Additional precision can be achieved when working with piping or cylindrical objects with the Pipe Snap tool. When this mode is activated, either by selecting it directly through the Distance Menu or toggling it via Ctrl while in the menu, ReCap will automatically detect any cylindrical object under the cursor, snap to the cross section, and ultimately provide measurements from either the center or a point selected along the circumference.
While attempting to detect a pipe or cylindrical object, a progress spinner to the upper right of the selection cross will become visible. and, When an object is recognized for use with the Pipe Snap tool, a green ring representing its estimated circumference will appear below your cursor. Keep in mind that areas with low density or unrelated noise can make detection more difficult; in these cases, you may opt to continue hovering until you see a ring representative of your intended measurement. Once satisfied with the result, click one time to lock the ring in place. By default, the distance measurement will begin along the circumference of the locked ring; however, you can toggle the starting point of the distance measurement between the circumference and the center of the ring by pressing the Alt key.
To measure distance from the Pipe Snap selection:
At this point, a distance arrow should be affixed between either the center point or circumference of the locked ring and the current position of your cursor. Move the cursor, click your intended endpoint, and complete the measurement by pressing "Done". You can also define your endpoint as another circumference by hovering over a second cylindrical object with the Pipe Snap tool still active, and repeating the steps to detect the object. If this method is employed, you will be able to measure the distance from center-to-center, circumference-to-circumference, or a combination.
Additionally, you can employ any other tools in the Distance Menu to measure from the pipe or similar object. Immediately after setting the green ring, press Shift to toggle other distance tools, and measure from its perimeter or its center by toggling Alt.
You can reposition the endpoint of your measurement at any time by clicking and dragging it, as long as:
or
After all points and distances are set, you can hover over your chosen distance measurement for details, as well as the endpoints on the independent Pipe Snap selection(s) to view diameter and coordinates.
To measure as a fixed point:
You can also set the circumference as a fixed point, rather than measuring a distance to another point, in order to view the pipe or cylinder's coordinates and diameter. After the first click to lock the green ring, press Enter on your keyboard to set the fixed point as the center, and subsequently hover to see the measurements.
Ortho, Freehand, and Surface Snap modes can still be toggled with the Shift key while in this state.
Likewise, switching between the center point and the circumference of the cylinder can be achieved with the Alt key.
Once you're finished, just click the "Done" button to exit the tool.
Cylinder dimensions can be seen by clicking on the cylinder endpoint once a measurement has been placed.
Surface Snap essentially allows you to measure clearance between a starting surface point and a point that projects outward from the selection. Unlike the Freehand tool, this tool determines your selection's perpendicular origin to produce a dotted white line that extends to your cursor, allowing you to identify your endpoint. This tool can either be accessed directly from the Distance Menu or by toggling through the Shift key while using another other tool in the Distance Menu.
A yellow arrow to the upper right of your cursor will indicate your ability to choose a starting point. Click once to set the start point. By default, the Surface Snap tool locks to the axis extending outward from your chosen point. You will be prompted by a tooltip with the option to lock to the plane (and back to the axis) with the Tab key. The solid yellow (outward axis) or white (planar) line represents the distance measured from your chosen point. Locking to the plane simply shows the planar extension from your start point and will not produce the outward (vertical, horizontal) axis used to determine clearance.
To choose your endpoint, simply move your cursor to the desired point and click. Endpoints can be alternately defined with the Pipe Snap tool by pressing Ctrl. Please note that using the Shift key to rotate through the other distance tools while in this mode will disable Surface Snap, and ReCap will then use your starting point to begin measuring distance in the toggled mode.
The coordinate frame is shown as 3 dotted yellow lines which lie on the surface plane (the third line will generally be parallel with the measurement line). You can reposition either point of your measurement at any time by clicking and dragging it.