AutoCAD Express Tools – Ensuring AutoCAD Dimensions tell the truth!

by Dennis Collin

For many years AutoCAD has had a useful set of tools which makes certain tasks a lot easier to perform. A general overview of them can be found here:

https://www.cadlinecommunity.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360009370717-AutoCAD-2021-Express-Tools-to-Boost-Productivity

I am sure that all of us have had that problem, when working on a drawing, a measurement is taken and the measurement obtained does not relate to a physical dimension seen in a drawing. Typically this happens on a Friday afternoon when a crucial deadline is fast approaching!

Fig. Anyone who thinks they need to explode a dimension to get it to read a false value, needs training!

This is often caused by untrained users who have either exploded the dimensions into lines and text, or have manually overridden the dimension string to make it read a ‘convenient’ value.

Fig. Dimensions don’t always reflect the measurement they seem to indicate!

The express tools provide a useful utility that resets the dimension text override field to blank and ensures the dimension reads the actual value it is referring.

If the text remains the same, then it is likely that another user has exploded the dimension into its constituent parts. This is generally considered bad practice in any office using CAD. The text override feature whilst not as serious a misdemeanour as exploding a dimension should nevertheless be used with caution as it is likely to cause error and confusion for anyone in receipt of the drawing. If dimensional prefixes or suffices are required, then this ideally should be configured within the appropriate dimension style from a project template.

Users should be aware there are two commands which look very similar within the AutoCAD environment. The first, DIMREASSOCIATE links an orphaned dimension back to its connected geometry. This is a useful command, but it is DIMREASSOC that is the Express Tool that resets the dimension text to read the actual measurement and is the command being discussed in this post.

Fig.: 2 similar looking commands that do quite different things!

This document whilst making several points and perhaps proving useful to some, is no substitute for an ‘at elbow’ day or training course. Should training be required we have several course types available. From scheduled New user to Intermediate or Advanced training. If your needs are more specific, then we can provide more bespoke private training and run at the pace most appropriate for you.

For more details please visit:  https://training.cadline.co.uk/ 

Or alternatively call one of our team on 01784 419922 where we will be more than happy to help.