Acad Mech 2020 - Power Dims, how to turn them off!!!

[arron.grammond]

The new ACAD 2020 AEC collection specifically "Mechanical"  version was installed by our principal today.

Now he is having issues editing dims to add text line TYP and C.C. and wrapping text lines. (I don't even remember the text code to force a return at this point...lol)

This isn't even an issue of adding new dims with the power dim.

When opening an existing ACAD file with existing dims in it...

If you double click on the existing dims to get the "Text Formatting" dialogue box like normal...

It will now specifically open in the POWER DIM with a new dialogue box when you pick the existing dims in the drawing. The edit window is small and non-word processor like the "Text Formatting" version.

The new dialogue box for the POWER DIM is missing a lot of the tools and options in the "Text Formatting" version.

If you pick in leaders it still opens with the old "Text Formatting" version. 

The new version is missing a lot of the "custom symbols" (Unicode" symbols).

Might be a way to add more symbols but I have to invest time in it first...

I haven't explored it fully yet but it sure would be nice to turn it off somehow until I can work through it and retrain people.

Anyone know how to turn it off?

I tried the setting under options mec tabs for the dims only on demand... no joy.

Installing Vanilla cad toolsets via CUI does nothing but change your GUI without changing settings or how it runs.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

For the past few years we have moved to the Ribbon IPE for the AMPOWERDIM command. Thus you get all the controls on the ribbon.

If you wish to see the old Power dimension dialog, you can set the sysvar "AMPOWERDIMEDITOR" to 0. This will show you the dialog box:

I hope I addressed your problem correctly.

Thank you,

[arron.grammond]

Ok finally able to download and install the 2020 Mech with S/N accounts so I can trouble shoot.

I'm trying to get everyone here to learn Ribbons (including myself) I do have a good bit of my own custom content in toolbars so I've not run ribbons to this point (in AutoCAD). No one at our firm was using ribbons and always rolled back to toolbars. So its a little of a learning curve being driven partly by learning the Revit interface for many of them now.

"I" as of today running with Ribbon and toolbar (takes too much view space if I had a smaller monitor).

I'll have to break down and convert things to ribbons.

Any how... So here is what I see now.

Ribbons off/on.

This changes if the power edit opens in the ribbon or the dialog box.

Power edit (dims) or DDEDIT (text) are both effected by this.

With ribbons off the AMPOWERDIMEDITOR already runs "0" as a dialog box on a toolbar(no ribbon) menu.

ISSUES:

How do you override or set what the defaut "best edit" option is when double clicked?

The issue is when clicking to edit we like the DDEDIT not the POWEREDIT.

I showed them to use DDE then clicking the dim. but that adds more keystrokes.

Possible solution/potential:

How do you add more symbols to the power edit symbols library?

It has a fraction of the ddedit and standard %% symbols?

How do you add new items to the predefined text list.

If I can set these up custom I might eliminate the issue of needing to use a RETURN for a second line of text?

I realize i'm not using this for only mechanical, we also do structural so I need to adopt the tools for them as well.

[VinodBalasubramanian]

Hi,

Based on the discussion you had so far I see that you are looking for using AutoCAD dimensions more than Power dimensions. There is an AutoCAD profile that loads with Mechanical which would help you take over the control from power dimension. Take a look at this,

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-mechanical/learn-explore/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticl...

For the symbol creation, this is something that might help you.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-mechanical/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/201...

[arron.grammond]

I know how to revert to Vanilla ACAD menu, at the top of the first Article it says. NOT IF YOU USE THE TOOLS LIKE STEEL AND MECH IN THE MENU.  The point of installing the ACAD MECH was for the steel and mech library.

I know how to add symbols to the toolpallets, create menus etc.

I don't see how to add symbols to the power dim symbols.

Your second link looks like its for the toolpallets not the power dim symbols.

(See attached image.)

I tried to look it up in the CUI edit for the ribbon. Power Dimension Editor, found the panel for the symbols.

Not sure how to add more to it? Still trying to get up to speed on ribbon editing. (see image attached) 

Also related I don't see how to add predefined text to the predefined text under Power Dim, Reuse.

There is a button at the bottom of the list to add text but I don't see it do anything when selected?

[Anonymous]

Did you ever figure out how to make it so when you double click it uses DDE instead of the power dimension?

[arron.grammond]

Install Vanilla AutoCAD.
The power dims are hard wired into the Mech package programming, as a core part of it.

[rayessle]

Highlight the dimension so that you see the grips then double click the text whilst holding the CTRL key on your keyboard. You will then edit the dimension text in the standard text editor.

Regards

Ray Esslemont

[eelrod]

@rayessle Awesome tip! I didn't know that.

@Anonymous For a more permanent solution, I used the lisp in this post: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-mechanical-forum/how-to-disable-ampoweredit/m-p/8856353/highlight/true#M25962 and placed in my acaddoc.lsp file so that it loads with AutoCAD.