Dimensioning a Drawing - AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011: No Experience Required - page 626

FiGuRE 12.35 The arc length dimension positioned on the curve
Setting up Parent and Child Dimensioning Styles
The A-DIMS-PLAN dimension style that you set up at the beginning of this
chapter applies to all dimensions and is called the parent dimension style. You
can change settings in this dimension style for particular types of dimensions,
such as the radial type. This makes a child dimension style. The child version is
based on the parent version, but it has a few settings that are different. In this
way, all your dimensions will be made using the A-DIMS-PLAN dimension style,
but radial dimensions will use a child version of the style. Once you create a child
dimension style from the parent style, you refer to both styles by the same name,
and you call them a dimension style family . Follow these steps to set up a child
dimension style for radial dimensions:
1. Click the Dimension Style button at the right end of the Dimensions
panel to open the Dimension Style Manager dialog box.
2. With the parent style, A-DIMS-PLAN, highlighted in the Styles list, click
the New button to open the Create New Dimension Style dialog box.
3. Open the Use For drop-down list, select Radius Dimensions, and then
click the Continue button.
The New Dimension Style: A-DIMS-PLAN: Radial dialog box opens
and has the seven tabs you worked with earlier. Had you selected a
different option in the Use For drop-down list, it would replace Radial
in the title of the dialog box.