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Why does the edge length information shown after ticking Edge Info -> Edge Length under Mesh Display change after choosing Global or Local?

enter image description here

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  • $\begingroup$ 2.76 is quite old, upgrade to a newer version. Edge length in Global coordinates depends on a lot of things like object scale, modifiers, deformations applied among others. $\endgroup$ Mar 16, 2018 at 16:29
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    $\begingroup$ Related: Why do the measurements of this object seem erroneous? $\endgroup$
    – user1853
    Mar 16, 2018 at 16:36

2 Answers 2

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When you are using Local, you are looking at the dimensions relative to the scaling of the object (if scaled in object mode).

Global will show you the absolute measurements.

As an example. Here's a cube that has been scaled 2 times in the $Z$ axis.

enter image description here

If you switch between local and global coordinates in edit mode.

The measurements in local units are relative to the scaling and show that the cube is 2x2x2, whereas the Global units show the absolute measurements showing that the cube is no longer a cube, but a cuboid that is 4m tall.

enter image description here


Why should you care for local or global measurements?

Please read: Why is it important to apply transformation to an objects data?

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Global is based on the 'World' coordinates (0,0) where 'Local' is relative to its self, which could be anywhere in 'World' space. [hope i got that right].

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