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Measure

Quick Reference: Measure

  • Hero Image

    Displays an array of useful information about objects.

  • Location

    Tools Toolbar

    Tools → Measure

  • Keyboard Shortcuts

    Windows: Alt+M

    Mac: Option+M

  • Keyboard Modifiers

    Hold Shift while dragging a temporary line to lock it to horizontal, vertical, or a 45 degree angle.

Use the Measure tool to hover over any shape in your Workspace and display an array of useful information about it, including perimeter, overall dimensions, whether it is Open or Closed, and the lengths of individual line or curve segements within it. You can also click and drag to create and measure a temporary line between two points.

To enable the Measure tool, click on the ruler icon in the Tools Toolbar, or press Alt/Option+M.

Using the Measure Tool

Hover your cursor over any shape in your Workspace to see information on a given shape. Move your cursor over any individual line or curve segment in a shape to see information on that specific segment.

As you hover the cursor over shapes, individual shapes are highlighted in green, and the segment the cursor is currently hovering over is highlighted in purple, as shown below:

Measure Tool demonstration

Drag Measure

Click, hold, and drag between any two points in your Workspace to display information on a temporary line created between those points. You can snap to a shape or node on a shape, or click anywhere in your Workspace, even if no shape is present.

Hold Shift while dragging to lock the temporary line to horizontal, vertical, and 45 degree angles.

Drag Measure demonstration

View shape dimensions as you create them

When using any of LightBurn's shape creation tools, you can also view the measurements of the shape you're creating in the Status Bar. Status Toolbar

Measurement Window

The Measurement dialog window describes the highlighted shape and individual segment. The dialog displays the following values:

Value Explanation
Nodes Number of nodes (points at starts and ends line segments and curves)
Lines Number of straight lines
Curves Number of arcs or Bézier curves
Perimeter Length Total length of all line/curve segments
Closed/Open Whether or not the shape is closed
Area The total area of the shape. Empty for open shapes
Segment Length Length of the highlighted line/curve segment
Start Point X, Y coordinate of the start node of the highlighted segment
End Point X, Y coordinate of the end node of the highlighted segment
Difference Difference in X and Y between the start and end nodes
Angle Angle of the line between the start and end points
Arc Radius Radius of the arc, if the curve is a true circular arc. Empty otherwise
Arc Center Center point of the arc, if the curve is a true circular arc. Empty otherwise

For more help using LightBurn, please visit our forum to talk with LightBurn staff and users, or email support.