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Adding Dimensions |
  
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Adding Dimensions |
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Read the disclaimer of accuracy
Usually you will not want to add dimension lines in the Page Editor. To learn why, watch the Advanced Paged Editor Features video.
To add dimension lines to your design in the Page Editor:
- Click on the design to select it.
- Click the Add Dimensions button near the bottom of the options panel.
This will display a discouraging message and then bring you to a menu where you can add the desired dimension lines. It is best to do this as the very last step in the design of your page.... Actually it is best not to add dimension lines at all in the Page Editor. The Design Editor is the best place to do it.
To add a dimension to a part, begin by clicking on the two points that the dimension will be based on... for instance, the two ends of an outside wall of a floor plan. The program uses these two points to calculate the distance that is to be place above the dimension lines. Usually you should allow the program to snap these points onto the closest points in the plan, since this increases the accuracy of the measurements. You can, however, turn off snapping by holding down the Shift key when you click these points.
Next click a third point roughly halfway between the first two and offset to show where the connecting "arrow line" is to be placed. When you click this third point, a trial version of the dimension line will be appear as below.
You can adjust this by dragging on any of the three points you have clicked. Some alternatives to the basic dimension line can be viewed by dragging the third point around each of the other two and watching what happens.
Boxes at the left of the screen allow you to change the text associated with the dimension lines and to set the height of this text. If the Text box text is red, this means the dimension has been calculated by the program. If it is black, it is text that you have entered. Changing the text to a + sign will turn automatic calculation back on if you have turned it off by entering a label.
Once you are happy with the dimension, click OK to add it to the page. It will be added to the part you are currently editing. Click Cancel to abort the dimensioning operation without adding the lines to your page.
Note 1: There is one oddity to dimension lines that you should be aware of... the text is not added as text but as lines that cannot be edited except by deleting them from the part. This is unhandy if you need to change a dimension at a later time, so be sure to add dimensions as the last step in creating your pages.
Note 2: If you further edit your design, any dimension lines you have added will be lost.
Note 3: to change the size of the arrowheads used in the dimension lines, click on File > Preferences > Arrowhead Size on the main Page Editor Screen.