You need a column every 3 metres along a 10-metre grid line. You type ME, enter 3000, and the points appear, but the odd 1-metre bay is at the end you did not want. The measure command in AutoCAD spaces points by distance, not evenly, and which end gets the leftover is decided by one very small action.
This article works through four examples on the same 1000-unit line, with the positions AutoCAD actually uses. For the whole drafting toolkit, the Institute runs an AutoCAD course for construction.
What MEASURE does, and divide or measure
The command places points along an object at exactly the spacing you type. It does not cut the object; the line stays one line, with points sitting on it.
Autodesk's Divide and Measure page puts the difference neatly: MEASURE works like DIVIDE "except instead of inputting the number of segments to divide the object into, you instead input the distance between each point along the object".
| MEASURE | DIVIDE | |
|---|---|---|
| You type | The spacing between points | The number of segments |
| The pieces | Equal, except one leftover | Exactly equal |
| Use it when | You know the spacing: columns at 3 m | You know the count: seven window bays |
So the question of divide or measure comes down to whether you know the spacing or the count. When you know the count, use the DIVIDE command.
Where to start it
Read straight from the 2027 configuration files.
| Entry point | What to use |
|---|---|
| Full command | MEASURE |
| Alias | ME |
| Ribbon | Home → Draw → Measure |
| Classic menu | Draw → Point → Measure |
The prompts, step by step
Only two questions, quoted exactly from the 2027 release.
| Step | The prompt | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select object to measure: | Pick the object near the end you want to start from |
| 2 | Specify length of segment or [Block]: | Type the spacing, Enter |
The bold part of step 1 is the key to the whole command, as the examples show.
Examples 1 and 2: measure along a line, and where the leftover goes
Draw a line from 0,0 to 1000,0. We will measure it at a spacing of 300.
Example 1 — pick near the left end. Type ME, pick the line close to 0,0, type 300. AutoCAD places three points at 300, 600 and 900. The leftover 100 is at the right end.
Example 2 — pick near the right end. Draw the same line again, and this time pick near 1000,0. The three points land at 700, 400 and 100, counted from the right. The leftover 100 is at the left end.
| Where you pick | Points, measured from 0 | Leftover |
|---|---|---|
| Near the left end | 300 · 600 · 900 | 100 at the right |
| Near the right end | 700 · 400 · 100 | 100 at the left |
Autodesk explains exactly why: "The points are placed starting at the endpoint closest to the point that you used to select the object, and continue until no more points can fit along the object." In short, points start at the nearest endpoint to your pick.
So to push the leftover to a particular end, pick the object at the opposite end. For the 3-metre columns on a 10-metre line: to leave the odd metre at the east gable, pick the line near its west end.
In millimetres that line is 10000 long with a 3000 spacing. Picked near the west end, AutoCAD places points at 3000, 6000 and 9000 from the west, and the 1000 leftover sits against the east end as intended.
Example 3: when the spacing divides exactly
Draw the 1000 line again and use a spacing of 250. Since 250 goes into 1000 exactly, you might expect three points in between.
AutoCAD actually places four: at 250, 500, 750 and 1000. The last one sits right on the endpoint of the line.
This follows directly from the rule quoted above. Points continue "until no more points can fit", and a fourth point at 1000 still fits because it lies exactly on the object. Compare example 1, where the next point would fall at 1200, beyond the end, so it is never placed.
That matters when the points mark component positions. If a column already stands at that end, you will place a second one on top of it. Delete the point at the end afterwards, or use a spacing slightly shorter than the length.
Example 4: measure with a block instead of points
Points only mark positions. To place the components themselves, use the Block option.
Create a block called COL first. Then draw a diagonal line from 0,0 to 1000,1000, 1,414.21 long. Type ME, pick near 0,0, and answer as follows.
| The prompt | You type |
|---|---|
Specify length of segment or [Block]: | B |
Enter name of block to insert: | COL |
Align block with object? [Yes/No] <Y>: | Y |
Specify length of segment: | 250 |
AutoCAD inserts five blocks, 250 apart along the diagonal, and each is rotated 45 degrees to follow the line. Their insertion points are listed below.
| Distance from the start | Insertion point |
|---|---|
| 250 | 176.78, 176.78 |
| 500 | 353.55, 353.55 |
| 750 | 530.33, 530.33 |
| 1,000 | 707.11, 707.11 |
| 1,250 | 883.88, 883.88 |
The last block stops at 1,250 because the next one, at 1,500, would lie beyond the end of a line only 1,414.21 long.
This pays off most where placing each component by hand is slow, such as piles along a curved alignment or kerb units along an arc.
PDMODE point display: why nothing seems to appear
This is the most common puzzle the first time. The command finishes, the command line reports no error, and the line looks exactly as before.
The cause is the PDMODE variable. In a new drawing both PDMODE and PDSIZE are 0. Autodesk notes that PDMODE 0 makes point objects "display as a single pixel", so each point is one dot you can barely see.
The fix is to switch to a cross or a circled cross. Type PTYPE to open the point style dialog, or set PDMODE to 3 for a cross. Choosing a style for each kind of drawing is covered in our article on point style in AutoCAD.
A small tip: to snap to those points while drawing, turn on the Node object snap. Without it the cursor slides straight past them.
Once the points are there, the usual next step is to put components on them. With Node on, start the copy command, pick your sample column, use its centre as the base point, and click each point in turn. Every click drops a copy exactly in place. When you are done, select the marker points and erase them so they do not clutter the drawing.
Object isn't that long
Try a spacing of 1500 on the 1000 line. AutoCAD replies, word for word, Object isn't that long. and places nothing.
That message is useful when you have mixed up units. A drawing in metres with a spacing typed in millimetres produces exactly this reply.
The command also works on circles. A radius-500 circle has a circumference of 3,141.59; measured at 500 it gets six points, 57.3 degrees apart, leaving an arc of 16.2 degrees over. Relative to the centre, the points land here.
| Angle | Point |
|---|---|
| 57.3° | 270.15, 420.74 |
| 114.6° | −208.07, 454.65 |
| 171.9° | −495.00, 70.56 |
| 229.2° | −326.82, −378.40 |
| 286.5° | 141.83, −479.46 |
| 343.8° | 480.09, −139.71 |
Each step is exactly one radian, because an arc 500 long on a radius of 500 subtends one radian.
If you want copies of an object spaced along a path rather than just marker points, the Path option of the ARRAY command does that job.
Three things often repeated that are not true
| Often heard | What the 2027 release actually does |
|---|---|
| Points always start from the line's start point | They start from the endpoint nearest your pick |
| An exact spacing leaves no point on the end | A point lands right on the endpoint |
| Nothing appeared, so the command failed | The points exist; with PDMODE 0 they are single dots |
Frequently asked questions
What is the alias for the measure command in AutoCAD?
ME. Pick the object, type the spacing, press Enter.
How do I choose which end gets the leftover piece?
Pick the object at the opposite end. Points always start at the endpoint nearest your pick.
I cannot see the points. What is wrong?
Nothing. Set PDMODE to 3, or type PTYPE and choose a visible point style.
Does MEASURE cut the line into pieces?
No. The object stays whole; points or blocks are simply added along it.
How do I make blocks turn to follow the object?
Choose Block, then answer Y to Align block with object?.
What does "Object isn't that long" mean?
The spacing is longer than the object. Check the drawing units.