2011
Table Of Contents
- Contents
- Get Information
- The User Interface
- Start and Save Drawings
- Control the Drawing Views
- Organize Drawings and Layouts
- Create and Modify Objects
- Control the Properties of Objects
- Use Precision Tools
- Use Coordinates and Coordinate Systems (UCS)
- Use Dynamic Input
- Snap to Locations on Objects (Object Snaps)
- Restrict Cursor Movement
- Combine or Offset Points and Coordinates
- Specify Distances
- Extract Geometric Information from Objects
- Use a Calculator
- Draw Geometric Objects
- Change Existing Objects
- Select Objects
- Correct Mistakes
- Erase Objects
- Cut, Copy, and Paste with the Clipboard
- Modify Objects
- Modify Complex Objects
- Add Constraints to Geometry
- Define and Reference Blocks
- Work with 3D Models
- Create 3D Models
- Overview of 3D Modeling
- Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves
- Create Solids
- Create Surfaces
- Create Meshes
- Create Wireframe Models
- Add 3D Thickness to Objects
- Modify 3D Models
- Create Sections and 2D Drawings from 3D Models
- Create 3D Models
- Annotate Drawings
- Work with Annotations
- Hatches, Fills, and Wipeouts
- Notes and Labels
- Tables
- Dimensions and Tolerances
- Understand Basic Concepts of Dimensioning
- Use Dimension Styles
- Set the Scale for Dimensions
- Create Dimensions
- Modify Existing Dimensions
- Add Geometric Tolerances
- Plot and Publish Drawings
- Specify Settings for Plotting
- Save Plot Settings as Named Page Setups
- Reuse Named Page Setups
- Specify Page Setup Settings
- Select a Printer or Plotter for a Layout
- Select a Paper Size for a Layout
- Determine the Drawing Orientation of a Layout
- Set the Plot Area of a Layout
- Adjust the Plot Offset of a Layout
- Set the Plot Scale for a Layout
- Set the Lineweight Scale for a Layout
- Select a Plot Style Table for a Layout
- Set Shaded Viewport and Plot Options for a Layout
- Print or Plot Drawings
- Overview of Plotting
- Use a Page Setup to Specify Plot Settings
- Select a Printer or Plotter
- Specify the Area to Plot
- Set Paper Size
- Position the Drawing on the Paper
- Control How Objects Are Plotted
- Preview a Plot
- Plot Files to Other Formats
- Specify Settings for Plotting
- Share Data Between Files
- Reference Other Drawing Files
- Work with Data in Other Formats
- Collaborate with Others
- Render Drawings
- Draw 2D Isometric Views
- Add Lighting to Your Model
- Materials and Textures
- Render 3D Objects for Realism
- Glossary
- Index
DIMLUNIT
Sets units for all dimension types except Angular.
Set the Scale for Dimensions
You can specify the size of dimensions in your drawing. How you set dimension
size depends on the method you use to lay out and print drawings.
Dimension scale affects the size of the dimension geometry relative to the
objects in the drawing. Dimension scale affects sizes, such as text height and
arrowhead size, and offsets, such as the extension line origin offset.
You should set these sizes and offsets to values that represent their actual
printed size. Dimension scale does not apply the overall scale factor to
tolerances or measured lengths, coordinates, or angles.
NOTE You can use annotative scaling to control the overall scale of dimensions
displayed in layout viewports. When you create annotative dimensions, they are
scaled based on the current annotation scale setting and automatically displayed
at the correct size.
Setting dimension scale depends on how you lay out your drawing. There are
three methods used to create dimensions in a drawing layout:
■ Dimension in model space for printing in model space. This is the
traditional method used with single-view drawings. To create dimensions
that are scaled correctly for printing, set the DIMSCALE system variable
to the inverse of the intended print scale. For example, if the print scale
is 1/4, set DIMSCALE to 4.
■ Dimension in model space for printing in paper space. This was the
preferred method for complex, multiple-view drawings prior to AutoCAD
2002. Use this method when the dimensions in a drawing need to be
referenced by other drawings (xrefs) or when creating isometric dimensions
in 3D isometric views. To prevent the dimensions in one layout viewport
from being displayed in other layout viewports, create a dimensioning
layer for each layout viewport that is frozen in all other layout viewports.
To create dimensions that are scaled automatically for display in a paper
space layout, set the DIMSCALE system variable to 0.
■ Dimension in layouts. This is the simplest dimensioning method.
Dimensions are created in paper space by selecting model space objects or
by specifying object snap locations on model space objects. By default,
associativity between paper space dimensions and model space objects is
Set the Scale for Dimensions | 801