Dimensioning a Drawing - AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011: No Experience Required - page 596

Making a new Dimension Style
Each dimension has several components: the dimension line, arrows or tick
marks, extension lines, and the dimension text (see Figure 12.2). An extensive
set of variables stored with each drawing file controls the appearance and loca-
tion of these components. You work with these variables through a series of dia-
log boxes designed to make setting up a dimension style as easy and trouble free
as possible. Remember that AutoCAD is designed to be used by drafters from
many trades and professions, each of which has its own standards for drafting.
To satisfy these users' widely varied needs, AutoCAD dimensioning features
have many options and settings for controlling the appearance and placement
of dimensions in drawings.
FiGuRE 12.2 The parts of a dimension
naming a Dimension Style
Every dimension variable has a default setting, and these variables as a group consti-
tute the default Standard dimension style. As in defining text styles, the procedure is
to copy the Standard dimension style and rename the copy—in effect making a new
style that is a copy of the default style. You then make changes to this new style so it
has the settings you need to dimension your drawing and save it. Follow these steps:
1. Click the Dimension, Dimension Style button, the small arrow on the
bottom-right end of the Dimensions panel on the Annotate tab, to open
the Dimension Style Manager dialog box (see Figure 12.3).
On the top left in the Styles list box, you'll see Standard highlighted,
or ISO-25 if your drawing is in metric.