AutoCAD 2026 - Associative dimensions moving and rotating

[Roger_Renfrow]

We have been receiving CAD files from our 'home office' that have associative dimensions.  In some drawings one or two dimensions may be slightly rotated or just off by itself.  We're not doing anything unusual, just opening the DWG in AutoCAD.  Their original files don't behave like this for them.

I've audited the DWGs and there are no errors.
We're all using AutoCAD 2026, saving as 2018.

The files are less than 200K.

The only difference that I am aware of from our 'normal' is that their DIMLFAC is not set to 1. 

Anyone have any ideas of what could be causing this?

This post has been edited due to: @lauri_barnhart added the product and product version to the title to help more community members find this topic.

[pendean]

@Roger_Renfrow The dimensions were not snapped to those objects most likely (endpoints, intersections etc.) and a regen (aka when you open the files) can for some do just that but usually for most of us unless something else is going on.

If you want help way over here, we will need you to share DWG file(s) that do this so we can see it in action for ourselves and try to diagnose what your "home office" could try and fix.

Any reason why you and the "home office" are not working together to sort out these types of issue internally together as a company initiative? Just curious.

[Kent1Cooper]

It seems clear that the .181 Dimension is a Linear / Horizontal one, and the .154 Dimension is an Aligned one.  Should they not both be of the same variety?  They both use what seem to me to be peculiar places to dimension to -- why to the vertical edges at the right ends but to the inner ends of the arcs [or arc segments] at the left ends?  But none of those concerns would explain the difference unless "their original files" are being altered before being sent to you.

A sample drawing would reveal whether I'm right about the varieties of Dimensions, but not how they come to be different between their originals and what you get.  So we may not be able to come up with an answer from a sample drawing -- I agree that you probably need to work it out with them.

[Roger_Renfrow]

Asking around is one of the first steps we're taking to find the problem.    We are merging two engineering departments from two pretty old companies, and this problem cropped up in the meantime.

I will have to get an okay for sharing the file.

[Roger_Renfrow]

They are supposed to both be side-to-side dimensions of the inside walls of the channels.   That's what's causing the concern.  Two different behaviors for what should be dimensions done the exact same way.

I'll post a DWG after I get an okay from on-high.

[heather_tracy]

Hi @Roger_Renfrow,

I wanted to check in and see if you still needed assistance, or if you found a solution to your question already? Let us know if you need further assistance by providing an update or if you have found a solution, please share it with the community so other members who may have the same question could learn from your experience.

All the best,

Heather | Community Manager