Measuring distance, angle and area in Vectornation by Zaweba

Sooner or later a design has to fit something real: a shop window, a label, a laser-cut panel, a sign bracket. At that point you need to measure, and the Ruler tool in Vectornation by Zaweba is the quick way to do it without guessing from the grid or reading coordinates off a panel.

Drag with the Ruler tool between any two points and a measurement appears. It shows the distance, the angle, and the width and height of the drag, both on the canvas next to the line and in the status bar at the bottom of the window. Click a closed shape and it gives you that shape's area and perimeter instead.

Reading a drag

Distance is the straight-line length from where you pressed to where you let go. Angle tells you how steep that line is. W and H break the same drag into its horizontal and vertical parts, which is often the more useful pair when you are checking a gap or a margin. If you want to know how far a logo sits from the edge of the page, drag from the edge to the logo and read W. If you want the slope of a roof line in an illustration, read the angle.

Because the reading appears on the canvas as well as in the status bar, you don't have to look away from what you are measuring. The status bar copy is handy when the canvas label would sit on top of busy artwork.

Area and perimeter

The second half of the tool is easy to overlook. Clicking a closed shape gives its area and perimeter. That is useful well beyond curiosity. A sign maker can estimate vinyl or material from the area. Someone preparing a cutting job can use the perimeter as a guide to the length of the cut. A packaging designer can compare the area of two panel options before choosing one. For a shape made of several parts, combine them first, for example with the Pathfinder, so you are measuring the outline you actually mean.

When to measure and when to snap

Measuring and snapping solve different problems. Smart guides and the Snap pop-over help you place things exactly as you draw. Smart guides even show spacing marks and measurements while you move objects. The Ruler tool is for checking afterwards, or for measuring something you didn't draw, such as a scanned plan or a PDF someone sent you. A good routine is to draw with snapping on, then use the Ruler tool to confirm the few dimensions that really matter before the work goes out.

When a measurement needs to stay on the drawing, for a client or a workshop, use the Dimension tool instead. It draws linear, angular or radius dimensions that follow the artwork they measure. The Ruler tool's readings are for you; dimensions are for the people who receive the file.

Getting accurate readings

Zoom in on the points you are measuring between. A drag that starts a few pixels off at a low zoom can be a long way off in real units. Turn on snapping so the start and end of a drag lock onto anchors and path edges rather than empty space. And check the units your document uses before you rely on a number, since a reading in pixels and a reading in millimetres look equally confident.

Measuring is a small habit, but it is the one that catches a design that is two millimetres too wide before it reaches the printer rather than after.