topic Re: How to dimension against an axis in sketch mode? in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

How to dimension against an axis in sketch mode?

lure23 — Fri, 24 May 2019 20:20:25 GMT

How to dimension it as 45°?

I haven't found a way in Fusion 360 to dimension something against the existing (red, green) axis.

Is this possible and if not, is there a reason for the omission?

As a workaround I tend to make short construction lines that are tied to the origin, but this feels clumsy. I'd rather dimension against the axis themselves.

Here's another screenshot to show my normal workaround.Dimensioned to a construction line

Re: How to dimension against an axis in sketch mode?

whittakerdw — Fri, 24 May 2019 20:12:01 GMT

You can't dimension directly on the green or red lines, but dimensioning to the black center (0,0) would do the same thing.

Re: How to dimension against an axis in sketch mode?

lure23 — Fri, 24 May 2019 20:36:36 GMT

Let's try!

Press 'd', pick line, pick origin. Move.

How to change it to an angle?

This dimensions a distance but not an angle. Tried ctrl, Cmd, and right click.

(also made the line coincide with the origin but that's not changing anything)

I can think of a couple of ways Fusion 360 could help do angled measurements. One would be just to start dragging from a point (in dimensioning mode); this would be akin to how curves can be drawn when the line tool is used. Click is line, drag is curve. Here, drag would mean I wish to dimension an angle.

(that needs a video clip to explain - can produce if someone asks for it..)

In that drag-dimensioning case, my direction of dragging could decide which way the dimensioning angle is to be (more video needed...). It'd take the line segment attached to the point where I started and (implicitly) angle against the horizontal or vertical level, from the end point of that segment.

This is why UI shouldn't be described in text. But it'd work and currently when I do that drag, nothing happens. This would also not need any visual cues about axes to be made - those knowing the dimension-drag shortcut would benefit and others not be cluttered.

Another approach could be the right-click menu (when in dimensioning mode). It already has some extras (found out here), but there's no way to swap between linear/angled dimension.

</suggestion>

Re: How to dimension against an axis in sketch mode?

HughesTooling — Fri, 24 May 2019 22:31:06 GMT

It was recently introduced that you can select the document axis for mirror planes in a sketch but they don't seem to have enabled it for dimensions. Only works with the design or component origin planes not sketch axis, you can also project these into a sketch, not sure that's any quicker than just drawing a line. I put this on the ideastation back in 2014, some items from that request have been implemented.

Mark

Re: How to dimension against an axis in sketch mode?

chrisplyler — Sat, 25 May 2019 03:44:16 GMT

I know this isn't what you asked for, but when you are in the act of sketching the line, you have the option to hit the Tab key and tell F360 the angle you would like the line to be at. If you do so, F360 automatically adds in a hor/vert construction line and dimensions the angle to it. Doesn't seem to work on Slots though.