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AutoCAD Productivity

Original Dimension Value

by Michael Beall

From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #143
Originally published: December 2015

Since the dimension text of an associative dimension is Mtext, double-click anywhere on an associative dimension and you can add additional information… or modify the value to what you want.

Dimension 1

But what if you want to put the dimension back to the original value?

Insights:
If you reposition an extension line origin grip of a dimension and the value doesn't change, the original value was modified.

If you double-click a dimension and the edit box has a white background — not blue — the original value was modified.

Dimension 2

Solution:
Double-click the dimension, then put the less-than and greater-than characters in the dimension box, like this… <>

The original value will be restored.

See all the articles published in December 2015

Michael's Corner

Between 2003 and 2016, Michael Beall (and one or two guests) wrote almost 600 articles for CADTutor. The focus of these articles is AutoCAD productivity, and although some of them are now more than a few years old, most remain relevant to current versions of AutoCAD. The article above is just one example. Check out Michael's Corner for a full listing.

Tip of the Day

Moving vertically in 3D

Moving vertically

Moving objects vertically always used to be a bit of a chore with AutoCAD, usually involving some relative coordinate entry for the Z direction or maybe the .XY filter. Fortunately, AutoCAD 2007 introduced a new command that makes moving objects vertically a snap.

3D Move ButtonYou'll find the 3D Move button on the Dashboard or Modify ❯ 3D Operations ❯ 3D Move from the pull-down menu.

As with the normal Move command, you're first prompted to select objects. Once a selection is made, the cursor changes to the move grip tool. Now, pick any point on the base plane to fix the move grip tool at that elevation. Next, hover your cursor over the blue axis handle (Z axis) until it changes to a gold colour and left-click. This has the effect of constraining movement in the z direction. All you need do now is enter the distance you want the object to be moved or use the mouse to pick a distance.

Today's tip is by David Watson

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