Working with Basic Dimension Lines

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Working with Basic Dimension Lines

In most cases when you insert dimension lines, your drawing should be displayed in an orthogonal view (plan or elevation).

It is common for dimension commands to prompt you to define a location point, i.e., a point through which the dimension line will pass. Some of the commands also prompt you to indicate either dimension points, i.e., the points between which dimensions will be measured or entities to be measured.

The orientation of dimension text is determined by the order in which you indicate the dimension points. Indicate from left to right, for example, and the dimension text reads normally. If you reverse the order, the dimension text is backwards and upside down.

$image\ebx_1712504276.gif$ IMPORTANT To ensure accurate dimensions, snap to the edges or corners of the entities.

In the command descriptions, the terms horizontal and vertical refer to the current active plane. It is convenient to remember that in plan view, the X axis is horizontal and the Y axis is vertical.

Dimension Attributes

Dimensions are created with the following attributes of the current style.

If you change these defaults, (see Setting dimension attributes), the new settings are used for any dimensions that you subsequently create.

Creating Linear Dimension Lines \dim

Create dimension lines by one of the five options:

Horizontal

Vertical

Parallel to an indicated entity

Normal (perpendicular) to an indicated line

Free

\dim

$image\ebx_1693072387.gif$ NOTE Each of the multiple options in this command can be accessed directly by typing the keyboard command name (or shortcut, if available).

Horizontal and vertical dimension lines can be created automatically, by indicated entities, or between specified points.