Operation Manual

• Legend – sets the properties of the dimension text.
– Text position – determines the position of the dimension text with respect to the
dimension line and the guides. The AutoVertical and AutoHorizontal checkboxes must
be cleared before you can assign a text position.
– AutoVertical – determines the optimal vertical position for the dimension text.
– AutoHorizontal – determines the optimal horizontal position for the dimension text.
– Parallel to line – displays the text parallel to or at 90 degrees to the dimension line.
– Show measurement units – shows or hides the dimension measurement units. You
can also select a measurement unit you want to display from the list.
Note
The dimensioning style Dimension Line is always linked and stored with the
current work page. All the changes that you make apply only to this page. New
drawings are started with the standard properties of Draw. If you want to use the
amended style for future drawings, save your drawing as a template.
Tip
When dimensioning objects, it is recommended to use the zoom function, guide
lines and snap functions so that you can accurately place dimension lines on an
object. See Chapter 3 Working with Objects and Object Points for more
information.
Dimensioning objects
1) Click on the small triangle next to the Lines and Arrows icon on the Drawing toolbar to
open the Arrows pop-up toolbar. Note that this icon changes depending on the last Lines
and Arrows tool used. Also, this toolbar can become a floating toolbar by clicking on the
bottom of the pop-up toolbar and dragging it into the workspace.
2) Click on the Dimension Line icon on the Arrows toolbar and the cursor normally
changes to a cross. This depends on your computer setup.
3) Position the cursor at one corner of the object, then click and drag the cursor to the other
corner of the object to draw the dimension line. To restrict drawing the dimension line in the
horizontal or vertical direction, press and hold the Shift key while dragging the cursor.
4) Release the mouse button when you reach the other corner of the object and the
dimension line is drawn with the dimension automatically added (Figure 248). The
dimension line is also placed automatically on the Dimension Lines layer; see “Default
layers” on page 214 for more information.
5) To edit the text of the dimension, double-click on an unselected dimension line to enter text
edit mode and make your changes. Click outside the dimension line to save the changes.
6) To configure the dimension line, see “Configuring dimensioning” on page 217.
Figure 248: Dimensioning objects
Chapter 11 Advanced Draw Techniques 219