Ruler
To rule, benevolently...
Where's the ruler? What kind of CAD program is this?
Since every object is, in effect, a "digital tape measure," in all three dimensions, and can be positioned anywhere, we felt it unnecessary to also supply a ruler. Consider the kinds of things a ruler is good for:
- Measure the distance between two objects (or between two "important points") -- A and B
- Place an object a certain distance from another
To create a dimension which measures the distance between objects A and B:
Add a block C. While C is still selected, open the Object inspector, uncheck the box labeled Show, near the top of the inspector. This will leave the dimensions visible (and let you move them around, if you like), but not clutter up your drawing or your materials list with an object that really isn't part of your design. It also still participates in snapping and is selectable, so you can move it. Move C so that it snaps to A. Grab one of the resizing handles of C and stretch (or shrink) it until it snaps to B. You now have an accurate measure of the distance between.
To position B a certain distance from A:
Create block C the same as above (with Show unchecked). Enter a value for the offset distance into the appropriate dimension of C. Now move C so that it snaps to the appropriate face of A. Move object B so that it snaps to the other face of C.
