How to enter dimensions

[iamlegend]

Im following the excerise from this website, "site layout", however, how do i enter the dimensions?

 

Lets say for example, i want to enter the length of the walls, how do i enter the dimensions as shown in the tutorial.

 

 

Thanks.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/tutorials/autocad/site-layout-exercise.php

[ReMark]

Annotate tab > Dimensions panel > Linear.

[iamlegend]

your on the ball today mark. Thanks.

[iamlegend]

Mark, ive done that, and when i drag out, it gives me the dimension box, but doesnt tell me the dimensions, do i have enter them manually?

[ReMark]

Thicker lines can be handled in a couple of ways. Are we talking making it thicker when it is finally plotted or giving the line "thickness" onscreen?

 

Did you know a polyline can be given thickness using the WIDTH option? AutoCAD will prompt you for the starting width and the ending width. The default for ending width is equal to the value of the starting width. It can be overridden if you want it to be different.

[Dipali]

Mark, ive done that, and when i drag out, it gives me the dimension box, but doesnt tell me the dimensions, do i have enter them manually?

 

you should not have to manually enter the dimensions.

check value of 'dimassoc', it should be 2.

[iamlegend]

Thicker lines can be handled in a couple of ways. Are we talking making it thicker when it is finally plotted or giving the line "thickness" onscreen?

 

Did you know a polyline can be given thickness using the WIDTH option? AutoCAD will prompt you for the starting width and the ending width. The default for ending width is equal to the value of the starting width. It can be overridden if you want it to be different.

 

I want it for both plotting on screen and printing.

 

When i start my line, in the command line, i dont see it asking for the option of width?

 

you should not have to manually enter the dimensions.

check value of 'dimassoc', it should be 2.

 

 

Sorry, where do i find 'dimassoc'?

 

Sorry for the hastle

[FrankLeung]

. wrong message

[Dipali]

I want it for both plotting on screen and printing.

 

When i start my line, in the command line, i dont see it asking for the option of width?

 

you have to use pline. you can also convert line to pline using 'pedit' command & thna assign thichness in property pallette.

 

Sorry, where do i find 'dimassoc'?

 

Sorry for the hastle

 

you type it at command line.

[ReMark]

Thanks Dipali.

 

Back to lineweights.

 

Lineweights can also be assigned to layers in the Layer Properties Manager. Home tab > Layers panel > Layer Properties (large icon on left side of panel).

 

Open the Layer Properties Manager. Immediately to the right of the heading Linetype there is one for Lineweight. Click on -Default- and the Lineweight dialog box will open. Select the weight to be assigned to the layer. Example: 0.05mm. Click the OK button. Draw a line on the layer you assigned a lineweight to. That line is 0.05mm. Can't see a difference? Go to the bottom of your screen and enable the Show/Hide Lineweight button (in the group of button that are to the left of center of your screen; 2nd button in from the right). With the button enabled the line you just drew should look thicker.

[ReMark]

The regular LINE command does not have a WIDTH option. To assign a width to an existing line drawn with the LINE command you could use the PEdit command (turns line into a polyline and then you can assign a width) or assign lineweight to the layer you are drawing on. See my previous instructions.

 

Note:

 

Set up separate layers for your linework (Object) and for your dimensions (Dim, Dims or Dimensions) and one for text (Text). It will make your life so much simpler in the end. Assign each layer a different color so you can easily distinguish between them at a glance. Do not put everything on layer 0!

[iamlegend]

Thanks Dipali.

 

Back to lineweights.

 

Lineweights can also be assigned to layers in the Layer Properties Manager. Home tab > Layers panel > Layer Properties (large icon on left side of panel).

 

Open the Layer Properties Manager. Immediately to the right of the heading Linetype there is one for Lineweight. Click on -Default- and the Lineweight dialog box will open. Select the weight to be assigned to the layer. Example: 0.05mm. Click the OK button. Draw a line on the layer you assigned a lineweight to. That line is 0.05mm. Can't see a difference? Go to the bottom of your screen and enable the Show/Hide Lineweight button (in the group of button that are to the left of center of your screen; 2nd button in from the right). With the button enabled the line you just drew should look thicker.

 

 

Thanks folks, i have the line bit sorted, however, i cannot seem to work out the dimensions.

 

dimassoc is set too 2, however, when i click the two point i want the dimensions to show, then drag out and click, it does not show the dimensions.

[iamlegend]

managed to get it, the text size was set to a pretty small, un-seeable size.

 

however, what is the scale of the dimensions? is it inches? cm? feet?

[ReMark]

Annotate tab > Dimensions panel > Dimension Style icon (right hand corner - with paintbrush on it). Clicking on the icon will open the Dimension Style Manager. Click on the Modify button to the right. Next, click on the tab marked Primary Units. Under the heading Linear Dimensions and opposite the words Unit Format there is a drop down list. Options are Scientific, Decimal, Architectural, Engineering, and Fractional. Select one. Click the OK button. At the next window click the Close button. You're ready to rock'n'roll my friend.

[ReMark]

Note: In the Dimension Style Manager there is also a tab marked Text where the style and height of the text can be selected amongst other things.

 

Have you set up your layers as I suggested?

[ReMark]

By the way, I don't recall if you mentioned whether you are working in metric or imperial units so this article, from a 2007 AutoDesk University lecture, may provide you with some useful information for dealing with both.

 

http://augiru.augi.com/content/library/au07/data/paper/GD405-3.pdf