Is anyone else finding the Measure tool in PreForm quite difficult to use for anything beyond a simple point-to-point check?
I was trying to measure the distance between two points today and had a hard time selecting points that were actually on the same plane. It took a lot of zooming, rotating, and repeated attempts before I could get two points that were close enough to the intended locations.
In a number of FDM slicers and mesh tools, there are more geometry-aware measurement options—for example, selecting a diameter, measuring between faces or walls, or selecting mesh features/triangle patches to define the measurement more reliably. Those kinds of tools make it much easier to check distances between specific features without accidentally picking points on different planes.
As far as I can tell, PreForm is still mainly point-to-point, with vertex snapping as the main precision aid.
Am I missing a feature or workflow that makes this easier? If not, it would be great to see more geometry-based measurement options added in the future, such as:
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face-to-face or edge-to-edge measurements
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diameter/radius measurements
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minimum distance between features
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planar or axis-constrained measurements
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clearer snapping to mesh features rather than individual points
For dimensional checks, these would make the Measure tool much more practical.
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Hi! Thank you for sharing this! I have flagged this to the PreForm team and they are looking into making improvements on the usability.
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I must have an older version of Preform. I don’t see any measure tool. However, I design my own 3D objects so I don’t need measurements from PreForm. Can you explain where to start a measurement task in Preform?
While these measurements can certainly be performed more accurately in dedicated 3D modelling or CAD software, doing so comes with a trade-off in terms of time and effort when dealing with comparison of different iterations.
Opening each model individually in design software simply to verify or compare a few dimensions can be cumbersome. A slicer provides a much faster and more convenient environment for this purpose. Multiple models can be imported into a single workspace, allowing their overall dimensions and important features to be checked and compared without repeatedly switching between files and applications.
This becomes even more valuable in cases where the original design files are not available. For example, fabrication and 3D-printing service providers may receive only an STL or 3MF file from a customer. In such situations, having a measurement tool directly within the slicer is extremely useful, as it allows the operator to inspect and verify the supplied geometry without having to import the mesh into separate modelling software.
It also serves as an important final verification step before slicing and fabrication. Being able to quickly check dimensions, clearances, hole sizes, or other critical features directly in the slicer can help confirm that everything is in order before committing to a print.
In the latest version of Preform you can access measure tool by clicking on the button bottom diagonal opposite to the home button.
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I can appreciate that. More tools the better. I just never saw it before now. I’ll give it a go.
