Clash panel
True Distance
The real perpendicular distance between two measured faces, unaffected by project rotation or an off-square click.
On the ribbonButton, Clash panel
NeedsAn open document
Shift+ClickThe fraction feet-and-inches readings round to, and how far two faces may tilt and still count as parallel
What it does#
A rotated project makes the measure tool's X, Y and Z readouts meaningless, and the straight line overshoots whenever the two clicks are not exactly opposite each other. This reports the gap, not the line: the measured vector projected onto the faces' shared normal, which is the number a tape held square to the faces would give.
Screenshot to cometrue-distance-banner.png
How to use it#
- Click True Distance. The native Point to Point tool opens.
- Click a point on the first face, then a point on the second. Snap to corners if you like; the result is the same.
- Read the banner across the bottom of the window. Green: both faces found and parallel. Amber: only one face found, measured square to that one. Red: no face under either point.
Limitations#
- Both points must sit on real geometry. A point in empty space has no face.
- Faces more than the tolerance apart in angle are reported as not parallel, with the angle, and the reading falls back to the first face.
- The banner stays about eight seconds; the dimension drawn in the view stays until the next run.
Other uses#
- Floor to ceiling heights: horizontal faces are parallel faces too.
- Checking a clearance someone claims was fixed, without trusting a diagonal line.
Good to know#
On an imperial document the reading matches the native readout style, and the rounding
fraction is yours to set. Settings live in true_distance.json.