Dimension Styles

Dimension Styles 1
 Dimension Styles
 The appearance of dimensions is
controlled by over 70 different settings.
 Dimension variables.
 Prior to dimension styles being implemented
in AutoCAD, controlling dimension
appearance was very difficult.
 Dimension Styles are saved configurations
of these 70 settings.

Dimension Styles 2
 Dimension Styles
 Dimension variables are AutoCAD system
variables that help you control the way
dimensions look.

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 Dimension Styles
 Create a dimension style that has the
desired dimension appearance.

 Name the style appropriately.

 Dimension styles can have a family of

settings that allow you to have different
settings for each type of dimension.

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Creating Dimension Styles

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 Creating Dimension Styles
 To use dimensions most effectively
 1. Create a dimension style
 2. Use the style to create dimensions
 3. AVOID Dimension Overrides.

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 Creating Dimension Styles
 You can customize dimension styles to
correspond to drafting standards such as:
 ASME/ANSI
 ISO
 MIL
 Architectural
 Structural
 Civil

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 Creating Dimension Styles
 Dimension Styles are created
 using the Dimension Styles dialog box and is
selected by:
 Picking the Dimension Styles button in the
Dimension tool bar
 OR
 Picking Dimension Style in the Format pull-
down menu
 OR
 Entering D or DDIM at the Command: prompt

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 Creating Dimension Styles
 The Dimension Style area of the
Dimension Style dialog box displays the
name of the style.
 “Standard”.
 If additional styles exist they are accessed in
the drop-down list.
 The “Name” text box is where you input the
dimension style name or rename an existing style.

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Dimension Styles 10
 Creating Dimension Styles
 “New” button
 Creates new dimension styles

 Name
 Recognizable name for new dimension style.
 Start with
 You can base new dimension style on an existing
dimension style.

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Dimension Styles 12
 Creating Dimension Styles
 “Use For” button
 Use for
 All dimensions
 Linear dimensions
 Angular dimensions
 Radial dimensions
 Diameter dimensions
 Ordinance dimensions
 Leaders
 Tolerances

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Dimension Styles 14
Dimension Styles 15
 Creating Dimension Styles
 “Modify” button
 Allows changes to the currently selected style.

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 Creating Dimension Styles
 “Override” button
 An OVERRIDE is a temporary change to the
current style setting.

 The override settings are lost when any other

style is selected as “current” again!!

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 Creating Dimension Styles
 “Compare” button
 Allows you to view the properties of two styles
side by side.

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Creating Dimension Styles

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Creating Dimension Styles -
The Lines and Arrows Tab

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 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Color
 ByBlock
 Individual color

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Dimension Styles 22
 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Lineweight
 ByBlock
 Individual lineweights.

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Dimension Styles 24
 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Extend beyond ticks
 Only active with tic marks.
 Allows the dimension line to extend past the
tic mark.

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Dimension Styles 26
 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Baseline Spacing
 Sets the spacing between dimension lines of
baseline dimensions.

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Dimension Styles 28
 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Suppress Dim Line 1 or Dim Line 2
 Prevents the display of either Dim Line 1 or
Dim Line 2.

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Dimension Styles 30
 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Extension Lines
 Color.
 ByBlock
 Individual color
 Lineweight.
 ByBlock
 Individual lineweight

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 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Extension Lines
 Extend beyond dim lines.

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 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Extension Lines
 Offset from origin.

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 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Extension Lines
 Suppress.

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Dimension Styles 36
 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Arrows
 Style - Left
 Style - Right

 Leader arrows
 Style
 Arrow size

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The Lines and Arrows Tab

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 The Lines and Arrows Tab
 Center Mark for Circles (DIMCEN).
 None.
 Mark.
 Line.

 Size
 Negative - lines extend outside circle
 Positive - lines do not extend outside circle.

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Dimension Styles 40
Creating Dimension Styles -
The TEXT Tab

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 The Text Tab
 Text
 Style
 Text styles currently available in drawing.
 Color
 ByBlock
 Individual color
 Height
 0.125” is architectural standard height.

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 The Text Tab
 Text
 Fraction height scale
 A value of 1.0 = fraction height same as text size.
 Draw frame around text.
 Draws a rectangle around the text.
 Distance from text is determined by “offset from
dim line value”.

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Dimension Styles 47
 The Text Tab
 Text Placement - Vertical
 Centered
 Default
 Dimension text placed in gap in dimension line.
 Above
 Architectural drafting.
 Dimension text placed ABOVE dimension line.
 Outside
 Dimension text placed OUTSIDE dimension.
 JIS - Japanese Industrial Standards.
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Dimension Styles 50
 The Text Tab
 Text Placement - Horizontal
 Centered
 Dimension text is centered on dimension line.
 At Ext Line 1
 Dimension text is placed at Ext Line 1.
 At Ext Line 2
 Dimension text is placed at Ext Line 2.

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Dimension Styles 53
 The Text Tab
 Text Placement - Horizontal
 Over Ext Line 1
 Dimension text is placed with and over Ext Line 1.
 Not common.
 Over Ext Line 2
 Dimension text is placed with and over Ext Line 2.
 Not common.
 Offset from dim line
 Sets gap between dimension line and dimension
text.

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 The Text Tab
 Text Alignment
 Horizontal
 Draws unidirectional dimension text.
 Aligned with dimension line
 Draws aligned dimension text.
 ISO Standard
 Aligned text when the text is between the
extension lines.
 Horizontal dimensions when the text is outside the
extension lines.

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Creating Dimension Styles -
The Fit Tab

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 The Fit Tab
 Fit tab controls the placement of
 Text
 Arrows.

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 The Fit Tab
 Fit tab
 Either the text or the arrows, whichever fits
best.
 Arrows.
 Text.
 Both text and arrows.
 Always keep text between extension lines.
 Suppress arrows if they don’t fit inside the
extension lines.

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 The Fit Tab
 Text placement
 Beside the dimension line.
 Over the dimension line, with a leader.
 Over the dimension line, without a leader.

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 The Fit Tab
 Scale for Dimension Features
 Used to set the scale factor for all dimension
features in the entire drawing.

 Scale dimensions to layout (paper space)

 Sets overall scale to adjust to active paper space
viewport, by setting the scale equal to the viewport
scale factor.

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 The Fit Tab
 Fine tuning
 Allows maximum flexibility for placing
dimension text.

 Place text manually

 Allows control over text placement and dimension
line length outside dimension lines.

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Dimension Styles 65
 The Fit Tab
 Fine tuning
 Allows maximum flexibility for placing
dimension text.

 Always draw dim line between ext lines

 Forces a dimension line inside extension lines,
even if the arrows and text are outside the
extension lines.

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The Primary Units Tab

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Unit Format
 Precision
 Fraction Format
 Decimal Separator
 Round off
 Prefix
 Suffix

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Dimension Styles 70
 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Unit Format
 Scientific
 Decimal
 Engineering
 Architectural
 Fractional
 Windows Desktop

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Unit Format
 Decimal
 Decimal inches
 Decimal millimeters
 Normally used on mechanical drawings for
manufacturing.
 Initial precision is four decimal places.

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Unit Format
 Engineering
 Civil (maps, plot plans, etc.
 Initial precision - four decimal places

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Unit Format
 Architectural
 Feet, inches and fractional inches
 Initial precision - 1/16 inch

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Unit Format
 Fractional

 Scientific
 Very large or very small values
 Initial precision - four decimal places.

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Precision
 How many zeroes follow the decimal place.

 Fraction Format
 Diagonal
 Horizontal
 Not Stacked (Architectural only)

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Decimal Separator
 Commas
 Periods (default)
 Spaces

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Round off
 Default = zero (no rounding)
 0.1 = rounded to nearest 0.1
 1.188 = 1.2

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 Primary Units Tab
 Primary Units Tab
 Prefix
 Special notes or symbols placed in front of the
dimension text.
 Example: SR3.5 (Spherical radius)

 Suffix
 Special notes or symbols placed after the
dimension text.

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 Primary Units Tab
 Measurement Scale
 If value = 1, dimension values are displayed
the same as they are measured.

 If value = 2, dimension values are displayed

twice as much as they are measured.

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 Primary Units Tab
 Measurement Scale
 Apply to layout dimensions only.
 Makes the linear scale factor active only when
dimensioning in a layout tab.

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Dimension Styles 82
 Primary Units Tab
 Measurement Scale
 Zero suppression
 Leading
 On by default
 Leaves a zero on dimension numbers less than one.

 Trailing
 Off by default
 Leaves zeroes after the decimal point based on the
precision setting.

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 Primary Units Tab
 Measurement Scale
 Zero suppression
 0 feet
 On by default
 Removes the zero in feet and inch dimensions when
there are zero feet.
 0 inches
 On by default
 Removes the zero when the inch part of feet and inch
dimensions is less than one inch.

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Overriding Dimensioning Variables

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 Overriding Existing Dimensioning Variables
 You can alter dimensioning variables to
modify one or more specify dimensions on
the drawing.
Command: DOV or DIMOVERRIDE
Dimension variable to override or Clear to
remove overrides): DIMEXO
Current Value <0.062> New value: 0
Dimension variable to override: (type another
variable name to override or press [Enter])
Select objects:
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 Overriding Existing Dimensioning Variables
 The variable changes on as many
dimensions as you pick.

 You can also clear any previous overrides

by using the Clear option.

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 Dimensioning Variables
 AutoCAD uses variables to modify the
appearance of dimensions.

 AutoCAD has 72 (!) variables associated

with dimensions.

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 Dimensioning Variables
 By using dimension styles, you can pre-set
many of these variables.

 Use different dimension styles to create

different types of dimensions.

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