• Home
  • Training Books
  • Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
  • About
    • Contributors
    • Feedback
    • Contact
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookie Policy

CADnotes

CAD Tutorials and Best Practices for professionals and students

  • Featured
  • AutoCAD
    • AutoLISP
  • Revit
    • Revit Architecture Basic
    • Revit MEP Basic Tutorial
  • Inventor
  • MicroStation
    • MicroStation Basic Tutorial
You are here: Home / MicroStation / More Annotation Tools: Dimension

More Annotation Tools: Dimension

June 17, 2010 by Edwin Prakoso 4 Comments

In this Article...

  • Dimension Styles and Dimension Attributes
  • Basic Dimension Settings: Alignment, Dimension Mode, and Association
  • Dimension Types

We have discussed about using text and cell to annotate our drawings. Let us explore further about annotation tools. This time, we are going to discuss how to use MicroStation dimension.

Even if we create our drawings in exact sizes, plot it in certain scales, we still need to add dimensions. It doesn’t make sense if people need a ruler and measure every element in our drawing.

The dimensioning tools are in dimensions tools group.

MicroStation dimension tools

There are many dimensioning tools we can use. Basically how to use them is just the same. Remember to follow the guides in status bar!

status_bar

Dimension Styles and Dimension Attributes

Dimension appearance is controlled by dimension attributes. While each dimension can have different attributes, we can manage them efficiently using dimension styles. You can save different attributes settings in each style.

You can access dimension style dialog from MicroStation menu: element>dimension styles. You can have many dimension styles to use in your drawings.

dimension style dialog

The dimension attributes are grouped into four category: geometry, units, text, and symbology. Each category is represented in a tab. The last tab, advanced, has all of the attributes in it.

Explore the settings available in this dimension style dialog, try to change the values and options. You will see live preview at the bottom of the dialog box.

Basic Dimension Settings: Alignment, Dimension Mode, and Association

Try to activate dimension element dimension element

MicroStation will open dimension tool settings. Below is the basic tool settings. You can choose dimension styles and other basic arrangement. If you want to have more settings, click small triangle at the right bottom of the dialog box.

dimension_tool_settings_basic

There are many settings that you can change here. Let us discuss several of them.

dimension_tool_settings

Alignment

This is how you define your dimension alignment.

  1. View will give you dimension aligned with your view. This is useful if you rotated your views and want to have dimension parallel to your view.
  2. Drawing will give you dimension parallel to your coordinate (ACS). View rotation will not affect the dimension orientation
  3. True will create dimension parallel to your element.
  4. Arbitrary will place your dimension arbitrarily. This is very useful if you want to create an isometric dimension.

Association

If you activate association, this will associate your dimension with the element. If you move the element, resize, or do other modification… then the dimension will automatically updated.

Dimension Types

Under location option, you can see what kind of dimension you can create. In this example, you can see dimension types for dimension element.

dimension element mode

You can dimension the whole element, create label line, or dimension size perp – line. Try to select a line, change the dimension type and see what will happen!

You will see the dimension types changing, depends on object you select. If you select a circle or arc, then you will see these dimension types.

dimension element for circle

And this what you will see if you activate dimension linear:

dimension_linear_mode

About Edwin Prakoso

I work as a Sr. Consultant in PT Cipta Satria Informatika. I've been using AutoCAD since R14 and Revit since Revit Building 9. I occasionally write for AUGIWorld magazine and I am also active in Autodesk discussion forum. I'm a member of Autodesk Expert Elite, an appreciation for individuals who give contributions to the Autodesk community.
Connect with me on twitter or LinkedIn.

Filed Under: MicroStation Tagged With: dimension, dimension styles, MicroStation Basic

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Anthony
Anthony
13 years ago

In the KeyIn Input box, just type the "modify dimension loc" then press enter and then left+click the dimension text you want to move. Move the text to your desired location and then left+click. Then perform right+click to terminate the operation.

0
Reply
Terence Dulau
Terence Dulau
13 years ago

Can you manually move the dimension text from dim. line? and how?

0
Reply
SAURABH
SAURABH
14 years ago

Dear Edwin,

Plz tell me how to match properties of 2 dimensions.

Suppose I have given 2 dimension, out of which 1 has a scale factor of 5 how to match other dimension with that.

0
Reply
Edwin Prakoso
Edwin Prakoso
Author
Reply to  SAURABH
14 years ago

Saurabh,
You can use match dimension attributes for that purpose.

0
Reply
wpdiscuz   wpDiscuz

Featured

AutoCAD Toolsets Tutorial – Get the Best of your Toolsets!

Autodesk released AutoCAD 2019 with seven toolsets. They are good software and can help your design process. But where can you can find the tutorials? It is a big step if you only use AutoCAD before!

Recent Articles

  • Autodesk Construction Cloud Activity Log
  • Exporting AutoCAD Plant 3D Model to Navisworks
  • Autodesk Data Connector for Power BI is Now Available

Advertisement

New on CADnotes

  • Autodesk Construction Cloud Activity Log
  • Exporting AutoCAD Plant 3D Model to Navisworks
  • Autodesk Data Connector for Power BI is Now Available
  • Autodesk Forma Design Contest
  • Revit 2025: Toposolid Enhancements

Meet the Authors

avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for

Get Connected

CADnotes on FacebookCADnotes on InstagramCADnotes on TwitterCADnotes on YouTube

© 2009 – 2025 CADnotes · Feedback · Privacy Policy · Become an affiliate

wpDiscuz