area measurement tool

[Wish List System]

Summary: Revit should introduce a simple, straightforward tool measure/inquire area.

Description: Revit should consider introducing a tool to meaure/inquire area off the fly, just like the [measuregeom] tool in AutoCAD. I see ArchiCAD has managed to successfully introduce this tool in their recent releases.
I cant quite understand why we need the property line, or room area tools just to do a quick inquiry for the boss/client who is looking over my shoulder, and need a rough idea of coverage.
Such an addition would certainly welcome.


Product and Feature: Revit Architecture - Area Tools

Submitted By: Phillip Kudzayi on 01/28/2014

[kevinfielding2000]

You can use a filled region or masking region to quickly measure an area. The area the of the region is a parameter available on the properties palette.

Hope this helps.

[philkudzayi447747]

It is sad that you have to use a filled region or a mask to calculate area, and difficult to understand why they havent made a purpose built tool over so many releases.

[Chuckyd67]

Clicking on a room for its area isn't fast enough for you?

[Steve_Stafford]

...It is sad that you have to use a filled region or a mask to calculate area, and difficult to understand why they haven't made a purpose built tool over so many releases...

I've got no quarrel with them developing a specific tool called Measure Area and technically it's a trivial task for them to do so, compared to everything else they've done over the years.

Fwiw, Revit's parents added the area parameter to filled regions because of this wish. Since they have been there and done that themselves in the past, their thinking is when someone looks over your shoulder and asks "how much area does that account for?" they anticipate hearing that question again at some point. Using a filled region, the answer is one click away instead of many when they ask, "Sorry, I forget, what was that area again?" The filled region provides a tangible way to grab it later, in context, even document it if necessary.

Compared with a Measure Area tool, using a Filled region is one extra click, to delete the filled region, if you really don't want to keep it.

1. Click to start filled region command (We'd have to start an area command too)
2. Sketch the boundary (we'd have to define the boundary too)
3. Click Finish Edit Mode (we'd have to tell Revit when we're done defining the boundary)
4. It is still selected, in Properties Palette - read area value (we'd have to look somewhere for the result)
5. It is still selected - Click Delete (or press Delete key, or right click Delete) (this is the only step we'd not need to deal with)

Personally if I was faced with the question I'd duplicate my view and create a filled region or however many ended up being needed to answer it and subsequent questions. That way I'd have a place to refer back to later if the questions were asked again or asked a bit differently.