Copyright: (C) 1993-1997 Visio Corporation
Citation: Visio 5.0 Help, Copyright (C) 1993-1997 Visio Corporation


Using the Measure tool

The Measure tool automatically calculates the total perimeter and area of any closed shape you draw with the drawing tools, such as a shape that outlines the floor area of a floor plan. You can use this information to keep track of square footage in a building plan or to calculate the cross-sectional area of a structural member.

If you want to measure the perimeter and area of a drawing constructed with shapes that contain height or width, first trace the boundary with the pencil tool, then run the Measure tool on the simple boundary shape. If your drawing is constructed using Double Line Wall shapes, you can use the Area Analysis tool to calculate the area.

To use the Measure tool:

1.	Use one of the drawing tools to create a border around the area's perimeter.

2.	Make sure that the first and last vertex of the shape you draw are connected to create a closed shape. To measure multiple areas, draw a separate line around the perimeter of each.

TIP  To make it easier to draw around the perimeter, choose only the Shape Vertices option under Snap To in the Snap & Glue dialog box (choose Tools > Snap & Glue).

3.	Select the boundary shape or shapes for the area you want to measure.

4.	Choose Tools > Macro > Visio Extras > Measure.

5.	In the Measure dialog box:

Click Show to highlight the areas used in the calculation.

NOTE  Do not make changes to the selected shapes after you click Show (and before you click OK). If you do, your changes will be lost and the shapes will contain a green fill.

Click Compute to calculate the area and perimeter.

From the Total Area or Total Perimeter list, choose the unit of measure you prefer.

Click Copy to copy the value to the Clipboard.

If you select multiple shapes, the Total Area and Total Perimeter values reflect all the shapes combined. For the dimensions of a single shape, select the shape, then click Compute.

6.	When you're finished using Measure, click Exit.

TIP  The Measure tool takes account of empty space in the area it measures. For example, to subtract the floor space required for a stairwell, draw a shape that represents the floor, and then draw a shape that represents the stairwell. Select both shapes, then choose Shape > Operations > Combine. The Combine command creates a hole in the floor shape using the dimensions of the stairwell shape. When you run the Measure tool, the area of the hole is subtracted from the total floor area.

DIALOG BOX OPTIONS

Total Area  Specifies the unit of measure you want to use to calculate the area.

Total Perimeter  Specifies the unit of measure you want to use to calculate the perimeter.

Compute  Calculates the area and perimeter.

Show  Highlights the areas used in the calculation.

Copy  Copies the value to the Clipboard.