Finding an Exact Distance along a Curve

Finding an Exact Distance along a Curve
To find an exact distance along a curve or to mark off specific distance increments along a curve,
do the following:
1. Choose Format  Point Style from the drop-down menu to open the Point Style dialog box.


2. Click the X icon in the top row. Also be sure the Set Size Relative To Screen radio button is
selected. Then, click OK.
TIP You can also set the point style by setting the Pdmode system variable to 3. See Appendix C for
more on Pdmode.
3. Choose Draw  Point  Measure from the drop-down menu, or type me↵.
TIP The Divide command (choose Draw  Point  Divide) marks off a line, an arc, or a curve into
equal divisions, as opposed to divisions of a length you specify. You might use Divide to divide an
object into 12 equal segments, for example. Aside from this difference in function, Divide works
exactly the same way as Measure.
4. At the Select object to measure: prompt, click the end of the curve that you want to use
as the starting point for your distance measurement.
5. At the Specify length of segment or [Block]: prompt, enter the distance you want. A
series of Xs appears on the curve, marking off the specified distance along the curve. You can
select the exact location of the Xs by using the Node Osnap override (see Figure 6.22).



TIP The Block option of the Measure command enables you to specify a block to be inserted at the
specified segment length, in place of the Xs on the arc. You can align the block with the arc as it’s
inserted. (This is similar to the polar array’s Rotate Objects As They Are Copied option.)
The Measure command also works on most objects including arcs and polylines. You’ll get a
more detailed look at the Measure command in Chapter 18.
As you work with AutoCAD, you’ll find that constructing temporary geometry such as the circle
and points in the two previous examples will help you solve problems in new ways. Don’t hesitate
to experiment! Remember, you’ve always got the Save and Undo commands to help you recover
from mistakes.