I have heard there are plugins for Illustrator which will calculate the length of a complex path.
Pathlength Filter Telegraphics is one such plugin. Any others out there that AI users are familiar with?
The absolute best plug-in(s) I have seen for Illustrator come from Astute Graphics. Vector Scribe from Astute Graphics has a "Dynamic Measure" tool that does a really good job and converting those measurements into 'art'. http://www.astutegraphics.com/products/ ... ml#measure