Dimensions & Dimension Styles

Creating dimension styles has never been easier than it is in AutoCad2000™.

When you create a dimension style, it is important that you know the scale of the drawing for which the dimension style is being created. In our office, we assign names to dimension styles using the following format: DMZ(SF).

The letters 'DMZ' are included in ALL of our dimension styles, followed by the scale factor (represented by the letters "SF") corresponding to the plotted drawing's scale. For instance, the name "DMZ48" represents the dimension style that would be utilized in a 1/4"=1'-0" scale drawing, where 48 is the scale factor.

You can refer to this table for a complete listing of scale factors, dimension and text styles associated with each scale of drawing.

As you will see later, it is, first, necessary to create the text style which corresponds with the scale of your drawing. Again, you can refer to the table for this.

Procedure for Creating a New Dimension Style

1. In AutoCad2000, go to Dimension Style Manager by selecting the proper button from the Dimensioning Toolbar or by typing '_dimstyle on the Command line.
2. Click on the New... button.
3. In the Lines and Arrows tabbed dialogue box, assign settings as follows:
   Dimension Lines
   • COLOR: Cyan
   • LINEWIEGHT: By Block
   • EXTEND BEYOND TICKS: 1/8"
   • BASELINE SPACING: 1/4"
   • SUPPRESS: Leave both unchecked
   Extension Lines
   • COLOR: Cyan
   • LINEWIEGHT: By Block
   • EXTEND BEYOND DIM LINES: 3/32"
   • OFFSET FROM ORIGIN: 1/16"
   • SUPPRESS: Leave both unchecked
   Arrowheads
   • 1ST: Architectural Tick
   • 2ND: Architectural Tick
   • LEADER: Right Angle
   • ARROW SIZE: 1/8"
   Center Marks For Circles
   • TYPE: Mark
   • SIZE: 3/32"

4. In the TEXT tabbed dialogue box, assign settings as follows:
   Text Appearance
   • TEXT STYLE: From the available drop-down list, choose the Text style with the scale factor appropriate for your drawing.
   • TEXT COLOR: Cyan
   • TEXT HEIGHT: 1/8"
   • FRACTION SCALE: 1.000
   • DRAW FRAME AROUND TEXT: Leave unchecked
   Text Placement
   • VERTICAL: Above
   • HORIZONTAL: Centered
   • OFFSET FROM DIM LINE: 1/16"
   Text Alignment
   • Choose "ALIGNED WITH DIMENSION LINE"

5. In the FIT tabbed dialogue box, assign settings as follows:
   Fit Options
   • Select "EITHER THE TEXT OR THE ARROWS, WHICHEVR FITS BEST"
   • Do Not Suppress Arrows
   TEXT PLACEMENT
   • Select "OVER THE DIMENSION LINE WITHOUT A LEADER"
   SCALE FOR DIMENSION FEATURES
   • Select "USE OVERALL SCALE OF:" and enter the scale factor appropriate for your drawing.
   Fine Tuning
   • Select "ALWAYS DRAW DIM LINE BETWEEN EXT LINES"

6. In the PRIMARY UNITS tabbed dialogue box, assign settings as follows:
   Linear Dimensions
   • UNIT FORMAT: Architectural
   • PRECISION: 1/16"
   • FRACTION FORMAT: Not Stacked
   • DECIMAL SEPARATOR: (N/A)
   • ROUNDOFF: 0"
   • PREFIX: Leave Blank
   • SUFFIX: Leave Blank
   Measurement Scale
   • SCALE FACTOR: 1.000
   • APPLY TO LAYOUT DIMENSIONS ONLY: Leave Unchecked
   Zero Suppression
   • Select "O FEET" Only
   Angular Dimensions
   • UNITS FORMAT: Decimal Degrees
   • PRECISION: 0
   • ZERO SUPPRESSION: Leave Unchecked

7. ALTERNATE UNITS and TOLERANCES tabbed dialogue boxes are not relevant to our uses

By entering "DIM" at the Command Line, and then typing "Status," you can see a list of all of the current dimension style variables. The following chart is representative of dimension style DMZ48:

Be sure to note that the DIMSTYLE and DIMTXT variables are the only variables which are specific to ODC dimension style DMZ48