Feature request for measuring tracks in BaseCamp

Former Member
Former Member
It would be nice to have a tool in BaseCamp that would follow track lines, and would allow the user to measure just a portion of a track (ie. the distance from one landmark to the next). You can currently do this by using the Divide tool to cut the track into little pieces, but you then have to stitch them all back together when you've finished measuring. It would be much more convenient to have a measuring tool that allowed you to measure segments of a track without messing with the track's structure.
Andy
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    [Falagar, please take note....]

    I spend most of my time in here bellyaching about things Basecamp makes harder than necessary or that it can't do at all. It seems only fair that I occasionally put something positive in here to try and balance things out. So here goes...

    Basecamp already does it.

    - Right-click on a track and select Properties.

    - Look at the bottom of the properties window and you will see a line that contains totals for the number of points in the track, track length, travel time, etc.

    - In the list of legs in the Properties window, use Shift-Click or Ctrl-Click to select all the legs between the two points you want to measure. If you drag the Properties window out of the way so you can see the desired section of track on the map, you will see it highlighted as you select the legs in the Properties list.

    - Now look at that bottom line in the Properties window again. It will tell you how many points you have selected, the length between all those points, time to travel that section, etc.

    Not perfect but it has to beat what you've been doing with the Divide tool. :eek:

    Oh, hey!!! It gets better.

    - Switch your pointing tool (BaseCamp cursor) to the arrow.

    - Open the Properties window for the track.

    - Drag the properties window out of the way of the section of track you want to measure.

    - On the map, Click and drag with the arrow to make a rectangular box that catches the track section you want to measure.

    - When you release the mouse button, that section will be highlighted on the map, those legs will be selected in the Properties window and your measurement will be in the bottom line.

    Score a big one for the BaseCamp developers!!

    ...ken...
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    +1

    Wow! Thanks, I don't think I would have ever discovered the second way of doing that.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    This made me laugh. Thanks, Ken. :)

    Yes, the second way is not very easy to discover. But I use it myself quite often.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 13 years ago
    Ken thanks for posting the 2nd way. Very simple. I've been using BC for almost 2 years and I have always used the Divide tool.

    And of course thanks to the BC team for putting this "feature" in the program.