Measurements

= Measurements =

Overview
Example: neck_front_to_waist_f is the measurement from the Neck Front to the Waist Front.
 * Valentina includes measurements from many different patternmaking systems.
 * Measurements have groups (Height, Leg, etc.) and each group is designated by a letter.
 * Each measurement has a number within that group.
 * Each measurement has a variable name based on anatomical points. This allows translations of measurement variable names to be meaningful across every language.
 * Abbreviations for front (_f) and back (_b) are sometimes used, typically at the end of a measurement name.

Body Points Diagram

 * Download Body Points Diagram.

Body Measurements Diagram

 * View small version of Measurement Diagram
 * View large version of Measurement Diagram
 * Download Measurement Diagram (SVG)

More about measurements
There isn't a standard set of measurements used by everyone. Valentina includes a large set of measurements to support variations in patternmaking, plus support for specialty garments, historical costuming, etc.

Everyday terms for measurements are very imprecise. For example, 'shoulder' and 'shoulder length' can be the same measurement. 'Front full length' and 'front shoulder height' can mean the same measurement. Some systems use the term 'armhole', others use 'armscye'. The terms 'Nape', 'Cervicale', and 'Neck Back' refer to the same point on the body.

Some names are associated with multiple measurements. 'Armscye Depth' is sometimes the length from the back of the neck to the level of the bottom of the armscye, and sometimes it's the vertical distance from the shoulder tip to the bottom of the armscye. "Natural waist" is sometimes 2" below the waist, sometimes it is the same as "waist" and means the smallest circumference around the torso.

Meanings of measurement names
In some patternmaking systems, measurements are halved. For example, 'Back shoulder width' sometimes means the distance from shoulder tip to shoulder tip across the back, sometimes it means half this measurement. (Valentina provides arm_shoulder_tip_to_shoulder_tip_b and arm_shoulder_tip_to_shoulder_tip_b_half for the back shoulder width and it's half measurement.) Some patternmaking systems define 'knee girth' to mean the circumference around the knee with a straight leg, some systems define it as the circumference around the bent knee. A similar situation occurs with the elbow and arm length measurements, some use a straight arm and some use a bent arm. (Valentina provides leg_knee_circ and leg_knee_circ_bent, and shoulder_tip_to_wrist and shoulder_tip_to_wrist_bent measurements.)

Also, some measurements begin with their group name, like "height_", "arm_", and "leg_".

How can I help?
If you have questions or suggestions about measurements, please post them to the forum

How can I propose a new measurement?
Post your proposal to the forum. Your proposal should include: When proposal is approved on forum, create a bug ticket in the Issue Tracker.
 * short name
 * long name (human readable)
 * description of how to take the measurement
 * measurement image or drawing
 * category you think it should be included