How to Change Units and SHOW DIMENSIONS in Blender

In this video, we’re going to talk about how to set up units and show measurements of objects inside of Blender. This will allow you to see both lengths of edges, as well as areas of faces inside your Blender models!
To start off, you can set the units that you’re using inside of your models by going into your scene properties settings, then selecting the units drop down. This will allow you to set different units for rotation, length, mass, and time. Note that you can switch between imperial and metric here as well.
At the moment, the imperial comes in at decimal inches. I don’t believe there’s currently a way to show fractional inches.
Now, let’s talk about a way to actually see the dimensions of your objects on your screen. This can be very helpful if you’re doing any kind of precision modeling.
Under the viewport overlays dropdown, there’s an option for edge length. This option, when enabled, causes Blender to show the length of any edge that’s selected. This works either for length between 2 selected vertices, selected edges, or it will also show the length of all edges on a selected face.
Notice that these will live update if you make a change as well.
There’s also an option to show face area - this option will show the area of any selected face in your model.
At the moment, I haven’t been able to locate a way to change the font/text size of this overlay.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Hi everyone! Let me know if you have any questions about this video in the comments below! :)

[@josemontanez5678]

The CG Essentials how can I dictate the specific length I need an edge to be.?

[@yasserabdullaalwatani108]

At clip time(1:14) you managed to move the plane very smoothly to snap to the world origin. I have tried you copy your steps but could not do it. The plan corner kept snapping out of the exact place( 0,0,0). Any tips of how to do that easily? Thank you very much!!

[@dancollins7862]

How about just a plain vanilla ruler?

[@dumplingduppy1502]

the video broke

[@lucutes2936]

thx

[@hibryd7481]

IMPORTANT ADDENEM TO GET ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS: IF YOU CHANGE THE DIMENSIONS OF AN OBJECT IN OBJECT MODE, USE OBJECT > APPLY > SCALE (CTRL+A > SCALE) BEFORE MAKING CHANGES IN EDIT MODE. Counterintuitively, changing the dimensions of an object in object mode via the Transform dropdown (TFDD) changes the _scale_ of the object, not the "actual" dimensions that the object appears to be. Here is a quick example: Set the default units to be inches. Make a plane mesh; the default size should be 24in x 24in. Use the TFDD to change the X dimension to 60 in. The mesh now looks like it's 60in x 24in. Go into Edit mode and turn on Measurements > Edge Length. Despite looking like it's 60in x 24in, and the TFDD saying it's 60in x 24in, *each edge of the plane will read 24in.* If you return to object mode, notice that in the TFDD, the X scale is 2.5. Setting dimensions via the TFDD just changes the scaling to "meet" that dimensional change. If you apply the scale, it "bakes" the scaling into the object so it's now natively at 1.0 again. After you apply the scale, if you return to edit mode, the edge measurements should now read correctly as 60in x 24in. I feel like this is an oversight in design by Blender, and hopefully they'll tweak it; the transform dropdown dimensions read 60in x 24in regardless of whether they've been scaled to that size or whether they're "actually" that size. If they don't want to change that, they should at least factor scaling into the edit mode measurements. Either way, thank you so much for posting this video. I'm trying to make a scaled model of my house for some projects and was going half-crazy trying to get any kind of meaningful measurement to show up in edit mode...was about to just block everything out in primitives and join them together, lol. Your video on archipack saved me a bunch of legwork for this project, too.

[@paynedanger1925]

Bro I just had the same issue... Looked it up on blenders documentation site, you have to tab into edit mode for it to appear... 🙄

[@conciergeexpert2005]

You saved my life.

[@notflanders4967]

Thank you for explaining that. Saved me from just giving up on using that feature as I have in the past, and ALMOST gave up again today until I read this. Thank you!

[@masque7374]

Ur my freakin hero bud. Just started modeling and videos like this are a godsend man.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad I could help!

[@roseannarabia6461]

OMG! Thank you so much!!! This is what has been preventing me from doing any real modeling in Blender. I knew how to change the units, but it wasn't helpful because it wasn't showing me the measurements on screen as I was building so I had given up for the longest time. 10 years of wanting to work in Blender suddenly hitting me in the head like a tsunami of ideas. :D

[@MikeyAce]

👍Thank you for all the tutorials. Another tip would be to enable the Separate Units option under the Units menu. Now if you set the length to Feet you will get Feet and Inches at the same time when you’re in Imperial mode.

[@TheCGEssentials]

True - that's a good point - one thing to note though is it still doesn't do fractional inches - I believe they were in decimal inches

[@ph8584]

in 4.0+ it located under edit on the top bar menu, mesh edit mode overlay, under measurements. highlight your model it will show you each measurements.

[@slamotte]

thanks :)

[@Woodythehobo]

very useful, works in Blender 2.8 thanks man. Select object > TAB to edit mode > Overlays dropdown (two circles icon topright) > Edge length (bottom of dropdown under Measurement).

[@gunderalex]

Definitely useful, especially as more people (such as myself) start using Blender for 3D printing. Thanks!

[@Djantir]

Thank you so much! I wasn't even aware seeing the units live like that was even an option! This is going to be super useful for me, as I've been focusing on building vehicle models, and it's nice to get that accuracy while I'm working on it.

[@geromemariette1280]

Really helpful it helped me see that since this version of Blender they moved it into another section right next to the Overlays, it's called Mesh edit mode

[@zuntaras4241]

Thanks. Love the vids. Found out it is really important to apply the scale before you do this. LOL Made a rectangular box and was getting the edge lengths for the original cube I started with. Couple of minutes of me being confused and yelling "That's clearly a rectangle NOT a square Blender!" before I figured it out. My Bad. 😊 Works great now, handy as heck.

[@Wheeelie402]

I paused a CG Essentials video (regarding RDBLab 1.3) when I noticed your settings were in Imperial. A quick search yielded this exact video and (of course!) even more useful information that will certainly make my Blender time more enjoyable yet optimized. Thanks!

[@geor664]

Your tutorials are great, clean and well paced. I'm using Blender 3.1 When I follow on with you and highlight an object, then go to Viewport Overlay (top right hand corner drop down menu) as described around 1:50 the measurement options simply doesn't exist in version 3.1 or least for my out of the box setup. To my point, one of the constant problems I encounter with Blender is that it "seems" like the menu items keep getting changed and moved around with the different versions. Maybe its a case of they are there but the context for my setup might be different to yours (?) and Blender changes the menu items available accordingly (?) Just guessing here. The net effect is, it makes the package so much more difficult to learn. Keep up the great work - your tutorials are very much appreciated.

[@joelprestonsmith]

The option for measurement, in Viewport Overlays, is gone in Blender 4.0. I'm still looking for. It's so fascinating to think that the dimensions of things are so well hidden in Blender. Must be maddening for everyone who's a beginner AND wanting to create objects for 3D printing.

[@LambVisionStudios]

its in the mesh edit tab right beside of what hes talking about on the right

[@JonneytheKidd]

Very, very good video. Very helpful. My only problem, is that measurement is not even listed in the viewport overlay panel.

[@jeppeolander9387]

That was my missing link between fusion 360 and blender I missed. This gives me a constant view of my mechanical models. I believe this is a very beneficial function. Thanks

[@brunomenezes6960]

I haven't used blender for a long time and I still haven't gotten used to the new interface, thank you!

[@StickFreeks]

Thank you so much! This was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I appreciated the additional explanations, too.

[@toddspeck9415]

I learn so much watching your tutorials. I really enjoy your explanation's. Thanks Justin.

[@operagirl264]

I find this extreemly useful. Thank you for your many useful tips!

[@HikikomoriDev]

Very powerful. Specially for making furniture for spaces in the Metaverse where you want to make things that don't have akward dimensions.

[@omjeeo]

Thank you! I'm so used to engineering programs, and it was killing me not being able to design with dimensions.

[@icsg7287]

me too, I can feel your pain

[@ocatrina]

Quick and to the point! Very well explained!

[@michaellangford5494]

Thanks bro this helps a lot. Even 2 years later.👍

[@HopWorksET]

Wow guys like you and your videos has absolutely SOLD me on using Blender!!! This option is a HUGE benefit to me, thank you!!!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks very much!

[@hoangnguyenviet7844]

Thank you so much for this tip. very helpful for precision modeling

[@user-dx4po1un8w]

Great video, as always, but, when I go to overlays the measurement option is not there How do I get it to show so I can use it? I am using the latest version of blender

[@user-kr4pc4xr8m]

Thanks for this video

[@phylleedrianalagos1728]

wows. straight forward. Little things like this really help a lot of people in a huge way. :)

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it helped!

[@FODVAPOR]

Thanks man, appreciate the pointers :)

[@ObsequiousV4]

Solid quick tutorials. awesome work

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad you like them!

[@gilbertcontreras6453]

Appreciate your videos. Easy to follow and get rite to the point. Thank you.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad you like them!

[@anuraggupta7969]

Thanks for making this video. It was exactly what I was looking for. 😊

[@musiolikart]

Thanks, I build a lot of topology in scale so this helps a lot

[@mookiemu]

Awesome! Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for.

[@tec4ever72]

Absolute bliss for a newbie like me! Thanks

[@NBD-vf3gy]

Sorry but.... the reduced options are still prevalent in edit mode...no sign of the extended options you are talking about...

[@CarlosZahumenszky]

I needed this so hard!! Thanks for the video!!

[@musekmkr]

Been looking for this. Thank you!

[@uodige1]

great tutorial!! i am making some building structures, this helped me a lot .thank you!

[@tracygunning9700]

awesome! thank you so much for this tutorial, its so helpful

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@regularjmg]

Thanks you so much been searching for this option for months. You have gained a sub my friend!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Awesome - glad I could help!

[@aquenture]

Great video thanks!

[@alinamar468]

thank you for the tutorial! If I just scale the object in object mode the units will remain the same. So do I have to modify the object in edit mode to get the right units and measurements for it?

[@TheCGEssentials]

You probably need to apply the scale by going to "Object," "Apply," and selecting "Scale"

[@hindsight9213]

Your a lifesaver!!!

[@WendysAnime]

I didn't know this was possible and I design cars LOL, This is so much easier for frame design than writing down my measurements

[@suchetanmok9419]

Thank you soo much Justin, was searching for this from soo long

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it helped!

[@adimi87]

Really nice tutorial and helps alot with what im doing. Thank you for taking the time creating these tutorials

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RoseKindred]

I still cannot get this to work. I have a layout for a house. I set the units to inches and create a rough-shaped block 3in by 2in. Yet, when I export it as an STL the block needs to be enlarged by over 300 times in order to get it to print 3in by 2in. Is there any way to set it to a "true" size? So if I export something 1 inch it will print 1 inch? *Edit* I just measured all the lines on one edge, it says it is over 22inch across, which obviously is not.

[@bradrz6550]

so awesome dude

[@Kyrieru]

A perfect tutorial. Thanks.

[@paulsebring5326]

Helpful! Thank you.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad it was helpful!

[@syednajeeb777]

hi, nice and knowledgeable video. i have an issue with blender4.0 in after going in edit mode then i clicked overlays option ,in that edge dimension option are not visible. kindly help.

[@syednajeeb777]

Hi Justin. Kindly reply to my above query whn u have necessary time

[@TheTubejunky]

Forgot how to do this so I came back to it. 🇹​​​​​🇭​​​​​🇦​​​​​🇳​​​​​🇰​​​​​ 🇾​​​​​🇴​​​​​🇺​​​​​ 🇨​​​​​🇬​​​​​🇪​​​​​!

[@sheermagic]

Can you increase font size?

[@TheCGEssentials]

I looked for this and couldn't find it - I don't believe it's an option at the moment. I think there might be an add-on that does this, but haven't researched it too much yet

[@sheermagic]

Thanks for looking Justin. Do you know if Measureit can be rendered out?

[@devriv8983]

I've seen many requests over the years to allow for increasing the font size but the option still doesn't exists, which is awful.

[@lazygardens]

Go to EDIT > Preferences > Interface and increase the "display resolution scale" Everything gets a bit bigger.

[@TheCGEssentials]

​@@lazygardens I'd say this works if you want ALL the fonts to be bigger, but unfortunately it doesn't change JUST the edge lengths, but that might be what he was looking for

[@storyfirstfilms5983]

brilliant ! thank you

[@BaileysDad]

Thank you ✌

[@TheCGEssentials]

You're welcome 😊

[@Drkarthikeyanramalingam]

great tutorial

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks!

[@TonyInTownNZ]

I have a slab for my floor which I am trying to poop cut to lengths and my measurement show up on top of each other so I can't read them. Any ideas? Thanks

[@SARANO-OK]

how can we type the number of dimension just like we do in skethcup?

[@notaleproductions]

You are awesome. Thanks

[@BAINBRIDGE_BODEGA]

This is really useful, thanks! How do I see the measurement between two vertices when I have subdivisions? For now it shows me the measurement between each one separately so I have to add them up to get my total length but I'd like for it to just give me one measurement between vertex A and vertex B (while having vertices between those).

[@vietnamcrafts5645]

Thank you very much dear!

[@srgupta7808]

Thank you for helping

[@casade2831]

Very beneficial!! 👍

[@Viewfinderfx]

Exactly what I was looking for thanks!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad I could help!

[@workspacetalk]

Thank you this really helped! New subscriber.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Welcome!

[@bijov6383]

you are everywhere now a days

[@lasterfairy]

WOW. i feel like i grasped the meaning of life lol. I am very newb at blendr and i am trying not to be overwhelmed with the program. I have a question tho, is there any way for...lets say i make a cube. Is there any way to change its dimensions by typing them into a box or something, not by dragging the edges like you did here?

[@hailethanh7085]

do you know how to change dimension of start file in blender? i want it bigger than. thankyou sir

[@PlayBikeFrisbee]

Super helpful!!!

[@sabujpattanayek8799]

if you've installed archipack the archipack material menu has a manipulate button which will show you engineering style dimensions, let you click on dimensions and change them as required

[@TheCGEssentials]

Ok

[@bar7381]

when i scale down my object the edge length stays the same for some reason

[@RexelBartolome]

to make it show the correct measurements, you should apply scale using ctrl+a. That happens when you scale in object mode, you should only change the scale in edit mode so you can see the measurements change as you go.

[@mycats7321]

Thank you very much! I've been trying to figure out how to make a somewhat complicated Euro sink basin/vanity top that requires knowing specific measurements to form it. I have been trying to make it in Sketchup but it doesn't want to do the curves properly so I'm thinking of downloading Blender & using it. If I export something from Sketchup that has specific measurements, will it stay the same size when imported to Blender?

[@sebasural2]

Every time i close the program the metric sistem returns to default, is any way to save that setting? Ineed blender to open in millimeters not meters. thx

[@officialshowerloop607]

Thanks Mr.

[@edh3268]

How would you find the max distances of an object on any given plane or between two points? More common than needing to see a bunch of edge lengths is finding the OD of a cylinder or the length of an object. how would this be done?

[@garry949]

The newer version does not have the option to show dimensions in overlays. What to do?

[@TheCGEssentials]

You're saying they've removed that feature? I find that difficult to believe...

[@My2Cents1]

How do I set the grid size to 1 inch? I'm relying heavily on grid snapping for my project where I'm making a several part model part for 3D printing. I must have misunderstood, because I thought since I put my measurement to Inches, the 1.000 or 1.000000 should represent that measurement no?

[@nbakerify]

Thank you!

[@prathvisingh8288]

Very information man! I need not use the measure tool now 😀

[@constantineskliris]

This is useful

[@valtabohm]

Hey man great video! By the way, do you know the "Measurelt Tools" Addon? Ive been working with that but now I see some discrepancy between the native sizes from Blender "units" tab and the addon. Like, in one of my project, one object has 10m wide and it shows as 5m in blender sizes. Any ideas about what could be happening? Im kinda scared cause I did a whole project with the addon. Lol, now im trying to figure out wheter the mistake is the addon or the units config.

[@stoopidbastid6420]

most coolness thank you

[@kuyajaypi]

very useful video! is it possible to make the font of the edge length bigger? it's quite hard to see

[@shotrag]

Justin, using v2.90.1, and my Grid does not change when I make changes like yours does at 1:01. Should I be doing something differently?

[@claspehea3668]

I can show the measurements but it says every line is 2mm and im not sure how to correct that. my x is 0.047, y is 0.047 and z is 0.004 but every line I click on says 2mm. Anyone know why?

[@robertblask6815]

yes but is there a way I can simply just type in for example a door width of 36 inches? I am currently having to eye ball and extrude to 36 inches but find is so amazingly difficult to actually get it to be persistent on 36 inches for a more precise measurement. Can I build a model by measurements and scale?

[@TheCGEssentials]

Sure - just make sure when you're extruding edges, etc, you're using the real-world distances

[@serenity8839]

So is this something we have to reset every time we make a new scene?

[@jackie.p6891]

when i set the unit scale it also changes the size of my object... how can i make it that i can have my grid showing millimeters, and actually working in millimeters. If my object is 20mm wide, and i set the unit scale to 10, it becomes 200mm. i just want a more precise grid, without changing my object size, and applying scale doesn't work

[@stevegrimes5105]

It would be more useful to be able to set dimensions to specific measurements. I'm using archimesh having a difficult time dragging and then viewing wall distance in edit mode.

[@Knightfall8]

can I only measure edges on an added plane, or can I get measurements on the edges of my object?

[@mikepetrillo294]

i like watching ur videos, i have a question for u or anyone else ill give an example i create a plane my units are set to metric my length to millimeters why is it when i create a plane to a certain size when i use the mirror modifier so i can work on one side and it mirrors on the other, why does the size of the plane change it gets bigger after applying the modifier? blender 2.83

[@monalras1159]

Thanks a lot!

[@TheCGEssentials]

You're welcome!

[@basspig]

I want to find out the dimensions of an object, but all I got are location rotation and scale (which is always 1.000,1.000,1.000) even though the object is many grid units across. This is just one of many things that prevents me from getting productive work done in Blender.

[@funnytapir7505]

i love your video . how to make the units setup permernantly everytime we open blender?

[@TheCGEssentials]

Try File, Defaults, Save Startup File

[@tonyk680]

why is the default size of an object in blender always 24"X24"X24"

[@ph8584]

How do I display this in Blender 4.0+, I noticed its missing. I found it never mind.

[@cadetsparklez3300]

WHERE DID YOU FIND IT THEN?

[@ph8584]

@@cadetsparklez3300 under edit, its on the top bar under mesh edit overlay, under Measurement.

[@lalbtubebtube4393]

thank you

[@tonyk680]

when I click shift A and then select an object why does it have to be so big