Experiment No.

5
Aim:-To Apply the Dimensions.
Introduction: AutoCAD provides a whole range of dimensioning tools which can be used to quickly
dimension any drawing without the need for measurement. Dimensioning in AutoCAD is automatic;
lines, arrows and text are all taken care of by the dimension commands. AutoCAD dimensions are
special blocks which can easily be edited or erased as necessary. AutoCAD provides lots of control over
the way dimensions look. Using a system similar to text styles, dimension styles allow you to design
dimensions so that they look just the way you want them to.

The dimension line has arrow heads and the dimension text is positioned above the line and is drawn
using the current text style. The dimension on the right has been drawn using a new style. The arrows
have been changed to oblique’s, the vertical alignment of the text has been centered and the current text
style has been changed. AutoCAD divides dimensions into four main categories: Linear, Radial,
Ordinate and Angular. For the purposes of this tutorial we will only consider some of t he commands
within the Linear, Radial and Angular categories.

1) Linear Dimension Command: The Linear dimension commands are used to dimension along
straight lines. There are five linear dimension commands, namely: DIMLINEAR, DIMCONTINUE,
DIMBASELINE, DIMALIGNED and DIMROTATED. The DIMLINEAR command is probably the
most common dimension command you will use.
Command to generate horizontal and vertical dimensions. Creating a linear dimension is easy. start the
command, specify the two points between which you want the dimension to be drawn and pick a point
to fix the position of the dimension line.

AutoCAD allows you to dimension an object simply by picking it. Try this out. Draw a line or a circle
and use this option rather than the two point option to see what happens. Dimensions will automatically
adjust themselves to accommodate most situations. For example, the illustration on the right shows
what happens to a dimension if the gap between the two extension lines is too small for the dimension
text.

a) Continue Dimension Command: The Continue command to add a string of dimensions. In the
illustration above the "36mm" dimension has been continued from the "64mm" dimension.

Using the Continue command you can very quickly generate a string of dimensions which align
perfectly. the "34.41" dimension was drawn with the DIMLINEAR command; all the other dimensions
were drawn using the DIMCONTINUE command and simply picking the four points, one after the
other.

b) Baseline Dimension Command: Command to generate a series of dimensions from a single base
point. You must already have created the first dimension in the sequence using a command such as
DIMLINEAR. The DIMBASELINE command then creates further dimensions in a similar way to the
DIMCONTINUE command.

2) Aligned Dimension Command: This command to generate aligned dimensions. These are
dimensions along inclined lines which cannot be dimensioned with the DIMLINEAR dimension
command because that command will only give a measured dimension in either a horizontal or vertical
direction..

3) Radial Dimension Command: There are two main radial dimension

commands, DIMDIAMETER and DIMRADIUS. Both commands
result in a similar looking dimension so AutoCAD automatically inserts
a "R" to indicate a radius and the dimension symbol to indicate a
dimension. You can get AutoCAD to display the dimension symbol by
including "%%c" in any text string.

For example, in order to draw the 40mm diameter text as it is shown in the illustration on the right, you
would need to type "%%c40mm". You can use this special character with any of the text commands.
 4) Diameter Dimension Command: The Diameter command to annotate
a circle or an arc with a diameter dimension. To achieve this simply start
the command, pick a point on the circumference of the circle, pick a
second point to determine the length of the leader and then add the
dimension text or Return to accept the default.

5) Radius Dimension Command

Identical to the Diameter command except that the dimension measurement is a
radius rather than a dimension and the resulting dimension text is prefixed with a
"R" to indicate radius.

6) Center Mark Command: the Center Mark command to annotate a

circle or an arc with a cross at the center. The illustration above shows a
center mark added to a circle after a diameter has been drawn.

7) Angular Dimension command: The Angular command is amazingly

flexible and can be used to indicate an angle in almost any situation. Just like the other dimension
commands, all parts of the process are rubber banded so you can see the results of your actions before
you make the final pick.

8) Ordinate Dimension command: Ordinate dimensions are not really dimensions at all in that they do
not indicate a measurement. Rather they annotate known co-ordinate points. The DIMORDINATE
command is used to indicate the X and Y ordinate values at any point. The Ordinate command is used
to annotate co-ordinate points with X or Y values. This may be useful for setting-out on site plans.By
default a vertical leader will display the X ordinate and a horizontal one will display the Y ordinate.
However, you can use the Xdatum and Ydatum options to override this default.

Ordinate Default Ordinate Ydatum

9) The Leader Command

The Leader command can be used to annotate any point on a drawing.

The command sequence below was used to draw the leader shown in the illustration above.Unlike other
dimension commands the leader and annotation text are drawn as separate objects. So, if you need to
move or edit the text, you can do so without affecting the leader line.
Editing Dimensions

The dimension edit commands, DIMEDIT and DIMTEDIT are used primarily to adjust the position of
the text part of a dimension. This is usually only necessa ry if the drawing is quite complex and the
dimension would read more clearly if it were in a different position.

The Dimension Text Edit command is used to modify the text position of any single dimension.

The command can be used to position the text dynamically (this is the default)or one of the options can
be used for a specific type of movement. For example, the dimension shown on the right has been
modified by dynamically moving the position of the text and then the text has been rotated using the
Angle option..

a) The Left option moves the text to a left justified position within the dimension.
b) The Right option moves the text to a right justified position within the dimension.

c) The Home option returns the text to the home position after it has been modified.

d) The Angle option enables the text to be rotated about its center.

10) Dimension Edit Command: The Dimension Edit command can be used to modify and change the
text of any number of dimensions. The command could, for example, be used to add a standard prefix or
suffix to a number of dimensions. The command sequence will vary depending upon which option has
been chosen but the results of the various options are illustrated below.

Dimension Styles

Dimension styles are the main method used to control the way dimensions look. Using styles you can
change the text font, the arrow head style, the relative position of the text, the scale of dimensions and
many other parameters. Styles are created using the DIMSTYLE command.

11) Dimension Style Command: The Dimension Style command can be used to change the appearance
of dimensions. The best method is to create a new style before you start creating dimensions so that you
can leave the STANDARD style as a default option. Having created a new style from STANDARD you
can then apply any modification. You have independent control over dimension text which appears
inside and outside of the dimension lines.

Approval: