By customizing dimension styles, you can standardize your drawings to meet specific requirements or personal preferences, making them easier to read and interpret.
Creating Dimension style:
This is a straightforward process that involves defining how dimensions are presented in your drawings.
Step 1: Open the Dimension Style Manager
1. Start by opening your drawing in AutoCAD.
2. Type DIMSTYLE in the command line and press Enter. This will open the Dimension Style Manager dialog box. Alternatively, you can access it by clicking on the Annotate tab in the ribbon and then selecting Dimension Style from the Dimensions panel.
Step 2: Create a New Dimension Style
1. In the Dimension Style Manager dialog box, click the New button to create a new dimension style.
2. In the Create New Dimension Style dialog box, enter a name for the new style in the Style Name field. For example, you could name it something descriptive like Architectural or Mechanical.
3. Choose an existant dimension style to start with.
4. Click Continue to proceed to the next screen, where you can define the settings for your new dimension style.
Step 3: Define the Dimension Style Settings
This is where you can customize the various aspects of your dimension style.
1. Lines Tab:
- Control the appearance of the dimension lines, including line type and thickness.
- Extension Lines: Adjust the extension lines that extend from the object to the dimension line.
2. Symbols and Arrows Tab:
- Arrowheads: Choose the type of arrowhead (closed, open or tick) and adjust the size.
- Set the size and style of the arrows or tick marks that will be used in the dimension.
- You can also define the size of the dimension lines and specify how they will be positioned relative to the object.
3. Text Tab:
- Here, you can control the appearance of dimension text, including text height, font style and alignment.
- Adjust the Text Height to ensure it is readable according to your drawing scale.
- You can also define the Text Placement to control whether the text is placed above, below or aligned with the dimension line.
4. Fit Tab:
- This tab allows you to control the scaling of dimensions when there isn’t enough space to place both text and arrows inside extension lines. You can choose from many options the first thing to move outside the extension lines.
- Adjust the Scale for Dimension Features to ensure that dimensions are properly scaled for your drawing’s size.
5. Primary Units Tab:
- This is where you define the unit of measurement (e.g., inches, millimeters, feet).
- You can adjust the Decimal Places, Precision and Suffix/Prefix if needed. For example, you may choose to display dimensions in feet and inches or with a specific number of decimal places.
6. Alternate Units Tab (Optional):
- If you need to show an alternate unit (such as metric and imperial units), you can enable alternate units and set their properties here.
7. Tolerances Tab (Optional):
- If you want to add tolerance values to your dimensions, this tab allows you to define upper and lower limits.
Step 4: Save the New Dimension Style
Once you have configured the settings to your liking, click OK to save the new dimension style.
Apply the New Dimension Style to your Drawing
Once you have saved the new dimension style. You’ll be taken back to the Dimension Style Manager window.
1. Select the new dimension style from the list.
2. Click Set Current to make it the active dimension style for your drawing. now, you can start applying it to your dimensions.
3. Use the DIMLINEAR, DIMANGULAR, DIMRADIUS, or other dimensioning commands to place dimensions in your drawing.
4. The dimensions you add will automatically use the new dimension style you created.
If you want to apply your new dimension style to existing dimensions in the drawing, you can select those dimensions, open the properties palette (type PROPERTIES), and change the Dimension Style to the new one.
Modify or Update the Dimension Style
If you need to make changes to the dimension style later, go back to the Dimension Style Manager (by typing DIMSTYLE), select your dimension style, and click Modify. You can then adjust any of the settings as needed and apply those changes to your drawing.
This can save a tremendous amount of time, especially when working with large-scale drawings.
Renaming or Deleting a Dimension Style
If you want to rename or delete a dimension style that is no longer needed:
1. Renaming: In the Dimension Style Manager, select the dimension style you want to rename, Right-click, select rename and enter a new name.
2. Deleting: In the Dimension Style Manager, select the dimension style you want to delete, Right-click, select Delete and confirm the deletion. Be careful when deleting a style, as it may be in use throughout the drawing.
Importing/Exporting Dimension Styles
If you work across multiple projects or need to standardize dimension styles across various drawings, you can use one of the following methods to import dimension styles to the current drawing.
1. Design Center:
In the design center, navigate to the drawing that contains the dimension styles you want to import. Open it and and go to Dimstyles to display the individual dimension styles. Select the ones you want to import, Right-click and select Add Dimstyle.
2. Copy and Paste:
Use this method to import one dimension style. You select a dimension object that uses the dimension style to import, Ctrl+C then Ctrl+P.
Tips for Working with Dimension Styles
1. Use Layering for Dimensions:
Keep dimension objects on a separate layer to make it easier to manage visibility and ensure that dimensions are clearly distinguishable from other elements in the drawing.
2. Set Dimension Scale:
If you’re working with large-scale or small-scale drawings, be sure to adjust the dimension scale to ensure that the dimensions are legible and correctly sized.
3. Standardize Dimension Styles Across Projects:
For consistency across projects, set up a standard dimension style in your template files. This ensures that every new drawing follows the same dimensioning conventions.
4. Use Annotative Dimensions:
If your drawing has multiple scales (e.g., for paper space viewports), use annotative dimensions to automatically adjust their size according to the scale of the viewport.
5. Customize for Industry Standards:
For engineering or architectural projects, ensure that your dimension styles conform to the relevant industry standards (e.g., ANSI, ISO) for clarity and compliance.
In summary, dimension styles in AutoCAD are a fundamental tool for ensuring that your drawings are clear, consistent and accurate. By understanding how to create and manage dimension styles, you can improve the quality of your designs, streamline your workflow and ensure that your drawings are professional and easy to interpret. Whether you're working on a small, simple project or a large, complex design, dimension styles are an essential part of the AutoCAD toolbox that every designer and drafter should master.
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