Chained Dimensions. Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8

To draw a single dimension

1 On the Draw menu, click Dimension, Horizontal, Vertical, Rotated, or

Aligned, or click the appropriate dimension button on the All-In-One toolbar.

2 From the Dimension Method drop-down list box on the edit bar, click Single.

3 Enter the initial offset on the edit bar and press ENTER. This is the distance from the dimension line to the closest dimension point on printed output. It applies to each single dimension you draw and can be changed at any time. For information on changing a linear dimension after it is drawn, see page 231.

4 Enter the first dimension point. A rubber-band dimension appears.

5 Enter the second dimension point to complete the dimension. Notice that where you place the second point determines the orientation of the dimension. You can reverse the orientation of the dimension by pressing

CTRL as you enter the second dimension point.

Chained Dimensions

Often, you must draw a series of dimensions arranged back to back. Such dimensions appear to share extension lines. That is, each dimension in the series begins where the previous one ends. Chained dimensions are useful when you need to dimension a series of parts in a whole.

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Chapter 18 Creating Dimensions

Unlike single dimensioning, chained dimensioning does not allow you to customize each dimension individually, as you draw. Instead, it uses the current settings in the Dimension Format dialog box and lines up all of the dimensions in the series with the first one.

To draw a series of chained dimensions

1 On the Draw menu, click Dimension, Horizontal, Vertical, Rotated, or

Aligned, or click the appropriate dimension button on the All-In-One toolbar.

2 From the Dimension Method drop-down list box on the edit bar, click

Chained.

3 Enter the initial offset on the edit bar. This is the distance from the dimension line to the closest dimension point on printed output. It applies to the first dimension only. Other dimensions in the chain are aligned with the first. For information on changing a linear dimension after it is drawn, see page 231.

4 Enter the first dimension point. A rubber-band dimension appears.

5 Enter the second dimension point to complete the first dimension. Notice that where you place the second point determines the orientation of the dimension. You can reverse the orientation of the dimension by pressing

CTRL as you enter the second dimension point.

6 Enter the third dimension point, the fourth dimension point, and so on.

Each dimension point after the first adds a dimension to the series.

Linear Dimensions

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