Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 11
Using Dimensions
Before you determine the dimensions of a project, your design is in flux and many questions
may be unanswered. After you begin dimensioning, you'll start to see whether things fit or
work together. Dimensioning can be crucial to how well a design works and how quickly it
develops. The dimensions answer questions about code conformance if you're an architect; they
answer questions about tolerances, fit, and interference if you're involved in mechanical applica-
tions. After you and your design team reach a design on a schematic level, communicating even
tentative dimensions to others on the team can accelerate design development. Dimensions rep-
resent a point from which you can develop your ideas further.
With AutoCAD, you can easily add tentative or final dimensions to any drawing. AutoCAD
gives you an accurate dimension without your having to take measurements. You pick the
two points to be dimensioned and the dimension line location, and AutoCAD does the rest.
AutoCAD's associative dimensioning capability automatically updates dimensions whenever the
size or shape of the dimensioned object changes. These dimensioning features can save you
valuable time and reduce the number of dimensional errors in your drawings.
In this chapter, you'll learn to do the following:
Understand the components of a dimension
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Create a dimension style
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Draw linear dimensions
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Edit dimensions
Dimension non-orthogonal objects
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Add a note with a leader arrow
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Apply ordinate dimensions
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Add tolerance notation
Understanding the Components of a Dimension
Before you start the exercises in this chapter, it will help to know the names of the parts of a
dimension. Figure 11.1 shows a sample of a dimension with the parts labeled. The dimension
line is the line that represents the distance being dimensioned. It's the horizontal line with the
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