Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
You may have noticed that the Area option of the Measuregeom Command prompt offered
Specify first corner point or [Object/Add area/Subtract area/eXit]: as the default
option for both the Add and Subtract area modes. Instead of using the Object option to pick the
circles, you can start selecting points to indicate a rectangular area, as you did in the first exer-
cise in this chapter.
Whenever you press ↵ while selecting points for an area calculation, AutoCAD automatically
connects the first and last points and returns the calculated area. If you're in Add or Subtract
mode, you can then continue to select points, but the additional areas are calculated from the
next
point you pick.
As you can see from these exercises, it's simpler to outline an area first with a polyline wher-
ever possible and then use the Object option to add and subtract area values of polylines.
In this example, you obtained the area of a mechanical object. However, the same process
works for any type of area you want to calculate. It can be the area of a piece of property on a
topographical map or the area of a floor plan. For example, you can use the Object option to find
an irregular shape such as the one shown in Figure 18.5, as long as it's a closed polyline.
FIGURE 18.5
The site plan
with an area to
be calculated
Irregular areas like the area between contours can be
easily calculated using the Boundary and Area commands.
When issued through the keyboard as
MEA
↵, the Measuregeom command offers a number
of other options for measuring your drawing. The options appear in the Command Line pal-
ette as [Distance/Radius/Angle/ARea/Volume/]<Distance> or at the cursor as a Dynamic
Input option. These options are automatically selected when you click the related tool from the
Inquiry submenu of the Tools menu on the menu bar. Remember that to use an option, you type
the capitalized letter or letters of the option shown in the list. Table 18.1 gives you descriptions
of the options and how they are used.
