These two commands measure directly between points you click in the GDI Display — a straight-line or multi-segment distance, or the angle and rotation between two points. Both commands require the model to be in Plan View; running either while in Isometric View displays a message and ends the command without measuring anything.
GDI Commands
Measure A Distance
Calculates a distance based on two or more points you specify.
- Select the Measure Distance item from the GDI Utilities branch of the GDI Command Tree. If the model is in Isometric View, a message is displayed and the command ends — click OK to clear it.
- At the First Point prompt, left-click a point in the GDI Display.
- At the Next Point prompt, left-click another point. A line displays between the points, marking the route being measured.
- The Next Point prompt remains active — repeat to add another segment to the route, then right-click to finish. A message reports the total distance from the First Point to the last Next Point, in the Length Values dimensional units — click OK to clear it.
Can also be run by selecting the Measure Distance item from the GDI Command List or by typing MEASUREDISTANCE or DISTANCE on the GDI Command Line.
Notes
- The Length Values dimensional units can be changed on the Units data tab of the User Options & Settings screen (Utilities menu).
Measure An Angle
Calculates an angle based on two points you specify.
- Select the Measure Angle item from the GDI Command List. If the model is in Isometric View, a message is displayed and the command ends — click OK to clear it.
- At the First Point prompt, left-click a point in the GDI Display.
- At the Second Point prompt, left-click another point. A message reports the angle (measured counterclockwise from the horizontal axis) and the rotation (measured clockwise from the vertical axis) between the two points — click OK to clear it.
Can also be run by typing MEASUREANGLE or ANGLE on the GDI Command Line.
Notes & Considerations
- Both commands require Plan View. Running either in Isometric View displays a message and ends the command without measuring anything.
- If Feature Snap is turned on and a node falls within the snap target of a selected point, that node is used instead of your exact click location.
See Also
- Coordinates, Projection & Snapping
FAQ
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This subcategory covers how the model looks and how you move around it on screen — colors, symbol and text sizes, the Tool Palette, coordinate and snapping settings, what’s visible or hidden in the GDI Display, distance and angle measurements, layer and log toggles, and panning, zooming, and plotting the GDI image itself.
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Start with Display & Visibility Settings — it controls whether customer symbols, node symbols, pipe symbols, flow arrows, User Graphics, User Text, and background images are turned on or off. If the feature type is visible but hard to spot, Colors, Symbols, Sizes & Tool Palette covers adjusting colors and symbol sizes to make things stand out.
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Views, Panning, Zooming & Plotting is about controlling what part of the model you’re looking at — saving views, zooming in and out, plotting the image. Coordinates, Projection & Snapping is about precision while you work within that view — setting coordinate systems, snapping to features, and measuring along specific axes, which matters more when you’re placing or aligning features than when you’re just navigating the drawing.
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Measuring Distances & Angles covers exactly that — Measure A Distance and Measure An Angle let you click points in the GDI Display and get a real-world measurement back, without needing to calculate it separately.
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Toggling Layers, Logs & GeoMapping covers both. It includes Turn The GeoMapping Functions On Or Off and Turn A DXF Layer Off, along with commands for turning the Change Log on or off and viewing or clearing it.