand the Measure drop-down to measure between points on items in the model, with options for:

00:36

Point to Point,

00:38

from one Point to Multiple Points,

00:41

Point Line, the total distance between multiple points along a route,

00:47

or Accumulate, the total of several point-to-point measurements.

00:52

The Angle tools measure the angle between two lines.

00:57

Area calculates an area on a plane.

01:01

Finally, the Single Point tool displays the coordinates of a single point.

01:08

When performing a measurement, such as this Point to Point for example,

01:13

notice that it is snapping to certain points, according to your snap options.

01:19

If you do not open the Measure Tools window, the results of the measurement are displayed in the Scene View.

01:27

However, if with the Measure Tools window open,

01:30

you can see the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the Start and End points,

01:35

together with the Difference and the absolute Distance information.

01:40

Click the Measure Panel icon to open the dockable Measure Tools window,

01:45

which displays the results as you perform measurements in the Scene View.

01:51

This makes it easier to read and follow your measurements.

01:56

This way, you can clearly see the difference between each of the northing, easting, and elevation measurements.

02:06

There are several settings in the Options Editor that can help you to configure your measurements.

02:13

From the Application menu, click Options.

02:18

In the Interface node, select the Snapping page.

02:23

In the Picking section, select the options for where you want the cursor to snap, such as the nearest vertex or edge.

02:33

Switch to the Measure page to adjust the appearance and style of the measure lines.

02:39

For example, you can change the measurement and text colors.

02:46

You can also decide if you want to use current markup or measurement color as the default setting.

02:52

On the Display Units page, change how many Decimal Places you see when measuring.

03:00

Any changes you make take effect immediately in the Scene View.

03:05

Click OK to close the Options Editor.

03:10

Try another measurement with your updated options.

03:15

In this Accumulate example, each point-to-point measurement accumulates for a total calculation.

03:23

Change the view to look at the angle of the roof.

03:27

From the Measure drop-down, select Angle.

03:33

Select one spot on the line, the vertex point, and then a spot on the next line to display the angle.

03:45

You can save this measurement to create a view and convert it to a markup.

03:51

From the Measure panel, click Convert to Markup.

03:56

The Saved Viewpoints window appears, where you can enter a new view name, such as “Roof angle”.

04:04

Now, change to a different view, and then switch back to Roof angle.

04:12

This returns you to that angle and displays the measurement markup.

Video transcript

00:03

Measuring distances in Navisworks is useful to help you understand the information in a model.

00:09

A practical use of measurements is that they can be included in markup views

00:14

and sent to the architect or engineer as a request for information, or to the construction superintendent to clarify a situation.

00:22

The measure tools are available from the Review tab of the ribbon, in the Measure panel.

00:29

Expand the Measure drop-down to measure between points on items in the model, with options for:

00:36

Point to Point,

00:38

from one Point to Multiple Points,

00:41

Point Line, the total distance between multiple points along a route,

00:47

or Accumulate, the total of several point-to-point measurements.

00:52

The Angle tools measure the angle between two lines.

00:57

Area calculates an area on a plane.

01:01

Finally, the Single Point tool displays the coordinates of a single point.

01:08

When performing a measurement, such as this Point to Point for example,

01:13

notice that it is snapping to certain points, according to your snap options.

01:19

If you do not open the Measure Tools window, the results of the measurement are displayed in the Scene View.

01:27

However, if with the Measure Tools window open,

01:30

you can see the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the Start and End points,

01:35

together with the Difference and the absolute Distance information.

01:40

Click the Measure Panel icon to open the dockable Measure Tools window,

01:45

which displays the results as you perform measurements in the Scene View.

01:51

This makes it easier to read and follow your measurements.

01:56

This way, you can clearly see the difference between each of the northing, easting, and elevation measurements.

02:06

There are several settings in the Options Editor that can help you to configure your measurements.

02:13

From the Application menu, click Options.

02:18

In the Interface node, select the Snapping page.

02:23

In the Picking section, select the options for where you want the cursor to snap, such as the nearest vertex or edge.

02:33

Switch to the Measure page to adjust the appearance and style of the measure lines.

02:39

For example, you can change the measurement and text colors.

02:46

You can also decide if you want to use current markup or measurement color as the default setting.

02:52

On the Display Units page, change how many Decimal Places you see when measuring.

03:00

Any changes you make take effect immediately in the Scene View.

03:05

Click OK to close the Options Editor.

03:10

Try another measurement with your updated options.

03:15

In this Accumulate example, each point-to-point measurement accumulates for a total calculation.

03:23

Change the view to look at the angle of the roof.

03:27

From the Measure drop-down, select Angle.

03:33

Select one spot on the line, the vertex point, and then a spot on the next line to display the angle.

03:45

You can save this measurement to create a view and convert it to a markup.

03:51

From the Measure panel, click Convert to Markup.

03:56

The Saved Viewpoints window appears, where you can enter a new view name, such as “Roof angle”.

04:04

Now, change to a different view, and then switch back to Roof angle.

04:12

This returns you to that angle and displays the measurement markup.

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