Suddenly Cannot Move Dimension Text Alone

[Anonymous]

Howdy. I am using AutoCad LT 2011, and I have been having this problem with this and other versions for years. Suddenly and for no reason, it becomes impossible to move dimension text alone. I have searched the net numerous times for an answer to this problem, with no success. All I ever find are the usual help files stating "It is possible to move dimension text alone". That is not entirely true, or I would not be posting here. 😉 I can have a drawing with multiple dimensions.....and some of the dimensions I can move dim text by itself, some I cannot. I have tried to copy the properties from a dimension where I can, to a dimension where I cannot, and it changes nothing. I have gone through every conceivable setting in the Dimension Style Format, I have compared the properties of one dimension where I can move the text by itself, and one dimension where I cannot, and found no difference. Above all, I have no idea why it happens to begin with. I can save a dwg, come back to it and everything is fine, then I can come back to it again later, and I will be no longer able to move the text of that particular dimension by itself. If I am putting my text to the side of the dimension above the horizontal line, I can always use "Move Text With Leader", and when I get the text close enough, the leader disappears. But if I am keeping the text above the horizontal dimension line in the center, I cannot use that feature because the leader will not go away. The only way I can fix the problem is to delete the dimension, and put a new one there. And eventually, I will be unable to move the text by itself on that dimension as well. All I want is to be able to create a dimension, and have the text movable by itself permanently with no change, forever, and ever, amen. It is not a major problem, just aggravating to say the least. 😉 Any help anyone can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Have a nice day everybody.

[pendean]

Show us a DWG file with this problem in it for you, point to it so we can test it correctly.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi @Anonymous,

and welcome to the forum. Wow, that was a great explanation  And I mostly understood what you mean, but instead of writing so much, please use screencast to provide a video with exactly the steps you want to point out. Then there will be no doubt what you are looking. And to make it complete, upload the drawing you used in the video, so we can reproduce your steps and provide some usefull answers. 

Looking forward to seeing your video.

Thanks

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

same idea... Your sentence was shorter...

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the long-winded explanation, lol. Here is a bit more long-windedness.

I may have solved this. Will need to take some time to see if it is actually fixed.

I took a problem drawing so I could upload it, and cleaned it up, leaving 3 dimensions. 2 of them would not let me move dim text alone, one would.

I suddenly thought....why not change the dimension style to the dim style Standard on the one that I could move the text alone.

As soon as I did, it stopped allowing me to move dim text alone. I hit undo, went back to my usual dim style, and I could move the text alone again.

That made me think it must be a Dimension Style Format difference of some kind.  I use a custom format named Flux.

So with one of the dims that would NOT me allow to move dim text alone, I changed the format to a different style called TEST. It uses the same font, and has always appeared to me to be identical. Suddenly I could move the dim text alone.

So I just now opened two instances of Autocad, and opened the Dim Style modification windows for each Dim Style (FLUX and TEST) to do a tab by tab comparison.

The only differences I found were on the Lines tab. Extend beyond ticks was set to 1/16 in TEST, 3/32 in FLUX. And for the extension lines area, Extend beyond dim lines was set to 1/8 in TEST, and 3/64 in FLUX.

FLUX is my default dim style. So I changed the settings in that dim style to the ones that were in TEST.

Perhaps the dimension somehow gets corrupted when the line settings were in 32nds or 64ths, as my overall tolerance hals always been set to 1/16.

Not sure, but I am going to go with this for now and see if it is fixed.

If I have any further trouble, I know where to come for assistance.

Thanks for your prompt replies.

[Anonymous]

I went ahead and uploaded the file, anyway.

I do have one question....is there a command I can use that will instantly change all the existing dimensions in my drawing to one dimension style without having to go through and do it one at a time?

Upon further reflection, the randomness of this problem was simply that the TEST dim style looked exactly like the FLUX dim style, one had no problem, the other did. So now I obviously want to get all my dimensions on the same style.

[Anonymous]

Guess I spoke to soon. I went to another object in the same drawing.....dim style is FLUX, but 2 of the dimensions will not let me move the dim text alone.

On this dwg I am uploading they are the 1" dimensions. The 23 1/2" dim works fine.

In this case the only difference between the two is that the 23 1/2" dim is associative, the 1" dims are not.

But there are other dimensions in this drawing on other objects which are not associative, and I can move the text by itself just fine on those.


So I am back to square one.

[pendean]

Looking at your sample, the dimensions are in modelspace and your file opened up in paperpsace outside of the viewport: you have to be inside the viewport to select the dimension texts in order to move them. Is that the problem?

Or is the problem that you can indeed grab the dimension text bu the two smaller dimensions also drag the rest of the dimension with them where as the larger center dimension text moves freely on it's own? See screenshot below using PROPERTIES, you have text mvoements options set differently for each. Fix it there.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi @Anonymous,

---

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I do have one question....is there a command I can use that will instantly change all the existing dimensions in my drawing to one dimension style without having to go through and do it one at a time?

You have two possibilities here, you could select them all and change the dimstyle in the properties or 

• type dimstyle - set current dimstyle - exit dialog
• type dim - enter
• type upd - enter
• type all - enter - enter

Now your dimensions should all be in the current dimstyle.

Btw. I could move all dimensions without leader. Please send in a video, so we can see what you are actually doing

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.

Ok firstly, Sophia, if you used the first drawing I uploaded, I had made the changes of dim styles that fixed the drawing before I uploaded it, so it probably has no problems. I was not intending to upload it as I thought I had fixed this issue when I created my post, and forgot I had already attached the file (Autodesk.dwg) .

Also, I tried the second item (set dim style to current, type in dim, then enter then type in upd, then enter then type in all, I had to hit enter twice), and it did not change the dim style for every dimension in the dwg. Perhaps that is a command only available on full AutoCad or a more recent version of Autocad LT than 2011. So apparently I am going to have to just select them all manually if I want to ensure they all have the same dim style.

The second file I uploaded (Autodesk 2), still was having the problem when I uploaded it.

Here is the crazy part. I opened the file Autodesk 2 just now, and it no longer has that problem. Furthermore, I have gone through several drawings checking out dimensions at random, and I cannot find a dimension with that problem now. Perhaps in addition to making the change to my dim style FLUX, I had to close Autocad and then re-open for it to take effect.

Pendean, every dimension I ever examined (in the properties) always had that setting as you show it. So I do not think that is it.

The original problem is just that random dimensions would suddenly stop allowing me to move the dim text by itself. Never had trouble with multiple dimensions moving as one unless I purposely did that using the stretch function.

And I purposely uploaded the files in paperspace, knowing you guys would be checking the objects out in model space. My bad.

So give me a day or two to either see if my problem is solved, or to find some dimension that still has this issue, and I will report back as to whether it still exists or not.

Thank you both so much.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi,

this command works for LT as well. Do you happen to have dimensions on locked layers?

Regards

[pendean]

Nothing randomly just happens: MATCHPROP command fixed the two small dimensions to match the larger dimension with the test that moves freely. DIMTMOVE is the variable name, it is set one way for the 19-7/8 dimension and another for the 2-13/16 dimensions.

Dimension variables don't change by themselves sadly, but once changed they do stick around. See attached, I changed it, they all now behave like each other.

The problem with your file also: the dimension style called TEST is active, not the one called FLUX so it seems some control is being lost as you draft perhaps. The dimensions style STANDARD also appears to be in use in your file.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much for the help, both of you.

1. All seems well now.

2. Went through the drawing (it is huge, which is why I did not send the entire thing) and found I had occasional dimensions that were on other layers.

Fixed that.

Thanks for DMTMOVE, Pendean. I will keep that for further reference. I was unaware of that variable.

I also went into my dimstyles settings and deleted the TEXT dimstyle. Might as well do some housekeeping and clean the drawing up.

So far today I have not had any trouble.

And no, Sophie...none of my layers were locked.

I understand things do not just happen at random....I was just unable to determine why some dimensions were affected while others were not.

One thing is for sure.....I have had dimensions just suddenly change to where I could not move dim text alone by itself. There have been instances where I moved dim text by itself, then needed to readjust, so the very next command would be move dim text alone, but it would not let me.

I don't know why.

And there have been times when I tried to match properties to fix it....sometimes it would work, sometimes not.

But like I said, so far everything is ok today.

If I have further issues like this, I will just reply to this thread again.

Thanks for the help, both of you.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi @Anonymous,

I am happy that it worked out so well for you. And yes, please come back to us whenever you need assistance. I'd like to ask you though, to open a new thread for different questions, so that others user can find them easier. 

And for the benefit of our forum... which one (or more) of these posts in this thread do you consider was the answer to your question? Be so kind and mark it (them) as accepted solution, so other readers can benefit our your experience, too. 

Thank you very much for your collaboration 

[Anonymous]

Hi Sofia.

Sorry I cannot select any of your answers as the solution to your problem, as the problem is not solved.

It still happens that I select a dimension, right click on it, and select "Move Text Alone" and the entire dimension moves.

The text will not move by itself.

I have found a workaround though. I close the dwg file and re-open it, and I can move the dim text by itself again.

The problem is still that at random the "Move Text Alone" function somehow becomes corrupted.

No need to ask me to upload files, or share video or whatever. I will just continue on with the workaround, as it does the trick.

Thank you both for your help. : )

[Anonymous]

I've never right clicked a dimension to move the text, I just pick the text grip and move it. Have you tried that or did I miss something?

Lowell McCormick