How to Measure Your Captures

Measuring in Polycam allows you to get accurate dimensions from your 3D captures. Whether you're working on a simple room scan or a detailed project, you can easily measure distances, areas, and more with precision.

Supported Capture Types

Measurement tools work with most capture types.

Capture Mode	Support	Notes
Object Mode	✅	Auto Measurement is not available for Object mode
Space Mode	✅	All measurement tools available
AI Capture	✅	Auto Measurement is not available for AI Captures
Floorplan Mode	✅	All measurement tools available
360 Mode	❌	Measurements not supported

Feature Availability

Measurement tools are available across all Polycam platforms (iOS, Web, and Android) with varying feature access depending on your subscription tier.

Feature	Free	Basic	ProLEGACY	Business	Enterprise
Ruler Tool	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Pen Tool	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
Area Tool	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
Auto Measurement	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
Save Measurements	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅

How to Measure in Polycam

Accessing and using measurement tools is intuitive across both mobile and web platforms.

1Open Your Capture

Launch the Polycam app on your device or access Polycam Web through your browser. Navigate to your Library and select the capture you wish to measure.

2Activate Measurement Mode

Tap or click the Measure icon in the toolbar to activate the measurement tool. On mobile, this is located in the app's toolbar. On web, find it on the left-hand side of the page.

3Select Your Tool

Choose the measurement tool that best suits your needs. Different tools are available based on your subscription tier.

4Take Measurements

Tap or click points on your 3D capture to create measurements. The measurement values will automatically update as you place points.

5Save Your Work

Business and Enterprise users can save measurements by tapping the Save button in the top right corner on web, or the bottom right-hand corner on mobile.

Measurement Tool Types

Understand the different measurement tools available in Polycam and when to use each one for optimal results.

Ruler: The Ruler tool allows you to create a measurement by clicking on two points on the object. If you make the two points at an angle, the angle measurement will also populate. This is the most straightforward tool for basic distance and angle measurements.

Simple two-point measurements with automatic angle detection

Pen: The Pen tool allows you to create multiple points to generate several measurements at a time. This is useful when measuring complex shapes or when you need to take multiple related measurements in sequence.

Pen measurement tool demonstrating multiple points

Multi-point measurements for complex shapes and continuous measurements

Area: The Area tool allows you to generate a surface area by selecting multiple points and closing them out to create an enclosed shape. This tool is best used for calculating floor areas, wall surfaces, or any other region that requires area measurement rather than linear distance.

Area measurement tool showing enclosed shape

Surface area calculation using enclosed point selection

Auto Measurement: Users can automatically generate measurements for detected walls. This feature uses AI to recognize architectural elements and automatically places measurement lines, saving time on room documentation and floor plan analysis.

Auto measurement feature detecting walls

Automated wall detection and measurement for supported capture modes

Changing Your Unit of Measurement

You can change the default unit of measurement directly within the Measurement tool. This change will apply to all captures across your account, allowing you to maintain consistent units of measurement for your projects.

1Access Measurement Settings

Within the measurement tool, tap or click on the gear icon to open the settings panel.

Settings gear icon in the measurement tool

2Modify Unit of Measurement

A settings panel will appear, allowing you to adjust the default unit of measurement and measurement snapping options. Select your preferred unit of measurement to apply it across all captures in your account. You can also change the unit of measurement from meters to millimeters.

Measurement settings panel showing unit options

Saving Your Measurements

Saving measurements is only available for Business and Enterprise users.

You can save your measurements to review later by tapping the Save button in the top right corner on the web, or the bottom right-hand corner on mobile. This allows you to access your measurements across multiple devices, or with other users on your team.

Save button location for preserving your measurement work

Adjusting and Deleting Measurements

You can adjust any measurements by clicking and dragging the points to new locations. The measurements will automatically update based on the changes, allowing you to modify your measurements without starting over.

To delete a measurement, select the measurement you wish to remove and press the delete key on your keyboard, or select the trash icon in the measurement toolbar. On mobile devices, tap on the measurement to select it, then tap the trash icon to remove it.