Creating/Modifying Coordinate Dimensions  

This task will show you how to automatically create 2D or 3D coordinate dimensions on elements and to define the display format of coordinate dimensions. Coordinate dimensions allow you to define the coordinates of a point relative to the X, Y, and possibly Z, axes.
Open the CoordinatePoint.CATDrawing document.

  1. Click Coordinate Dimensions in the Dimensioning toolbar (Dimensions sub-toolbar).

    The Tools Palette appears with two options:

    • 2D Coordinates lets you create 2D (x, y) coordinate dimensions for interactive geometry.

    • 3D Coordinates lets you create 3D (x, y, z) coordinate dimensions for generative geometry or 3D background geometry in 2D layout context.

    • These options are also available via the contextual menu.
    • In interactive drawing, this palette will not appear and a 2D coordinate dimension will be created.
    • In case of generative drafting or 2D layout:
      • If you select sketched (i.e. interactive) geometry, the 2D Coordinates option will be applied automatically (even if you select the 3D Coordinates option).
      • If you select to apply 2D coordinate on a 3D point (generated or in the background), the resulting coordinates of this point will be the coordinates in the projected view and not the 3D space. This option is not recommended in this scenario.

  2. Select 3D Coordinates in the Tools Palette, as you will be dimensioning elements generated from the 3D.

  3. Select the element for which you want to create the 3D coordinate dimension. The coordinate dimension is created immediately.

    • At this point, you can right-click to display the contextual menu, which allows you add a breakpoint to the leader, or to choose the leader symbol.
    • You can also select a set of elements by trapping them with the mouse, to create several coordinate dimensions in one shot.

  4. Click in the free space to end the dimension creation.

  5. Select the coordinate dimension to modify its position. The dimension is highlighted and its anchor point appears in yellow.

  6. Drag the dimension to a new position.
     

     
    • Coordinates are relative to the absolute axis system except for views created by selecting a 3D local axis system.
    • The yellow anchor point is associative and is linked to the element you dimensioned.
    • If you create a coordinate dimension on the origin, this dimension is invariably non-associative. In this case, the leader symbol may be different from the leader symbol used for associative coordinate dimensions. Refer to Dimension Styles > Coordinate Dimension Styles for more information.

  7. Click anywhere in the drawing to validate.
     
 

Modifying Coordinate Dimension Value Display Format
   
Create a coordinate dimension.

  1. To modify the coordinate dimension value display format, right click the coordinate dimension to display the contextual menu and select Properties (or use Edit > Properties command).

    The Properties dialog box is displayed.

  2. The display format can be changed in the Numerical tab.

    Format    : you can set required format.

    • Description: select a type of format. To get the detailed description about the format selected from the drop down list, click the information point .
      If the selected format is NUM.DIMM, then the description would be as:

       

      The Description standard and its format values can be customized by the administrator in value formats (Tools > Standards > [standard name] > Value Formats).
         

    • Display: depending on selected format, you can choose to display one, two or three factors to be seen.

    • Format: only decimal format available.

    • Precision: select the value precision.
       

    • The properties of the display value format can be customized by the administrator in value display format (Tools > Standards > [standard name] > Value Display Format).

    • If new styles have been defined by the administrator in Tools > Standards for this type of element, then these will be displayed in the Style toolbar drop down down list. The properties of the element can be changed by selecting another style from the list.

  3. Select description as FEET-INC and factor as 2. The coordinate dimension display value is changed.
    Click OK.

    If only the description format name and precision value is to be changed, then you can use Numerical Properties toolbar and select from the drop down list.
     
    • Each coordinate dimensions can have different display parameters (format description, precision value, etc.).

    • The Display Units option (via Edit > Properties, Text tab) is available for only those pre-R18 coordinate dimensions that do not have format information.

    • When the given format name is not valid (i.e. does correspond to an existing value format description or left blank), then the coordinate dimension on which the style is applied or the NUM.DIMM format, or the first allowed in the Allowed Numerical Formats will be applied.

    • For pre R18 drawings:

      • If the option Use style values to create new objects is checked in Tools > Options > Drafting, Administration tab, the description information will not be set and the resulting coordinate dimension will follow the old display.

      • If this option is cleared the value available in the Numerical Properties toolbar will be used.