Measure tools

You can measure distance with the Measure Distance tool and areas and paths with the Measure Area and Path tool .

Tip:

• To use the CityEngine tools, ensure the Tool Options window is open by clicking Window > Tool Options in the main menu.
• Not all CityEngine tools have options under Tool Options.

Measure distance

To measure distance, do one of the following:

• Click the Measure Distance tool .
• Press M+D.
• Click Analysis > Measure Distance in the main menu.

Click in the scene to place the starting point. Click again to place the end point.

Line of sight, vertical, and horizontal distance are measured. Note: The line of sight shines through the building.

Measure Distance Tool Options

The Measure Distance tool includes the following options:

Measure Distance
Diagonal distance	Diagonal distance between the points.
Horizontal distance	Horizontal distance between the points.
Vertical distance	Vertical distance between the points.
Show laserlines	Turn laser lines on and off. The laser lines project the current height of the mouse onto the surrounding geometry.

Measure area and path

To measure area and path, do one of the following:

• Click the Measure Distance tool and then click the Measure Area and Path tool in the Tool Options window .
• Press M+A.
• Click Analysis > Measure Area and Path in the main menu.

To measure, click in the scene to place the starting point. Add additional points to calculate the length of the path or click the starting point or press Enter to close the path. Press Ctrl+Z to undo last measure point.

The measurement points are not required to be part of the same plane. If they are not in the same plane, the points are projected onto a horizontal or vertical plane at an average height or depth automatically.

Note:

• In this case, the displayed surface measure relates to the projected area, while the displayed distance always refers to the perimeter defined by the measurement points.
• The projected plane is positioned so that the distance to the measurement points is minimized. The measurement point with the largest distance to the plane is marked with a label displaying the distance.

The measurement points are not coplanar and are therefore projected onto a vertical plane. At 4.51 feet, the lower right measurement point is the most distant from the plane.

Measure Area and Path Tool Options

The Measure Area and Path tool includes the following options:

Measure Area and Path
Perimeter	Perimeter length of the polygon.
Area (projected)	Area of polygon.
Show laserlines	Turn laser lines on and off. The laser lines project the current height of the mouse onto the surrounding geometry.

Measure tool considerations

The following list describes measure tool functionality:

• When placing measurement points, the cursor snaps to vertices, edges, faces, and guides.
• The measurement tools allow for parallel and perpendicular snapping.
• Only one measurement can be displayed in a scene at a time. When starting a new measurement, the current one disappears.
• Measurements disappear after switching to a different tool. This also applies for the navigation tools in the toolbar. The navigation shortcuts can be used between placing measurement points and after finishing a measurement.
• To reset the tool, press Esc.
• To change the units, click in the Viewport and go to View Settings > View Coordinate System. The change takes effect with the next measurement you start.
• To adjust a completed measurement, hover over the measurement points. Use the arrows to move the measurement point along the axes, or use the orange ball to move freely and snap to vertices, edges, faces, or guides.
• You can copy values from any of the fields in the Tool Options window .