Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 19-4: Format the appearance of dimensional constraints in the Constraint Settings dialog box.
Using the Parameters Manager
Both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT include the Parameters Manager palette, accessible on
the Manage panels of their Ribbon's Parametric tab. You can use the Parameters Man-
ager to give all those dimensional constraints more sensible names than d1 and d2, but
even more usefully, you can enter expressions instead of plain numeric values, as I ex-
plain in the following steps.
1. Click Parameters Manager in the Manage panel.
The Parameters Manager palette appears, showing a list of dimensional constraints
currently applied in the drawing (see Figure 19-5).
In Figure 19-5, the Expression column shows the numeric values I specified for d1
and d2 and the expressions I entered for d3 and d4. The read-only Value column
shows the calculated value. You can't change a value in the Value column (it's
grayed out to remind you); you can only edit the cells in the Expression column.
2. In the d1 row, click in the Expression field to highlight the current value (10 in
this example), then click again and type a new value. For example, type 13 and
press Enter.
The rectangle resizes itself in the drawing editor, and because the d3 constraint on
the top side was made equal to the d1 constraint on the bottom side, both sides
change equally.
Figure 19-5: The Parameters Manager palette.
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