TABLE OF CONTENTS AutoCAD provides a full range of dimensioning commands and utilities. These enable the drafter to comply with the conventions of most disciplines, including architectural, civil, electrical, mechanical engineering, and many others.
After completing this chapter, you will be able to do the following:
Draw linear dimensioning
Draw aligned dimensioning
Draw angular dimensioning
Draw diameter and radius dimensioning for arcs and circles
Draw arc length dimensioning
Draw leaders with annotation and geometric tolerance
Draw ordinate dimensioning
Draw baseline and continue dimensioning
Use Quick dimensioning
Disassociate and reassociate dimensioning
Draw center marks for circles and arcs
Edit dimension text
Create and modify dimension styles
Figure 7-1 is a three-dimensional drawing of a lever arm. This "pictorial" rendering gives a viewer a good idea of what the object looks like, especially if the viewer has trouble understanding engineering drawings. Figure 7-2 is a typical engineering drawing of the same object. Because of the symmetry of the object, two views are sufficient. But in order to communicate the size and location information necessary to make the object, the drawing in Figure 7-3 has the vital data that the manufacturer needs. It's possible that other information, such as material and finish specifications, and tolerances could also be included. This section covers how to use AutoCAD to produce dimensions and notes for this type of drawing, as well as drawings for other disciplines such as architecture, civil engineering, and surveying.
