Path Lengths When Using the Pen Tool?

[Bill Hopcraft]

When drawing a path with the Pen tool, can you define the lengths of the individual line segments?

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

You can define its length after it's been drawn using the control panel. See screen shot:

You can determine the length of the line in the L: field (in this case I made the line 3 inches). Using the reference point icon on the left of the panel you can determine whether the line grows or shrinks from the left, right or center.

You could also predetermine a line's length by drawing a single point, selecting it and with Step and Repeat (option-command-u on a mac alt-control-u on PC) send a copy of the point whatever distance you want and then after selecting the original point and the copy using the join command found through the object menu>Path>Join.

[Bill Hopcraft]

Bill, you seem to be fielding all of my questions today.  Thanks!

In this case I may not have explained myself clearly enough. If I use the Pen tool and draw a figure made up of, say, 3 lines (four mouse clicks), I'd like to know if you can define the length of any one of those segments.  If I select the figure after I've drawn it, I see its overall area (X by Y), but nothing about line length.  Putting it another way, I don't see how to select just one segment of the figure.

Overall, what I'm trying to accomplish is this: I've placed an exploded view image of a machine in my document and I want to call out the various components.  I want an angled line coming off each part with a short horizontal line at the end of which I'll place the descriptive text.  The horizontal segments should all be the same length.  How would you go about doing this?

[smoothsea]

Hi Bill,

If you draw the horizontal line separately and then make it the length you want, can you not just alt-drag to copy it to the end of your angled lines and then use join to attach it?

Regards,

Malcolm

[Bill Hopcraft]

Malcolm, you've also been a big help over the past few days as I've begun to learn InDesign.  Thanks! 

I actually began with your suggestion but then went in search of something better since doing all of the Joins was so tedious.  I've got lots of callouts to do.

[Bill Hopcraft]

Hi Bill and Malcolm,

I actually figured this out.  Here's what I did: 1) Draw a horizontal line and define its length; 2) Draw an angled length of arbitrary length; 3) Join the two lines; 4) Alt-drag to place a copy, putting the end of the angled line on the part I want to call out; 5) Direct select the horizontal segment and drag into position.  This preserves the horizontal segment's length and also keeps the end of the angled segment in position. 

Cheers,

Bill H

[smoothsea]

Good solution! Well done Bill.

Regards,

Malcolm

[Bill Silbert]

Glad it worked out for you.