Measurements reference

Point

This is a freely placeable reference location. It can go anywhere on a shell, provided the current Snapping settings allow the placement.

Distance Point-Point

Distance Point-Edge

Distance Point-Circle

Distance Point-Circle

Distance Point-Sphere

Distance Point-Surface

Position

Line

Line specifies a straight edge no matter how many actual triangle edges form this edge. The specialty about Line is that it extends the edge as necessary, even beyond the actual edge of the triangles or parts involved. For instance, to determine the distance between a line and a point, the line is extended such that the perpendicular can be drawn through the point onto the line, with distance being the length of the perpendicular.

Distance between two lines, however, also require them to be exactly parallel, otherwise the measurement will be labeled accordingly. You should use point-line or point-point instead.

Extending the line also works for measuring Angles: The two edges do not have to form a common apex. They even don't have to be in the same plane.

Distance Edge-Point

Distance Edge-Edge

Distance Edge-Sphere

Angle Edge-Edge

Angle Edge-Surface

Angle Edge-YZ Plane

Angle Edge-XZ Plane

Angle Edge-XY Plane

Circle Detection

Netfabb attempts to determine circles by sampling a collection of possible "snappable" nodes and then checking whether circles can be drawn through them. As such, circles can be found where no full circle is available, such as by sampling curves of varying radii, or the circumference of a gear wheel formed only by its teeth.

The center of the circle is available as reference.

Distance Point-Circle

Distance Circle-Circle

Distance Circle-Circle

Distance Circle Center-Circle Center

Distance Circle-Sphere

Radius Circle

3-Point Circle

Specify a circle in 3D space by marking three points on parts anywhere in the build room. Its center will be used as the reference.

Distance Point-Circle

Distance Circle-Circle

Distance Circle-Circle

Distance Circle-Sphere

Radius Circle

4-Point Sphere

Specify a sphere by marking three points on parts anywhere in the build room. Its center will be used as the reference.

Distance Point-Sphere

Distance Edge-Sphere

Distance Circle-Sphere

Distance Circle-Sphere

Distance Sphere-Sphere

Radius Sphere

Surface

Specify an area of contiguous triangles whose normals are also parallel. The surface formed, and its extension, is used as reference.

Distant Point-Surface

Angle Edge-Surface

Angle Surface-Surface

Position Surface

Angle Surface-YZ Plane

Angle Surface-XZ Plane

Angle Surface-XY Plane

Wall Thickness

This is a special selector that finds the distance to the nearest opposite part surface, drawn from the location of the selector and extended parallel to the negative normal of the triangle under the selector. At edges or corners, where multiple normals apply, moving the mouse around the point switches the selection between available normals.

3-Point Angle

Specify three points to define an angle in the order of side, vertex, side.

Automatic snapping

Snaps the point to the next valid feature in close vicinity.

Free point

Just sets the point on the surface.

Point on edge

Point on node

Point on clip line

Restricts snapping a point to the intersection of a clipping plane with the part surface.

These options only become available when a clipping plane is used on part or parts.

They also restrict circle detection to part intersections with clipping planes.

Point on clip line corner

Restricts snapping a point to the intersection of a clipping plane with a part edge.

X, Y, and Z

With the toggles provide here, one for each of the cardinal axis, you select which component in 3D space to display in the label for the next measurement. This can also be changed individually for any existing measurements using the context menu of a measurement label in the display.

Radius, Diameter

This sets the default for further measurements: Toggle between the radius or the diameter of a circle or sphere to be measured and displaying in the label. This can also be changed individually for any existing measurements using the context menu of a measurement label in the display.