DIMENSION STYLE

Once you are familiar with the Text and its options, the next thing would naturally be Dimension. This is the most significant as well as intricate portion of AutoCAD for more than one reason –
1. Without Dimension the entire drawing and the geometry therein is useless.
2. Dimensions are needed to make any drawing usable as a Working Drawing.
3. If there are the most variables and settings for any AutoCAD command, it’s Dimension.
4. A single small mistake or negligence in mistake in Dimension can cost you a fortune.
5. Dimensions are the integral and phenomenal part of any Drawing Analysis.

Phew…! Are you scared of Dimensions, now? Don’t be. Whatever written above are just the facts and those need to be thoroughly understood and rightly implemented not anxiously dreaded…!?!

Alright, now today just take a look at the Overview of Dimension to start with. As for all other major elements of AutoCAD, Dimensions also do have settings called as Dimension Style.

A dimension style is a named collection of dimension settings that controls the appearance of dimensions, such as arrowhead style, text location, and lateral tolerances. You create dimension styles to specify the format of dimensions quickly, and to ensure that dimensions conform to industry or project standards.

• When you create a dimension, it uses the settings of the current dimension style
• If you change a setting in a dimension style, all dimensions in a drawing that use the style update automatically
• You can create dimension sub-styles that, for specified types of dimensions, deviate from the current dimension style
• If necessary, you can override a dimension style temporarily

You can control the appearance of dimensions by changing settings. For convenience and to help maintain dimensioning standards, you can store these settings in dimension styles.

• Compare Dimension Styles and Variables
  You can view all the settings in a dimension style. Dimension styles used in externally referenced drawings are differentiated from those defined in your current drawing.
• Control Dimension Geometry
  You can control the appearance of dimension lines, extension lines, arrowheads, and center marks.
• Control Dimension Text
  You can control the placement of dimension text, arrowheads, and leader lines relative to the dimension and extension lines.
• Control Dimension Values
  The numeric values displayed in dimensions can appear in several formats. You can also control how numeric distances are represented.

We will explore all these settings and their sub-settings before actually dimensioning our Assignment. Stay tuned…!