home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
-
- 5.11.1 DRAW DIMENSION
-
- The DRAW DIMENSION command is used to draw one or more dimension entities.
- The dimension and text parameters are taken from the currently selected
- parameters for the viewport or the system default parameters. Any of the
- selected or system parameters can be overridden using the DPARAMETERS or
- TPARAMETERS modifiers.
-
-
- COMMAND FORMAT
-
- The command format for DRAW DIMENSION varies according to the modifiers
- used. When the command and the required modifiers have been selected,
- entering a colon will result in the 'Loc', 'Ent' or 'View' prompt being
- issued:
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION modifiers :Loc/Ent
-
- or
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION modifiers :View
-
- If the current active viewport is the sheet viewport, the 'View' prompt will
- be issued if one or more internal viewports exist. The purpose if this
- prompt is to enquire if you wish to use a different viewport for
- dimensioning. If a viewport is selected, then all dimension values will be
- calculated using the scale and units of the identified viewport. The
- dimension entities themselves will always be created on the sheet viewport,
- but will be related to the dimension viewport.
-
- When the viewport has been selected, a colon must be entered to go on to the
- next stage of input. To use the sheet viewport to calculate dimension
- values, a colon is entered without selecting one of the other viewports:
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION modifiers :View x1 :Loc/Ent ( To select a dimension
- viewport ).
-
- or
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION modifiers :View :Loc/Ent ( To use the sheet
- viewport ).
-
- Whether or not the next prompt for input is 'Loc' or 'Ent' is dependent on
- the type of dimension selected using the TYPE modifier. These differences in
- format are described below.
-
-
- MODIFIERS
-
- LAYER Requires a layer number. This will override the current
- active layer.
-
- DEPTH Requires a depth number. This will override the current
- active depth.
-
- TYPE The TYPE modifier is used to select the type of dimension
- required. There are seven available dimension types to choose
- from:
-
- HORIZONTAL Used to dimension the horizontal distance
- between two points. This is the default
- type used if TYPE is omitted.
-
- VERTICAL Used to dimension the vertical distance
- between two points.
-
- LINEAR Used to dimension the total distance
- between two points.
-
- POINT Used to draw a single point dimension.
-
- ANGULAR Used to dimension an angle.
-
- DIAMETRIC Used to dimension an arc or circle.
-
- RADIAL Used to dimension an arc or circle.
-
- Each of these dimension types requires a slightly different
- sequence of command input:
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE HORIZONTAL :Loc x1 x2 x3 [x4] [:Loc ]
-
- Locations 'x1' and 'x2' define the object points of the
- dimension. The dimension value will be obtained from the
- horizontal distance between these two points. Location 'x3'
- defines the y point for the witness line. The optional
- location 'x4' will be used as an origin point for the
- dimension value text if it is entered. ( See fig. 5.75 ). If
- If 'x4' is omitted, the dimension value text will be placed
- automatically. ( See fig. 5.76 and 5.77 ).
-
- The optional text origin is applicable to all dimension
- types.
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE VERTICAL :Loc x1 x2 x3 [x4] [:Loc ]
-
- Locations 'x1' and 'x2' define the object points of the
- dimension. The dimension value will be obtained from the
- vertical distance between these two points. Location 'x3'
- defines the x point for the witness line. ( See fig. 5.78 ).
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE LINEAR :Loc x1 x2 x3 [x4] [:Loc ]
-
- Locations 'x1' and 'x2' define the object points of the
- dimension. The dimension value will be obtained from the
- total distance between these two points. Points 'x1' and 'x2'
- also define the angle of the witness line and leader lines.
- Location 'x3' is used as reference point to place the witness
- line. ( See fig. 5.79 ).
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE POINT :Loc x1 x2 x3 [x4] [:Loc ]
-
- Location 'x1' defines the object point of the dimension.
- Locations 'x2' and 'x3' define the start and end point of a
- leader line. The dimension value will be obtained from the
- ordinate value of 'x1'. ( See fig. 5.80 ).
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE ANGULAR :Loc x1 x2 x3 x4 [x5] [:Loc ]
-
- Locations 'x1', 'x2' and 'x3' define the dimension angle.
- The points 'x2' and 'x3' should be entered anticlockwise in
- relation to the angle origin at 'x1'. Location 'x4' defines
- the radius of the witness line as the distance between points
- 'x1' and 'x4'. ( See fig. 5.81 ).
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE DIAMETRIC :Ent x1 :Loc x2 [x3]
-
- Diametric dimensions are always created by referencing an arc
- entity. The dimension value is obtained from the diameter of
- the entity selected by 'x1'. Location 'x2' is used to place
- the witness line. If location 'x2' is inside the radius of
- the arc, then the witness line will be drawn within the
- circumference of the arc or circle. If location 'x2' is
- outside the radius of the arc, then the witness line will be
- from point 'x2' through the middle of the circle. The angle
- of the witness line is obtained by the angle formed between
- the centre of the arc or circle and point 'x2'. No leader
- lines are drawn. The dimension value text will be prefixed
- by the diameter symbol. ( See fig. 5.82 and 5.83 ).
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION TYPE RADIAL :Ent x1 :Loc x2 [x3] [:Loc ]
-
- Radial dimensions are always created by referencing an arc
- entity. The dimension value is obtained from the radius of
- the arc selected by 'x1'. A single line is drawn from the arc
- circumference to the location 'x2'. ( See fig 5.84 ).
-
- ALIGN The ALIGN modifier is used to align a new dimension with an
- existing dimension. ALIGN can only be used with the dimension
- types HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL, LINEAR and ANGULAR. The command
- format changes when the ALIGN modifier is used:
-
- #DRAW DIMENSION ALIGN modifiers :Ent x1 :Loc x2 [:Ent ]
-
- 'x1' is used to select an existing dimension entity. The
- witness line for the new dimension entity will be aligned to
- the witness line of the selected entity. The location of 'x1'
- is also used to obtain the first object point for the
- dimension. Location 'x2' defines the second object point for
- the dimension. If location 'x3' is entered, then this defines
- the origin for the dimension value text. If 'x3' is omitted,
- the dimension value text will be placed automatically. ( See
- fig. 5.85 ).
-
- DPARAMETERS The DPARAMETERS modifier is used to enter a further set of
- modifiers used to control the dimension parameters.
-
- .SUPPRESSLEAD This modifier can be used to suppress one or both of the
- dimension leader lines. SUPPRESSLEAD is followed by one of
- four keywords:
-
- FIRST Suppress the first leader line.
- SECOND Suppress the second leader line.
- BOTH Suppress both leader lines.
- NONE Do not suppress any of the leader lines.
-
- ( See fig. 5.86 ).
-
- .LEADGAP The LEADGAP modifier is used to define the gap left between
- the start of the leader line and the object point of the
- dimension. If a negeative value is entered, then the leader
- lines will extend beyond the dimension object points. LEADGAP
- should be followed by a real value. ( See fig. 5.87 ).
-
- .LEADEXT The LEADEXT modifier is followed by a real value used to
- define the distance that each leader line is extended beyond
- the dimension witness line.
-
- .ARROWHEAD The ARROWHEAD modifier is used to select the type of
- arrowhead to be used for all dimension entities. The modifier
- is followed by one of 5 keywords to select the arrowhead
- type:
-
- CLOSED Use a closed unfilled arrowhead.
- FILLED Use a closed filled arrowhead.
- OPEN Use an open arrowhead ( < shape ).
- DASH Use a diagonal dash as the arrowhead ( /
- shape ).
- NONE No arrowhead will be used.
-
- ..LENGTH Requires a real value to specify the length of the arrowhead
- in the creation viewport units.
-
- ...RATIO Specifies the ratio between the arrowhead length and width.
- If the arrowhead length was entered as 5mm, a ratio of 2.5
- will make the arrowhead width 2mm.
-
- .SCALE The SCALE modifier can be used to specify a scale factor
- which will be applied to all dimension values.
-
- .UNITS If this modifier is used, any dimension values will be
- converted from their dimension viewport units to a specified
- units type. The units types that can be entered are:
-
- MM Millimetres.
- CM Centimetres.
- M Metres.
- KM Kilometres.
- IN Inches.
- FT Feet.
- ML Miles.
- DEFAULT Use the default units.
-
- .TEXT The TEXT modifier is used to enter a further set of modifiers
- used to control layout and formatting characteristics for
- dimension text.
-
- ..POSITION This modifier has a number of options to decide how the
- dimension text is positioned relative to the witness line:
-
- HORIZONTAL Always position the text horizontally. ( See
- fig. 5.88 ).
-
- ALIGN Always align the text with the witness
- line. ( See fig. 5.89 ).
-
- The above 2 options override any selected
- text angle.
-
- MANUAL Position the text manually. The text angle
- and justification is taken from the
- currently selected text parameters.
-
- ...BREAK If the BREAK modifier is used with POSITION options
- HORIZONTAL or ALIGN, then the witness line will be broken to
- fit the dimension value text. ( See fig. 5.90 ).
-
- ..DTEXT The DTEXT modifier can be used to enter a character string
- that will be used as the dimension text instead of the
- actual dimension value. ( See fig. 5.91 ).
-
- ..PREFIX The PREFIX modifier can be used to enter a character string
- that will act as a prefix to any dimension value text. ( See
- fig 5.92 ).
-
- ..NOPREFIX NOPREFIX will cancel any prefix text that may have already
- been selected using the SELECT TEXT command.
-
- ..SUFFIX The SUFFIX modifier can be used to enter a character string
- that will act as a suffix to any dimension value text.
-
- ..NOSUFFIX NOSUFFIX will cancel any suffix text that may have already
- been selected using the SELECT TEXT command.
-
- ..PRECISION The PRECISION modifier is followed by an integer value used
- to define the number of decimal places of precision to use
- when formatting dimension value text. ( See fig. 5.93 ).
-
- ..TRAILZERO TRAILZERO is a toggle use to switch between displaying or
- not displaying any trailing zeros when fromatting dimension
- value text.
-
- ..TOLERANCE The TOLERANCE modifier is used to specify one of 4
- tolerancing formats that can be used with dimensions. The
- modifier is followed by one of 4 keywords:
-
- T± Used to enter a single value for plus and minus
- tolerances.
-
- T+T- Used to enter two tolerance values; one positive
- and one negative tolerance.
-
- T+ Used to enter a single value for a positive
- tolerance only.
-
- T- Used to enter a single value for a negative
- tolerance only.
-
- ...VALUE This modifier is used to specify the tolerance value ( or
- values in the case of T+T- ) for the above modifier.
-
- ..FORMAT The FORMAT modifier is used to select the format for
- dimension values if the dimension viewport units or selected
- units type are imperial - feet or inches. The default is to
- use feet and inches format with decimal fractions: one foot
- six and a half inches would be formatted as " 1'-6.500" ".
-
- ...DECIMAL Will select decimal format for imperial units: one foot six
- and a half inches will be formatted as "1.5416".
-
- ...IMPERIAL Selects the default imperial format. ( See fig. 5.94 ).
-
- ....FRACTIONS Will use fractional values in formatting dimension text
- values for imperial units. The modifier should be followed by
- an integer value defining the lowest denominator to be used
- for fractional values. Unless the FIXED modifier is used, the
- lowest common denominator will be sought; ie, if a value of
- 16 is chosen for the FRACTIONS value, 0.5 will be formatted
- as "1/2" and not "8/16". ( See fig. 5.95 ).
-
- The above example of one foot six and a half inches will
- be formatted as " 1'-6 1/2" ".
-
- .....FIXED Will used fixed fractions when formatting imperial values.
- The denominator specified under FRACTIONS will always be
- used.
-
- TPARAMETERS The TPARAMETERS modifier is used to enter a further family
- of modifiers used to control the text parameters and
- appearance.
-
- See the documentation for the command DRAW TEXT for a full
- description of the modifiers used to control text parameters.
-
- EXPLODE Specifies that the dimension should be exploded into all of
- its component parts. If this modifier is used, individual
- entities are created as opposed to a single dimension entity.
- This means that each entity that makes up the dimension can
- be edited or referenced in the normal way.
-
- All of the entities created will be related to each other to
- form a group of equal members.
-
- .UNLINK If the UNLINK modifier is used in conjunction with EXPLODE,
- the entities that compose the dimension will not be related.
-
- ATTRIBUTE Used to enter one or more attributes associated with this
- entity. For a full description of the ATTRIBUTE option, see
- the documentation for the command ADD ATTRIBUTE.
-
-
-