topic Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects in AutoCAD Forum

Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 14:46:31 GMT

Per my instructors instructions (that's a mouthful!), I need to have my dimensions to be .625 inches away from an object. First off, this seems to be a very short distance. He says you must be at full scale, which I believe I am (1/4" = 1'). But I don't get results that look right. Also, I've tried going into Properties for dimensions (double clicking the dimension to pull this up), and changing a setting, but I don't think I did it right (see lower dimension on drawing). Tried undoing several times, but when I enter .625 as a distance (as a relative coordinate? @.625",0) I get the dimension really close to the object. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

dmfrazier — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:26:32 GMT

I couldn't find any dimensions on the DWG you attached.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:34:50 GMT

Look into the DIMEXO System Variable [= DIMension EXtension-line Offset from definition points]. In model space, the value will be multiplied by the DIMSCALE System Variable for the on-paper offset distance. To my way of thinking, 0.625 inches [5/8"] is a very large offset if they mean that as the on-paper amount -- it's very small at 1/4" scale at model size, but not after DIMSCALE accounts for that. The default is 0.0625 [1/16"] -- is that what they mean?

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

pendean — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 17:28:00 GMT

Shouldn't you ask your teacher about help with your homework?

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

dmfrazier — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 17:33:38 GMT

There's nothing wrong with asking for help. That's how we learn.

(But it certainly would be wrong for any of us to simply give away the answer.)

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

pendean — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 17:37:43 GMT

While I agree in general, this user in at least another post seems to asking more than researching (or reviewing class notes) with the same homework assignment file 😞

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

dmfrazier — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 17:42:44 GMT

I see...

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:14:42 GMT

I had only tried to enter two dimensions on the attached file. I was asking HOW to enter dims of a specific distance from the object. Thanks for your effort, though.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:17:05 GMT

My instructor often seems hostile to questions and is quick to criticize. I do ask questions both in class and via email, but the last response I got was, frankly, belittling, hence my turning to AutoDesk.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:17:36 GMT

Thank you for your understanding!

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:22:58 GMT

Thank you. I will make a note of this.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

dmfrazier — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:24:04 GMT

Just to clarify, I was hoping to see the dimensions you had created as I thought it would give me a better understanding of what you had already tried.

I'm sorry I was not able to be more helpful.

And, for the record, I think Kent Cooper probably has steered you in the right direction.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:38:30 GMT

Believe me, I have reviewed my notes and looked in my book. I have spent many, many hours on this project and it is now due (actually that was yesterday, so I speak in the past tense). I never did figure out how to enter the dims correctly. So I turned assignment in incompleted. I thought asking in AutoDesk WAS being resourceful. Am I misusing this site??? That is the message I am getting from you. If so, my apologies.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Patchy — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:44:07 GMT

Dimension it right on the line that you want, then click on it, use grip and drag it to the distance you need.

That distance will have to be calculated by viewport scale times .625

Why not attach a simple drawing part and show us your dimension settings.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

dmfrazier — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 14:09:31 GMT

"I was asking HOW to enter dims of a specific distance from the object."

After another read, I don't think DIMEXO is the dimension variable you are looking for.

In general, AutoCAD will prompt you for a point which determines the location of the dimension line. To my knowledge there is no dimension variable that sets this distance automatically. The closest thing to this that I can see is Baseline Spacing setting on the Lines tab of the DimStyle editor; but this only affects the distance between dimensions and does not set the location of the first baseline dimension or of a single rotated or aligned dimension.

Turn on Ortho, and at the prompt for location, move your cursor in the direction you want the dim line to be and enter 0.625 in response to the prompt.

Another important lesson to learn from this (as Kent Cooper mentioned) is to be clear on the distinction between "paper" distances and "model" distances and how plotted size and scale factor will influence annotations.

Also, beware of getting into the habit of making "ad hoc" Properties changes (style over-rides) on individual dimensions. Doing this can be handy and preferable in certain limited situations, but it's usually best to make the change to the DimStyle applied to the dimension.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Kent1Cooper — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 14:50:21 GMT

@dmfrazier wrote:

"I was asking HOW to enter dims of a specific distance from the object."

After another read, I don't think DIMEXO is the dimension variable you are looking for.

In general, AutoCAD will prompt you for a point which determines the location of the dimension line. To my knowledge there is no dimension variable that sets this distance automatically. The closest thing to this that I can see is Baseline Spacing ... but this only affects the distance between dimensions and does not set the location of the first baseline dimension or of a single rotated or aligned dimension.

....

Ah.... I was reading the original question as being about extension-line offset distance from the object [that's one way of looking at the distance of the Dimension from the object], but I can see that they may well have meant the position of the dimension line instead. [In that case, 5/8" doesn't seem unreasonable.] No, there's no variable for that, just the one for spacing between them in the Baseline option [DIMDLI System Variable = DIMensions: Dimension Line Interval].

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

GrantsPirate — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 21:33:29 GMT

Just for future reference, to get a dimension a set distance from your objects in PS, draw a line along the outside of the object, offset 5/8", snap to that line with your dimensions. Erase the construction lines.

You could also use xline command, offset option. Or rectangle, surround the object and offset, erase, etc.

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 02:11:08 GMT

Thank you to all who tried to help me!

Re: Setting A Dimension Line A Particular Distance from Objects

Kent1Cooper — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 15:54:09 GMT

@GrantsPirate wrote:

Just for future reference, to get a dimension a set distance from your objects in PS, draw a line along the outside of the object, offset 5/8", snap to that line with your dimensions. Erase the construction lines.

You could also use xline command, offset option. Or rectangle, surround the object and offset, erase, etc.

I would suggest another way that doesn't require any temporary object.

Turn Object-Snap Tracking on [OTRACK icon, F11 key, read about AutoTrack in Help for possible version-related variants], and have running Object Snap on with some mode(s) that will be present on things you're dimensioning, such as END, MID, maybe INT. In the Dimension command, when it's asking for the dimension line location, hover over something you want the dimension line to be 5/8" from until it "latches" onto a midpoint or endpoint or whatever, drag the cursor out in the direction you want and watch for the alignment track to indicate it's tracking in the right direction, and type in 5/8 [or .625] to get the location that far from that OTRACK base point in that direction, which it will then use for the dimension line location. It takes a small amount of getting used to if you haven't used Otrack, but it's very effective, and this is just the kind of thing it's designed for.

The one situation in which that won't work is if the dimension-line offset direction is not on some multiple of the Polar-tracking angle increment that the alignment track will lock onto, but in most cases [dimensioning orthogonal things or common angles such as 45 degrees] it will work fine, and you can set that increment if you have particular unusual angles that you use.