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calculating the actual area
- Thread starter Mardi
- Start date
Rick
Certified Enneadecagon Designer
All the citys I have ever dealt with measure overall size and add the dead space in the letter area. The biggest disadvantage to that rule is a logo that uses upper/lower case with descending letters......especially long names. That dead space eats up square footage. All caps have a better chance of getting more sign space.
What your client is asking for is usually hard to do without a lawyer. I guess if you are getting aid for your time then who cares.
What your client is asking for is usually hard to do without a lawyer. I guess if you are getting aid for your time then who cares.
Git-R-Done
New Member
Mardi, I am not sure what part of IL you are in but I feel your pain. I deal with the same crap daily.
Git-R-Done
Git-R-Done
GAC05
Quit buggin' me
Here is a fast, free (easy) way to get what you want:
Download and install the V4 evaluation version of Rhinoceros.
http://www.rhino3d.com/
Export your graphics from your layout program as simple closed paths in the ai format (. ai v3 always works).
Start Rhino
Start a new File and select the same units you drew your graphics in (i.e. inches mm etc)
Import the ai path file.
Select the paths so they turn yellow.
Go to the "Surface" drop down tab select "Planar curves"
This will turn your outlines into surfaces.
Delete the curves (they will still be selected - just hit delete)
Select all the surfaces
Go to the "Analyse" drop down tab > select "Mass Properties" > "Area"
Look at command line at the top of your workview for the "Cumulative Area"
Done.
This is windows only and the eval never times out.
Update
Opps, its been a while from the last time I did this.
Just checked and you can skip the generating surfaces part.
Rhino will calculate the area of closed curves.
Just import, select and analyse the curves - even easier than i figured.
whk
Download and install the V4 evaluation version of Rhinoceros.
http://www.rhino3d.com/
Export your graphics from your layout program as simple closed paths in the ai format (. ai v3 always works).
Start Rhino
Start a new File and select the same units you drew your graphics in (i.e. inches mm etc)
Import the ai path file.
Select the paths so they turn yellow.
Go to the "Surface" drop down tab select "Planar curves"
This will turn your outlines into surfaces.
Delete the curves (they will still be selected - just hit delete)
Select all the surfaces
Go to the "Analyse" drop down tab > select "Mass Properties" > "Area"
Look at command line at the top of your workview for the "Cumulative Area"
Done.
This is windows only and the eval never times out.
Update
Opps, its been a while from the last time I did this.
Just checked and you can skip the generating surfaces part.
Rhino will calculate the area of closed curves.
Just import, select and analyse the curves - even easier than i figured.
whk
Last edited:
Rick
Certified Enneadecagon Designer
That may be true there, but cities I have dealt with will measure overall space measured from the top and side of the word, not the actual added individual letter space....there are a few cities that do not allow cabinet signs so you have to measure the overall space. I have heard the argument about window space but doesn't that depend on how the city describes siign types?
It can get even more complicated...when measuring cap height do you measure letters that go above cap height and below baseline (S's O's....) or letters that stay within? Have dealt with that too....
It can get even more complicated...when measuring cap height do you measure letters that go above cap height and below baseline (S's O's....) or letters that stay within? Have dealt with that too....
Yes Rick you are sooo right.
It depends how THEY interpret it.
My position is that if I slap on the window vinyl that does not exceed their allowed coverage area, and they do not like it, they are more than welcome to take me to court and argue it in front of the judge. I seriously doubt it would ever come to that.
It depends how THEY interpret it.
My position is that if I slap on the window vinyl that does not exceed their allowed coverage area, and they do not like it, they are more than welcome to take me to court and argue it in front of the judge. I seriously doubt it would ever come to that.
Around here they take a tape measureand find the widest points. They take the two measurements to get the area. They require this box to be specified when you get the permit to add the signage to get you to the limit. But a banner on the back of a cabinet inside the window does not count..
Jimmy
Jimmy
Autocad will do it. Send an eps to anyone with autocad. But this probably isnt going to help you.
Very likely, the municipality already has an approved method for calculating the signage area and it is probably stated in the latest sign ordinance. If they give a square footage, they will also give a method of calculating it.
You should get copy of the local ordinance that they are holding you to and I am pretty sure you will find that they are calculating Height X Width (or some form of this, like "area of up to two boxes" or "area formed by up to 8 straight lines intersecting at 90 degree angles" , etc etc).
Edit... This is 2 years old. Why did I do that? Well there you are.
Very likely, the municipality already has an approved method for calculating the signage area and it is probably stated in the latest sign ordinance. If they give a square footage, they will also give a method of calculating it.
You should get copy of the local ordinance that they are holding you to and I am pretty sure you will find that they are calculating Height X Width (or some form of this, like "area of up to two boxes" or "area formed by up to 8 straight lines intersecting at 90 degree angles" , etc etc).
Edit... This is 2 years old. Why did I do that? Well there you are.
