Paperspace dimensions are wrong

[mgervais]

When I try to dimension my drawing in paperspace the dimensions are coming back as inches instead of the many feet that the drawing actually is. My viewport scale is 1/4" to 1' and ive done many other drawings without ever running into this problem.

[SLW210]

Can you post the .dwg?

[mgervais]

the forum wont allow me to when i try. Not exactly sure why i havnt been able to upload any files on here whenever ive tried to.

[ReMark]

Most likely you did not use OSnaps to pick the geometry and eyeballed it instead. What you are seeing are paper space measurements.

[mgervais]

i think i may have found the problem. I drew a centerline in paperspace and was trying to dimension between it and a section in model space. Im assuming this is a no no?

[ReMark]

Correct. The centerline belongs in model space.

 

BTW...have you locked your viewport display?

[mgervais]

Absolutely i followed the advice of you from the other day. Im still learning the CAD etiquette if you will, i will move the centerlines into model space.

[ReMark]

That's what we like to hear. Good.

[mgervais]

i guess while i have you here i have one more quick question. Sometimes when im dimensioning something ill feel the need to move the drawing around but then the dimensions dont follow it. Is there a way to fix it? Hasnt cause me too many problems lately but the next project im working on has a dizzying amount of dimensions and annotations that i really dont want to have to fiddle with

[ReMark]

Move the drawing around how? Are you moving objects in model space? How many viewports do you anticipate you will be using? I don't dimensioning anything until I have all my viewports set up exactly how and where I want them. It is rare that I go back and move anything in model space after starting my dimensioning.

[SLW210]

Use _DIMASSOC=2

 

Sometimes you need to use Dimension Update after.

[mgervais]

not moving in model space just unlocking the viewport and shifting the drawing in it either left or right or up/down, no adjusting of the scale or anything like that. Usually its just because ive placed the drawing to close to the edge of the paper so i cant fit a dimension in clearly enough or something. Im thinking ill need probably the standard top, front, right views for my drawing.

[mgervais]

SLW210 what exactly does that command do?

[SLW210]

Makes dimensions associative.

[Dadgad]

SLW210 what exactly does that command do?

 

Associative dimensions are attached to the geometry which they describe.

If you later need to move the entities in Modelspace, or through your Viewport, the dimensions will move with them.

If you do use associative dimensions then you create your dimstyle with primary units scale of 1.

The appropriate scale factor is then automatically applied by the program, by using the scale of your viewport.

When creating associative dimensions turn off your NODE osnap. You need to be very careful to ensure that

you are snapping to the GEOMETRY, not another dimension node, for instance, or your associativity won't work.

If you later need to modify your modelspace entity by stretching, because the length of a beam has changed?

Then the dimension, being associatively attached to vertices at the ends of the element will reflect in real time the new length.

Still remember to lock your viewports once you have them how you want them.