How to Change Dimensions on DraftSight?

Understanding Dimensions in Draftsight

Draftsight is a powerful CAD software that offers extensive capabilities for drawing and modifying designs. One of its essential features is the ability to add and modify dimensions, which is crucial for accurately communicating measurements within your drawings. This guide will delve into how to change dimensions in Draftsight, providing detailed steps along the way.

Changing Dimension Appearance

To modify the appearance of dimensions, such as their size, follow these steps:

1. Select the Dimension: Use the selection tool to click on the dimension text that you wish to change.
2. Access Properties: Navigate to the properties palette, typically located on the right side of the interface. If it is not visible, you can activate it by typing PROPERTIES in the command line.
3. Modify Text Height: In the properties palette, locate the ‘Text Height’ field. Input a new value that reflects the desired size of your dimension text, such as ’10’ for larger text.
4. Apply Changes: Press Enter, and the dimension text should resize accordingly.

Adjusting Dimension Color

Changing the color of dimension lines and text can improve clarity in your drawings. Here’s how to change dimension color:

1. Open Dimension Styles: Open the ‘Edit Dimension Styles’ dialog by typing DIMSTYLE in the command line.
2. Select the Style: Select the dimension style you wish to modify from the tree view on the left.
3. Modify Text Color: Navigate to the ‘Text’ tab. From here, you can pick a new color for the dimension text from the drop-down color list.
4. Confirm Changes: After selecting your preferred color, click ‘OK’ to apply these changes to your dimension style.

Changing Units from Inches to Millimeters

To convert dimensions from inches to millimeters in Draftsight, follow these instructions:

1. Open Unit System Menu: Click on ‘Format’ in the top menu and select ‘Unit System’ or type UNITSYSTEM in the command line.
2. Adjust Length Settings: Under the ‘Length’ settings, you can specify the measurement units. Select ‘Millimeters’ from the dropdown.
3. Set Base Angle and Units Scale: Ensure the base angle and other unit settings are adjusted accordingly based on your project’s requirements. Set the block units format to match your desired unit of measure.
4. Finalize Settings: Click ‘OK’ to apply your changes, which will affect all dimensions in your current drawing.

Creating and Modifying Dimension Lines

Draftsight allows for the precise creation of dimension lines, which can be adjusted as follows:

1. Start Drawing: To draw a dimension line, click on the dimension tool or type DIMLINEAR into the command line.
2. Define Points: Click to specify the first point of the line, then click again to set the end point.
3. Add Dimension: If you want to include additional segments, click to define the next segment point or press Enter to finalize the dimension line.
4. Adjust Length: If you want to modify the length afterward, select the dimension line, then type EDITLENGTH to adjust the size dynamically or set a specific value.

FAQs

How do I increase the size of dimension text in Draftsight?
To increase dimension text size, select the dimension, access the properties palette, and adjust the ‘Text Height’ setting to a larger value.

Can I change the color of multiple dimensions at once?
Yes, you can change the color for multiple dimensions by selecting them together and then modifying the color in the properties palette.

What should I do if dimensions are not displaying correctly?
If dimensions are not visible, check your layer settings to ensure that the dimensions are on an active layer and not frozen or turned off. You may also want to refresh the display or zoom into the area where the dimensions are located.