DIMSTYLE — Dimension Style

Creates and modifies dimension styles.

• Command: DIMSTYLE · Global name: _DIMSTYLE · Alias: D, DST, DIMSTY, DDIM
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Format
• Menu: Dimension

Manages dimension styles: creates, modifies, renames and deletes styles, and sets the current one. The style sets the look of dimensions: extension lines, arrows, text, scale and number format.

Usage

1. Enter DIMSTYLE (or D, DST) or click Dimension Style on the ribbon. The Dimension Style Manager opens.
2. Choose a style in the Styles: list (styles used by dimensions show "(in use)"). Double-click makes it current.
3. Click one of the buttons.

Buttons

• Set Current: new dimensions will use the selected style.
• New...: opens Create New Dimension Style; type the name in New Style Name:, choose in Start With: the style to copy and click Continue.
• Modify...: opens Modify Dimension Style, with the tabs below.
• Rename: changes the name, also in the dimensions that use it. Standard cannot be renamed.
• Delete: deletes the style unless it is Standard, current or used by a dimension.

Modify Dimension Style

• Lines: Extend beyond dim lines, Offset from origin and Dimension line extension with ticks (DIMDLE).
• Symbols and Arrows: Arrow size, Tick size instead of arrowheads (DIMTSZ; 0: arrowheads), A different arrowhead at each end (DIMSAH) and the arrowheads: Arrowheads (or First and Second with DIMSAH) and Leader. They are AutoCAD's 20 (Closed filled, Closed blank, Closed, Dot, Architectural tick, Oblique, Open, Origin indicator, Origin indicator 2, Right angle, Open 30, Dot small, Dot blank, Small, Box blank, Box filled, Datum triangle, Datum triangle filled, Integral and None), drawn the way AutoCAD draws them: _ArchTick, _Dot… blocks added to the drawing (DIMBLK, DIMBLK1, DIMBLK2 and DIMLDRBLK). Dimensions from AutoCAD DWG files keep their arrowheads when edited.
• Text: Text height, Offset from dim line, text placement (Centered or Above) and Text style.
• Fit: what moves out when the text and the arrowheads do not fit between the extension lines (If text and arrows don't fit, move out (DIMATFIT): Both text and arrows, Arrows first, Text first or Either text or arrows (best fit)), Text always between extension lines (DIMTIX), Suppress arrowheads that don't fit (DIMSOXD), Dimension line between extension lines (DIMTOFL) and When the text is moved (DIMTMOVE) (Beside the dimension line, Over dimension line, with leader or Over dimension line, without leader). As in AutoCAD, the text width is measured with its font; what moves out goes beyond the second extension line, with the dimension line extended. Also Overall scale, which multiplies all sizes, and Annotative: new dimensions with the style are annotative and, instead of the overall scale, take the current annotation scale (CANNOSCALE): at 1:50 the sizes are multiplied by 50.
• Primary Units: precision, decimal separator, linear scale factor, round off, zero suppression (Leading and Trailing), angular precision and Prefix and suffix (<> = measurement). Also the measurement tolerances: Tolerances (DIMTOL, 0/1), Limits (DIMLIM, 0/1), Upper value (DIMTP) and Lower value (DIMTM). And, for arc length dimensions, Arc length symbol (0: preceding, 1: above, 2: none).
• Alternate Units: Display alternate units (DIMALT) adds the measurement in other units in brackets (40 [1.575]), with Alternate units multiplier (DIMALTF) (25.4 from inches to millimetres; 0.03937 the other way), Alternate units decimal places (DIMALTD), Alternate units round-off (DIMALTRND), Alternate units zero suppression (DIMALTZ), Alternate tolerance decimal places (DIMALTTD) and Alternate prefix and suffix ([] is the value) (DIMAPOST). Unit format (DIMALTU) chooses the format as AutoCAD does: Scientific, Decimal, Engineering (1'-0.5000"), Architectural stacked and Architectural (1'-0 1/2"), Fractional stacked and Fractional (12 1/2) or Windows Desktop. In the feet and fraction formats the unit is the inch, Alternate units decimal places (DIMALTD) is the fraction precision (1/2, 1/4… 1/256) and Alternate units zero suppression (DIMALTZ) says whether zero feet and zero inches are written.

On the right, the preview draws a linear and a radius dimension with the style as it is being edited. Click OK: the dimensions that use the style are redrawn.

Notes

• The current style is stored in DIMSTYLE, and the overall scale in DIMSCALE.
• Hovering over each label shows the name of its variable (DIMTXT, DIMASZ…).
• In the preview all arrowheads are drawn as closed filled ones and the text with the program font.
• The text and arrowhead fit is that of linear and aligned dimensions (angular and radius dimensions keep their own placement). Alternate unit fractions are always stacked horizontally (no DIMFRAC).
• There is no Compare nor style overrides in this dialog box: overrides are set with DIMOVERRIDE.
• Measurement tolerances (± or limits) are not geometric tolerances: the feature control frame is created with TOLERANCE.

See also

DIMLINEAR · STYLE · DIMEDIT · Dimensions