DIST

DIST measures how far apart two points are. It also tells you the angle between them and how far apart they are along X and along Y. It only reports; nothing in the drawing changes.

How it works

Type DI and press Enter. Give the first point, then the second. Click them, snap to objects, or type coordinates. Musa CAD prints the result and the command ends.

Command line

Command: DI
Specify first point or [Multiple points]: 20,10
Specify second point or [Multiple points]: @30,40
Distance = 50.0000,  Angle in XY Plane = 53,  Angle from XY Plane = 0
Delta X = 30.0000,  Delta Y = 40.0000,  Delta Z = 0.0000

What the report means:

Item	Meaning
Distance	The straight distance from the first point to the second.
Angle in XY Plane	The direction from the first point to the second. By default 0 points right and angles go anticlockwise, so 90 is straight up.
Angle from XY Plane	Always 0, because Musa CAD drawings are flat.
Delta X, Delta Y	How far the second point is from the first along X and along Y. Negative means left or down.
Delta Z	Always 0.

The numbers use the drawing’s units. By default, lengths show four decimals and angles show whole degrees. Change this with UNITS.

Measuring along several points

Type M at either prompt to add up the lengths along a path of points. After each point, Musa CAD prints the total so far. Press Enter to finish.

Command line

Command: DI
Specify first point or [Multiple points]: M
Specify first point: 0,0
Specify next point or [Length/Undo/Total] <Total>: @40,0
Distance = 40.0000
Specify next point or [Length/Undo/Total] <Total>: @0,30
Distance = 70.0000
Specify next point or [Length/Undo/Total] <Total>: Enter
Distance = 70.0000

If you type M at the second prompt instead, the point you already gave is the start of the path.

Options

Option	What it does
Multiple points (M)	Measures along a path of points and keeps a running total.
Length (L)	Asks Specify length of line:. Type a length, and the next point is that far along the direction the cursor points. Good with Ortho or Polar tracking on.
Undo (U)	Takes away the last point, and its length from the total.
Total (T)	Prints the total and ends. Enter does the same.

Good to know

• DIST works only from the points you give. It does not look at objects, so use object snaps to measure exactly between ends, centres or crossings.
• DIST changes nothing, so it adds no undo step.
• A typed point is echoed back on the next line, so you can check what Musa CAD understood.
• Esc ends the command.

Compared with AutoCAD

DIST prints the same report as AutoCAD, the Z figures included. They are always zero because Musa CAD is 2D.

Next

• Find the coordinates of a single point with ID.
• Measure an area and its perimeter with AREA.
• Measure distances, radii, angles and areas in one command with MEASUREGEOM.