Measure the mass properties of a model
 
 
 

How to calculate and display the mass properties (volume, surface area, and centroid) of a model.

The Mass Properties tool provides two ways of specifying the object to measure:

Restrictions

To get accurate statistics on an object, the following conditions must be met:

You can check the seam between two surfaces by placing a Deviation measurement on the seam. You can check the orientation of normals using the Reverse Direction tool.

Show the mass properties of a model

  1. Pick all the surfaces that make up the model. Make sure the surfaces completely enclose the volume of the object.
  2. Click the Mass Properties icon, or choose Evaluate > Mass Properties from the palette.

    When the Mass Properties tool completes its calculations, the Mass Properties window appears, containing the following statistics about the object.

    Label Description Formula
    Units Current unit of measurement (default is either centimeters or millimeters, depending on which product you are using).  
    Area Area of the picked surfaces.  
    volume Volume enclosed by the picked surfaces, or volume occupied by shell surface with given thickness.  
    centroid X, Y, Z coordinates of the center of the object  
    Note

    If you are using a construction plane when you click the tool, the calculations use the X, Y, and Z axes of the current construction plane.

    If you change the options of the Mass Properties tool, the window updates.

Tips and notes