How to use the dimension tools in MacDraft

Dimensions are perfect for showing the true size of your shapes and objects in your MacDraft document. Dimensions are smart system, that calcukates true sizes and displays them, no matter what scale is set. You can also use the dimension tools to measure walls, doors and other areas of drawings that have been sent to you.

What you’ll learn

Dimension tools

The dimension tools

An overview of the different dimension tools and their uses.

Moving Dimensions

Moving and editing dimensions

How to manage and edit the dimension obects in your drawings.

Area and Perimeter

Area and perimeter

How to automatically display the area and perimeter of objects.

Linked Dimensions

Linked dimensions

Understanding how to link and unlink dimensions (Pro only)

Dimension Formatting

Dimension formatting

Manage and edit the dimension options (Pro only).

Overview of the dimension tools

The dimension tools are located on the left panel below the drawing tools. There are nine different tools in total, each one allowing you create dimensions or measure.

Dimension tool

Horizontal dimension tool:
Creates dimension lines that are constrained to horizontal orientation.

Dimension tool

Vertical dimension tool:
Creates dimension lines that are constrained to vertical orientation.

Dimension tool

Slope dimension tool:
Create dimension lines between edges running in any direction on a drawing.

Dimension tool

Perpendicular dimension tool:
Creates dimensions perpendicular to lines or to the edges of square-cornered rectangles, polygons, and polylines.

Dimension tool

Diameter dimension tool:
Creates dimensions showing the diameter of the selected circle, ellipse or arc.

Dimension tool

Radial dimension tool:
Creates dimensions showing the radius of the selected circle, ellipse or arc.

Dimension tool

Circle Center Mark tool:
Allows you to indicate the centre of circles, ellipses and arcs.

Dimension tool

Angular dimension tool:
Lets you display and print the angles between different lines or edges, whether they intersect or not.

Dimension tool

Measure tool:
Lets you quickly measure between two points on your drawing, to display the size.

Creating dimensions

  1. Select the Horizontal Dimension tool move the mouse to the left intersection of the dashed lines and click the mouse button, then move to the right intersection and click the mouse button to place the second point. These points can be seen with the blue arrows in the image below.
  2. Once the second point is placed you can move the mouse around to position the dimension text where you want it and then when you are happy, click the mouse button to place the text.
  3. Now select the Vertical Dimension tool and repeat the steps to measure the height. Use the same left intersection point as previously, but this time use the bottom dashed intersect too, these are shown with blue arrows in the image below.
  4. Now let’s try the circle dimension tools. Select the Radial Dimension tool and click the upper circle shown in the image below. Move the mouse to position the dimension text, then click again to place it.
  5. Select the Diameter Dimension tool and click the lower circle shown in the image below and use the same steps as above.
Tip

Tips and information

You can now use the skills learnt and experiment with the different dimension tools. Try to place dimensions in different positions and use different start and end points to understand how the dimensions work.

Alignment and positioning

  1. Select the vertical dimension you have just drawn. You will see handles appear at the end marks and handles around the text displaying the measurement. 
  2. Now move the mouse cursor to one of the handles surrounding the text, press and hold the mouse button down and drag the dimension text up to a new position.
  3. A different method you can use is to reposition the whole dimension, not just the text element. Click and drag the handle at the arrow head end of the dimension line to move the dimension further away (extend the witness lines), or closer (shorten the witness lines) to the object.
Tip

Tips and information

Another way to make dimension text more readable when overlapping other objects, is to select the dimension and change the fill color. This will change the background color of the text element. A good example would be, if your page is set to white, then set the dimension fill color to white.

The Circle Center Mark tool

  1. Select the Circle Center Mark tool.
  2. The cursor will change asking you to Click Circle/Arc. Click on any circle or arc in your document and the center mark will be drawn.

The Show Area and Show Perimeter options

  1. Draw a shape (in our example we have chosen a rectangle) and make sure it is selected.
  2. In the menus, choose View > Show Area or View > Show Perimeter and the selected rectangle will update to display a text box containing the area or perimeter.

Advanced Step (MacDraft Pro users only)

Linked and Unlinked Dimensions

By default, dimensions in MacDraft Pro will be linked to the object they are measuring. What this means is that should you resize that line, rectangle or circle (or anything else) the linked dimension will automatically update to show the new size.

  1. Use the Rectangle tool to draw a rectangle.
  2. Select the Horizontal Dimension tool.
  3. Click the top left hand corner of the rectangle, then click the top right hand corner and then move the mouse to position the dimension text and when happy, click the mouse button to place the dimension.
  4. Now resize the rectangle by dragging the right middle handle and the dimension will update to show the new size of the shape.
Tip

Tips and information

In MacDraft PE these dimensions wouldn’t have been attached to the object and instead, when you resized the rectangle, the dimension would have stayed where it was, this is called an Unlinked dimension. MacDraft Pro users can select their linked dimensions and unlink them should they wish to, using the Unlink or Unlink All tools in the Advanced Tool section of MacDraft.

Advanced Step (MacDraft Pro users only)

Dimension formatting

There are many advanced settings you can apply to selected dimensions or to all future dimensions within the Dimension Format dialog. This can be found on the Dimension Options section of the Properties panel. Select a dimension then click on the Format... button to reveal the dimension format dialog.

The Text Display option defines the vertical alignment of your dimension text. You can have it appear above, along or below the dimension line. You can show or hide the witness lines, add a frame around the text, center the text on the dimension line and add the arrows to the outside of the dimension line (inside by default). You can also set your tolerances, leader and dimension round off here too.

Tip

Tips and information

Some options for editing a dimension, such as the font type, style, size and dimension end marks, can all be edited directly inside the Properties panel, any time a dimenion object is selected.

Advanced Step (MacDraft Pro users only)

Using the advanced dimension options

  1. Place a horizontal dimension along the bottom line of the bracket.
  2. Now select the dimension and click the Format... button in the Properties panel.
  3. In the panel that appears, change the Text Display option to Below. Tick the Text Centered checkbox. Untick the Witness Lines checkbox. Then tick the Dimension Label checkbox and type in "Base Plate".
  4. Click OK.

As you can see we have replaced the dimension itself with a label. This is a very powerful tool which will allow you to write whatever you want on your dimension lines.

Take your time to use the rest of the dimension tools in this document on your own. Although each tool has its own unique characteristics, the way you will use each one will be the same, its as simple as placing your points then placing the dimension itself.

Summary

With this tutorial you should now be familiar with creating, editing and formatting your dimensions. Experiment with the skills you have learnt and start to markup your drawings with dimensions and custom labels, all formatted to your precise needs.

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