1. Dimension Styles
Dimension Styles

2. Dimension Styles
The appearance of dimensions is controlled by over 70 different settings.
Dimension variables.
Prior to dimension styles being implemented in AutoCAD, controlling dimension appearance was very difficult.
Dimension Styles are saved configurations of these 70 settings.
Dimension Styles

3. Dimension Styles
Dimension variables are AutoCAD system variables that help you control the way dimensions look.
Dimension Styles

4. Dimension Styles
Create a dimension style that has the desired dimension appearance.
Name the style appropriately.
Dimension styles can have a family of settings that allow you to have different settings for each type of dimension.
Dimension Styles

5. Creating Dimension Styles

6. Creating Dimension Styles
To use dimensions most effectively
1. Create a dimension style
2. Use the style to create dimensions
3. AVOID Dimension Overrides.
Dimension Styles

7. Creating Dimension Styles
You can customize dimension styles to correspond to drafting standards such as:
ASME/ANSI
ISO
MIL
Architectural
Structural
Civil
Dimension Styles

8. Creating Dimension Styles
Dimension Styles are created
using the Dimension Styles dialog box and is selected by:
Picking the Dimension Styles button in the Dimension tool bar OR
Picking Dimension Style in the Format pull-down menu
Entering D or DDIM at the Command: prompt
Dimension Styles

9. Creating Dimension Styles
The Dimension Style area of the Dimension Style dialog box displays the name of the style.
“Standard”.
If additional styles exist they are accessed in the drop-down list.
The “Name” text box is where you input the dimension style name or rename an existing style.
Dimension Styles

10. Dimension Styles

11. Creating Dimension Styles
“New” button
Creates new dimension styles
Name
Recognizable name for new dimension style.
Start with
You can base new dimension style on an existing dimension style.
Dimension Styles

12. Dimension Styles

13. Creating Dimension Styles
“Use For” button
Use for
All dimensions
Linear dimensions
Angular dimensions
Radial dimensions
Diameter dimensions
Ordinance dimensions
Leaders
Tolerances
Dimension Styles

14. Dimension Styles

15. Dimension Styles

16. Creating Dimension Styles
“Modify” button
Allows changes to the currently selected style.
Dimension Styles

17. Creating Dimension Styles
“Override” button
An OVERRIDE is a temporary change to the current style setting.
The override settings are lost when any other style is selected as “current” again!!
Dimension Styles

18. Creating Dimension Styles
“Compare” button
Allows you to view the properties of two styles side by side.
Dimension Styles

19. Creating Dimension Styles

20. Creating Dimension Styles - The Lines and Arrows Tab

21. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Color
ByBlock
Individual color
Dimension Styles

22. Dimension Styles

23. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Lineweight
ByBlock
Individual lineweights.
Dimension Styles

24. Dimension Styles

25. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Extend beyond ticks
Only active with tic marks.
Allows the dimension line to extend past the tic mark.
Dimension Styles

26. Dimension Styles

27. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Baseline Spacing
Sets the spacing between dimension lines of baseline dimensions.
Dimension Styles

28. Dimension Styles

29. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Suppress Dim Line 1 or Dim Line 2
Prevents the display of either Dim Line 1 or Dim Line 2.
Dimension Styles

30. Dimension Styles

31. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Extension Lines
Color.
ByBlock
Individual color
Lineweight.
Individual lineweight
Dimension Styles

32. Dimension Styles

33. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Extension Lines
Extend beyond dim lines.
Dimension Styles

34. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Extension Lines
Offset from origin.
Dimension Styles

35. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Extension Lines
Suppress.
Dimension Styles

36. Dimension Styles

37. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Style - Left
Style - Right
Leader arrows
Style
Arrow size
Dimension Styles

38. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Dimension Styles

39. The Lines and Arrows Tab
Center Mark for Circles (DIMCEN).
None.
Mark.
Line.
Size
Negative - lines extend outside circle
Positive - lines do not extend outside circle.
Dimension Styles

40. Dimension Styles

41. Creating Dimension Styles - The TEXT Tab

42. The Text Tab Text Style Color Height
Text styles currently available in drawing.
Color
ByBlock
Individual color
Height
0.125” is architectural standard height.
Dimension Styles

43. The Text Tab Text Fraction height scale Draw frame around text.
A value of 1.0 = fraction height same as text size.
Draw frame around text.
Draws a rectangle around the text.
Distance from text is determined by “offset from dim line value”.
Dimension Styles

44. Dimension Styles

45. Dimension Styles

46. Dimension Styles

47. Dimension Styles

48. The Text Tab Text Placement - Vertical Centered Above Outside
Default
Dimension text placed in gap in dimension line.
Above
Architectural drafting.
Dimension text placed ABOVE dimension line.
Outside
Dimension text placed OUTSIDE dimension.
JIS - Japanese Industrial Standards.
Dimension Styles

49. Dimension Styles

50. Dimension Styles

51. The Text Tab Text Placement - Horizontal Centered At Ext Line 1
Dimension text is centered on dimension line.
At Ext Line 1
Dimension text is placed at Ext Line 1.
At Ext Line 2
Dimension text is placed at Ext Line 2.
Dimension Styles

52. Dimension Styles

53. Dimension Styles

54. The Text Tab Text Placement - Horizontal Over Ext Line 1
Dimension text is placed with and over Ext Line 1.
Not common.
Over Ext Line 2
Dimension text is placed with and over Ext Line 2.
Offset from dim line
Sets gap between dimension line and dimension text.
Dimension Styles

55. The Text Tab Text Alignment Horizontal Aligned with dimension line
Draws unidirectional dimension text.
Aligned with dimension line
Draws aligned dimension text.
ISO Standard
Aligned text when the text is between the extension lines.
Horizontal dimensions when the text is outside the extension lines.
Dimension Styles

56. Creating Dimension Styles - The Fit Tab

57. The Fit Tab Fit tab controls the placement of Text Arrows.
Dimension Styles

58. The Fit Tab
Fit tab
Either the text or the arrows, whichever fits best.
Arrows.
Text.
Both text and arrows.
Always keep text between extension lines.
Suppress arrows if they don’t fit inside the extension lines.
Dimension Styles

59. Dimension Styles

60. The Fit Tab Text placement Beside the dimension line.
Over the dimension line, with a leader.
Over the dimension line, without a leader.
Dimension Styles

61. Dimension Styles

62. The Fit Tab Scale for Dimension Features
Used to set the scale factor for all dimension features in the entire drawing.
Scale dimensions to layout (paper space)
Sets overall scale to adjust to active paper space viewport, by setting the scale equal to the viewport scale factor.
Dimension Styles

63. Dimension Styles

64. The Fit Tab
Fine tuning
Allows maximum flexibility for placing dimension text.
Place text manually
Allows control over text placement and dimension line length outside dimension lines.
Dimension Styles

65. Dimension Styles

66. The Fit Tab
Fine tuning
Allows maximum flexibility for placing dimension text.
Always draw dim line between ext lines
Forces a dimension line inside extension lines, even if the arrows and text are outside the extension lines.
Dimension Styles

67. Dimension Styles

68. The Primary Units Tab
Dimension Styles

69. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Unit Format Precision
Fraction Format
Decimal Separator
Round off
Prefix
Suffix
Dimension Styles

70. Dimension Styles

71. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Unit Format Scientific Decimal
Engineering
Architectural
Fractional
Windows Desktop
Dimension Styles

72. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Unit Format Decimal Decimal inches
Decimal millimeters
Normally used on mechanical drawings for manufacturing.
Initial precision is four decimal places.
Dimension Styles

73. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Unit Format Engineering
Civil (maps, plot plans, etc.
Initial precision - four decimal places
Dimension Styles

74. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Unit Format Architectural
Feet, inches and fractional inches
Initial precision - 1/16 inch
Dimension Styles

75. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Unit Format Fractional Scientific
Very large or very small values
Initial precision - four decimal places.
Dimension Styles

76. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Precision Fraction Format
How many zeroes follow the decimal place.
Fraction Format
Diagonal
Horizontal
Not Stacked (Architectural only)
Dimension Styles

77. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Decimal Separator Commas
Periods (default)
Spaces
Dimension Styles

78. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Round off
Default = zero (no rounding)
0.1 = rounded to nearest 0.1
1.188 = 1.2
Dimension Styles

79. Primary Units Tab Primary Units Tab Prefix Suffix
Special notes or symbols placed in front of the dimension text.
Example: SR3.5 (Spherical radius)
Suffix
Special notes or symbols placed after the dimension text.
Dimension Styles

80. Primary Units Tab Measurement Scale
If value = 1, dimension values are displayed the same as they are measured.
If value = 2, dimension values are displayed twice as much as they are measured.
Dimension Styles

81. Primary Units Tab Measurement Scale Apply to layout dimensions only.
Makes the linear scale factor active only when dimensioning in a layout tab.
Dimension Styles

82. Dimension Styles

83. Primary Units Tab Measurement Scale Zero suppression Leading Trailing
On by default
Leaves a zero on dimension numbers less than one.
Trailing
Off by default
Leaves zeroes after the decimal point based on the precision setting.
Dimension Styles

84. Primary Units Tab Measurement Scale Zero suppression 0 feet 0 inches
On by default
Removes the zero in feet and inch dimensions when there are zero feet.
0 inches
Removes the zero when the inch part of feet and inch dimensions is less than one inch.
Dimension Styles

85. Dimension Styles

86. Overriding Dimensioning Variables
Dimension Styles

87. Overriding Existing Dimensioning Variables
You can alter dimensioning variables to modify one or more specify dimensions on the drawing.
Command: DOV or DIMOVERRIDE
Dimension variable to override or Clear to remove overrides): DIMEXO
Current Value <0.062> New value: 0
Dimension variable to override: (type another variable name to override or press [Enter])
Select objects:
Dimension Styles

88. Overriding Existing Dimensioning Variables
The variable changes on as many dimensions as you pick.
You can also clear any previous overrides by using the Clear option.
Dimension Styles

89. Dimensioning Variables
AutoCAD uses variables to modify the appearance of dimensions.
AutoCAD has 72 (!) variables associated with dimensions.
Dimension Styles

90. Dimensioning Variables
By using dimension styles, you can pre-set many of these variables.
Use different dimension styles to create different types of dimensions.
Dimension Styles