topic Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions? in AutoCAD LT Forum

How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 May 2017 16:26:00 GMT

How would you add spacing just around the +/- sign when adding tolerances to dimensions in autocad? I know about the prefix and suffix options in the dimension style properties manager, but when I add spaces to them, autocad removes my dimensions from the primary units.

For example:

I want to format the following using the dimensions style manager:

[6mm +/- 1mm] (Note the spaces around the +/- symboll.)

I've currently got my suffix option set to 'mm', but this only creates the following:

[6mm+/-1mm]

When I change the prefix property to ' ' and the suffix property to ' mm', I get this:

[6+/-1mm] (Autocad removes the 'mm' units from the primary dimension. I don't know why.)

That being said, even if Autocad didn't reformat the units as above, I believe I would still get the following:

[ 6mm +/- 1mm ]

This I would find acceptable, but I'd prefer it without the spaces next to the brackets.

Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

pendean — Tue, 30 May 2017 16:41:36 GMT

>>>... I know about the prefix and suffix options in the dimension style properties manager,...<<<

DIMSTYLE command
select dimstyle in use
MODIFY button
PRIMARY UNITS tab
Suffix section, I placed a blank space around %%P and got what you wanted

%%P 1mm

Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

Emmsleys — Tue, 30 May 2017 17:51:23 GMT

Hi @Anonymous,

Welcome to Autodesk community!

Have you seen this AKN article about using a Unicode?

Post back and let me know if that helps.

Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 May 2017 20:00:30 GMT

That works for the symmetrical display style under the tolerance tab, but what about if I use a deviation display style?

Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 May 2017 20:11:59 GMT

Did it help? Sure, it provided a workaround for what I was wanting, though, Pendean beat you to it. That said, neither of these answers actually addresses what I was trying to do. I don't like how clustered the dimension looks when you add in tolerances. While I could add a space to the suffix to at least create some separation between the primary units and the tolerances, it also adds a space between the tolerance and the right bracket. I almost think the tolerance tab needs its own suffix and prefix options to do what I want.

Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

pendean — Tue, 30 May 2017 21:35:07 GMT

If you want all the choices, you will need to limit yourself to the TOLRANCE tab and it's offerings as is, you cannot change the look or feel as the end user.

The Suffix section is not a replacement and cannot fully emulate all the other Tolerance options like deviation etc., but to emulate Tolerance Deviation try some version of this following code with many spaces after the /P; it may be a "good enough" answer, you decide

+ 1mm\P - 2mm

Are you familiar with all the dimensioning \X and \P and what they do?

Re: How to format +/- symbol when adding tolerances to dimensions?

Anonymous — Wed, 31 May 2017 13:58:34 GMT

Not really.