Measure tool

The Measure tool (M) reports the real-world distance between points using the current drawing scale.

1. 1
   Activate

   Press M.

2. 2
   Click points

   Click a start point, then subsequent points. Vellum shows the segment length and running total.

3. 3
   Finish

   Press Enter or Esc to end the measurement.

Type the length while placing

After the first click, you can type the distance instead of clicking the second point: the cursor sets the direction, the typed value sets the length, and Enter places the dimension (Shift+Enter keeps chaining). All typed-input forms work — feet-inches (4-7), math (4*2), unit suffixes (3m, 7"), and @ angle constraints (12@45). The HUD echoes what you type; Esc clears the buffer first.

Editing a placed dimension

• Grips — selecting a dimension shows grips at both measured points plus a middle grip on the dimension line. Drag the middle grip (or the line, or the measurement text) to pull the line toward or away from the measured points.
• Move the whole dimension — with the bounding box showing, drag the whitespace inside it (anywhere off the strokes and grips); the cursor changes to the move symbol.
• Click grace — clicking a grip or the line never nudges it; a drag starts only after deliberate movement.

Type an exact measurement

Double-click the measurement text (the dimension does not need to be selected) to edit the label in place. The measurement opens highlighted, so you can type a new value straight away and press Enter: the dimension resizes along its axis using the current drawing scale, keeping the first point anchored and the alignment unchanged.

Custom label text

The same editor lets you write your own label around the measurement. Click to the left or right of the highlighted value (or press ← / →) and type: the measurement stops being highlighted and you are editing ordinary text. Press Enter for a second line.

SPAN LENGTH: 24'-6"
(TYP. OF 3)

While you are editing, the measurement sits in a soft green pill. That is the part Vellum keeps up to date: it re-reads the value whenever the endpoints move, the drawing scale changes, or you switch units. Your own text is left exactly as you typed it. The pill is an editing aid only — the committed label, and every export, is plain text.

• The pill is one object. ← / → step over it in a single press, and the caret can never land inside it.
• To remove it, press Backspace or Delete beside it once to select it, then again to delete it. The dimension still measures the same distance — only the label stops showing it.
• To bring it back, right-click inside the label while editing and choose Insert Measurement, or right-click the dimension and choose Reset Label to restore the plain measurement.
• Pasting into a label always pastes plain text. Copying a label gives you what the sheet shows, with the measurement resolved.

Multi-line labels stack away from the dimension line, so the gap between the label and the line stays the same however many lines you add. Tighten or open up the spacing with Line gap in the properties panel.