Have You Tried: AutoCAD Dimensioning

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Have You Tried...

How familiar are you with the functionality of AutoCAD’s DIM command? Let’s take a look in this month’s edition of Have You Tried.

AutoCAD’s Dimensioning Tools

Most drawings include explanatory annotation such as text or dimensions to describe design features. While annotation isn’t typically considered part of the design, it specifies the requirements for how the final product is to be manufactured or built.

Drafting standards and rules are well established and an experienced person will quickly apply them to communicate intent with one exception—the time it takes to switch between AutoCAD dimensioning tools.

In AutoCAD 2017, the typical workflow of switching commands to place different types of dimensions was dramatically improved with the DIM command. You can now quickly dimension the hypothetical design below within a single command.

AutoCAD Dimensioning

Dimensioning has become a mode of operation that enables you to focus on creating one dimension after another without interruption, possibly cutting the time it takes by half.

Learn how the improved DIM command can streamline your dimensioning workflow by following the step-by-step examples in the HaveYouTried:AcceleratedDimensioning topic.

Keep the Feedback Coming

Thanks for all the great feedback submitted so far. Because of the great feedback, we have been able to improve the topics in the AutoCAD Online Help system.

The best way to submit feedback is by using the “Was this helpful?” section located at the bottom of every Help topic. Let us know what you like or don’t like about a topic, or provide suggestions for other subjects that you’d like to see covered in greater detail. The more specific your comments, the better.



Lee Ambrosius

Lee Ambrosius is a Principal Learning Content Developer at Autodesk, Inc., for the AutoCAD software and AutoCAD LT software products. He works primarily on the CAD administration, customization, and developer documentation. Lee has also worked on the user documentation for AutoCAD on Windows and Mac. He has presented on a wide range of topics at Autodesk University over the past 10 years, from general AutoCAD customization to ObjectARX technology. Lee has authored a number of AutoCAD-related books, with his most recent projects being AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface, AutoLISP, VBA, and Beyond and AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible. When he’s not writing, you can find him roaming various community forums, posting articles on his blog, or tweeting AutoCAD-related information.

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