Overview
PureCut CNC ships two measurement tools that share the same toolbar group:
- Tape Measure — a transient ruler you click between two points to read distance, Δx, Δy, and angle. It is not saved with the project.
- Dimensions — permanent annotations placed on the canvas. They store anchors (references to a feature vertex, midpoint, center, the stock, or the origin) instead of frozen numbers, so values and graphics recompute live as the underlying geometry moves or edits.
Dimensions live alongside your sketch but never affect machining — they are inert in the
3D view, simulation, and G-code export. They are saved with the project in the
.camj file.
Toolbar Group
The Measure & Dimensions group sits in the main toolbar (desktop) and as a popover next to the Snap popover (tablet).
Tape Measure
The tape measure is the fastest way to read a distance without leaving any annotation behind. Pick the tool, click two points (snapping behaves exactly as in the drawing tools), and the workflow panel shows:
- Distance — true point-to-point distance
- Δx, Δy — axis-aligned components
- Angle — angle of the segment from A to B
The readout updates live while you move the cursor between clicks. After the second click, the measurement freezes until you start a new one. Tape measurements never enter the undo history and never get saved.
Placing Dimensions
The placement flow is the same for every dimension type:
- Click the dimension's toolbar icon. The workflow panel guides you through the picks.
- Pick the references — two points (linear), one curve (radius / diameter), or two segments / three points (angle). Each pick snaps to the same anchor targets as the drawing tools: feature vertices and midpoints, circle and arc centers, stock corners, and the origin.
- Place the label — move the cursor to set how far the dimension line sits from the picks, then click to commit. For radius and diameter the label sits at the midpoint and the position is fixed.
Press Esc at any time to cancel. Confirmed dimensions appear on the canvas and are saved with the project.
Anchors, Not Frozen Numbers
A dimension stores anchors that reference parts of features (or the stock / origin) — not the coordinates at the time you placed it. When the underlying geometry changes — you drag a vertex, resize a feature, edit a node — the value, leader lines, and label all recompute. Move the corner of a rectangle and the dimension on its width updates with it.
If the feature an anchor points to is deleted, the dimension becomes dangling: it stays on the canvas drawn muted with a ⚠ marker so you can decide whether to fix or remove it.
Editing & Repositioning
- Select — click the dimension line or label. The selection draws in blue.
- Reposition — drag the dimension line to change the offset from the picks. Aligned, horizontal, vertical, and angle dimensions all support drag-to-reposition. (Radius and diameter labels sit at the midpoint and are not repositionable.)
- Delete — select and press Delete, or use the delete-on-click toolbar mode for clearing many dimensions in a row.
Visibility
The eye-shaped Show / Hide Dimensions toolbar button toggles every dimension on the canvas at once. When dimensions are hidden, they are also excluded from hit testing — clicks pass through to whatever is underneath. The toggle state is saved with the project so a colleague opening your file sees the same view.
Tape measurements (the transient ruler) are unaffected by this toggle — they are tool state, not annotations.
What Dimensions Don't Do
- Dimensions are annotations, not constraints. Changing a dimension's value does not move the geometry. To set an exact size, edit the feature's properties or use the Constraint tool.
- Dimensions do not appear in the 3D view, the simulation, or the exported G-code.
- Tabs and clamps are not yet valid anchor targets — anchor to features, stock corners, or the origin.