ASSIGNMENT 12: DIMENSIONS DEMO(S): 1. Dimension Style 2. Dimension -- Linear, Continuous

REVIEW: No review is typically scheduled at this point. LECTURE / DISCUSSION: The purpose here is to familiarize students with setting a Dimension Style with architectural formats, and then applying Linear and Continuous commands. We do not at this point discuss in detail architectural dimensioning practices (other than certain aspects of the formats themselves) nor do we expect students to completely dimension the Floor Plan. You may wish to expand the dimensioning exercise to include “complete” dimensions for the entire house. We don’t have the dimensions Toolbar loaded on our default screens, once again requiring students to Load and Dock it for that particular experience. We discuss “our” process in which we set a Text Style first, and then tag onto that Text Style for our dimension Text. It is also worth noting that while we needed to compensate for scale reduction of Text in Model Space, that when setting Dimension Styles, we do so globally with the “Fit”. We refer to Supplement 2: for various scale factors, explaining that one can set a style for a variety of scales, by manipulating that one element alone. We don’t discuss Baseline Spacing or Suppressing the second (or first) Extension Line, at this stage. While this no doubt distresses purists – some of which are numbered within our own faculty – I believe that because of the vast discrepancies among Architectural plans, that hard and fast rules seldom prove to be that. One typically ends up making so many adjustments to the Baseline spacing, that it is actually more efficient to develop a good eye and rely on that for placement. Color choices in the set up reflect our Plotting charts.

PROCESS: Most students take themselves through the Style setup fine. We just monitor the application to check that the formats are correct. We do find that a brief demonstration of applying Linear and Continuing Dimensions is beneficial. We demonstrate using OSnaps to locate Extension Line Origins, and the option of typing distances when locating the Dimension Lines themselves. Having said that, we are happy to have them “eyeball” the dimension strings at this point. We also demo manipulating Dimensions and Dimension Text with Grips. Since we are not suppressing an Extension Line, then you need to point out that when adjusting dimensions already in place, that there are “two” Extension Lines with which one must deal. As part of the Grips demonstration, we show using the Stretch command to move entire strings one way or another on the drawing. We “touch” on methods of updating dimensions. In the next course we perform Setups for a variety of fits and text widths, but again we’re keeping it simple here, focusing on setting up and manipulating a single style with the 48 fit.

1 WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Make sure that students are using OSnaps when applying the Dimensions – and make sure that they are in fact using the Continue option rather than placing one Linear after another. Make sure that they are not placing the dimensions too far away from the Plan, nor too far apart from one another.

PLOTTING: More practice – double check to insure that Lineweights are properly set.

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