About Finding Area and Mass Properties Information
You can obtain the area, perimeter, and mass properties of selected objects or from a sequence of points.
Use Commands to Calculate Area
With the MEASUREGEOM and AREA commands, you can specify a series of points or select an object to find the enclosed area. While using the Quick mode in the MEASUREGEOM command, you can click within an enclosed area to display the calculated area and perimeter in the Command window. Perimeter calculations include those of enclosed interior islands.
Using Shift + Click, adds or removes areas from consideration. The perimeters of enclosed islands as shown in the following illustrations are also included.
A fast way to find the area bounded by several objects in 2D is to use the BOUNDARY command to create a closed region or polyline. You can then use the Properties palette or the LIST command to find the area and perimeter.
Define an Area
You can measure an area enclosed by the points you specify. The points must lie on a plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS.
Calculate the Area, Perimeter, or Circumference of an Object
You can calculate the enclosed area and perimeter or circumference of circles, ellipses, polylines, polygons, regions, and 3D solids. The information displayed depends on the type of object selected:
- Circles. Displays area and circumference information.
- Ellipses, closed polylines, polygons, planar closed spline curves, and regions. Displays area and perimeter information. For wide polylines, this area is defined by the center of the width.
- Open objects such as open spline curves and open polylines. Displays the area and length; the area is calculated as though a straight segment connects the start and end.
- AutoCAD 3D solids. Displays the total 3D area of the object.
Example: How Various Areas are Calculated
Calculate Combined Areas
You can calculate the total area of multiple areas by specifying points or by selecting objects. For example, you can measure the total area of selected rooms in a floor plan.
You can subtract areas from other areas. For example, if you have calculated the area of a floor plan, you can subtract the area of a room.
If you convert enclosed areas into regions, you can add or subtract them to create a composite area, and use the Properties palette or LIST command to find the information you need.
Calculate Mass Properties
With the MASSPROP command, you can analyze both 2D regions and 3D solids for their mass properties including volume, area, moments of inertia, center of gravity, and so on. The result of the computations can be saved to a text file.
Related Articles
How to Set Up Wall Properties
Wall Properties To access the Walls Setup, click on the Toolbox Options menu and select Walls Setup. The Wall Setup interface will allow you to set defaults for when you draw walls. These settings can be changed per project or room. Default Wall ...About Finding Distances, Angles, and Point Locations
You can extract geometric information from point locations on objects in a drawing. With each of these commands, it's a good idea to zoom into the area close enough to resolve any closely spaced or potentially overlapping objects. Measure Objects ...Render Materials Missing Layer Information (Reference)
As of build 15.6.1806, the Microvellum Apply Materials screen contains a column for the AutoCAD Layer Name and revised controls. The purpose of this article is to provide a reference for commands and controls on the Apply Materials screen. See Render ...Overview of Annotative Scaling
This article’s purpose is to guide you through the process of properly placing and editing annotative text and dimensions in your drawings and paper space. A video has been included at the end of the article to provide further insights and ...Render Materials Missing Layer Information (Overview)
As of build 15.6.1806, the Microvellum Apply Material screen contains a column for the AutoCAD Layer Name. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the Apply Materials screen. This new column makes it possible to set up rendering ...
Recent Articles
Toolbox Release Notes | Build 25.1.0114.641
The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 25.1.0114.641. UI Fixes Several issues were reported and discovered within the OEM 2025 user interface. The following issues have been resolved: Fig. 1: Excess commands on the tool strip being ...Toolbox Release Notes | Build 25.1.102.641
The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 25.1.102.641 Toolbox OEM 2025 Work smarter, and faster with Toolbox 2025 (OEM). With an OEM Subscription, you’ll gain access to the latest toolsets and innovative features of Toolbox 2025. ...What’s New in Toolbox 2025 (OEM)
Work smarter, faster with Toolbox 2025 (OEM). With an OEM Subscription, you’ll gain access to the latest toolsets and innovative features of Toolbox 2025. Improvements Toolbox UI Overhaul OEM 2025 introduces several updates to the appearance and ...Toolbox Release Notes | Build 24.1.1206.641
The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 24.1.1206.641 MV Server Nesting Fix There was a reported issue occurring when users attempted to remotely process work orders using a nesting station on MV Server. When attempting to process the work ...Microvellum Foundation Library Release Notes | Build 24.1127
The following release notes apply to Microvellum Foundation Library build 24.1127. Additions Added a new Soffit product to the Upper Cabinet Accessories category. Added the Top Filler (Ceiling Scribe) option to Upper and Tall cabinets. (Corner ...