Dimension Manipulation

 

The Generative Drafting workbench enables you to create and modify dimensions.

Note that dimension commands are actually provided with the Interactive Drafting workbench. Therefore, this section of the documentation actually points to the Interactive Drafting User's Guide. As such, the information detailed in this section is presented in an Interactive Drafting context. 

 
If you want to manipulate dimensions in a Generative Drafting context, you can open the GenDrafting_part.CATDrawing document.

These dimensions will be associative to the elements created from a part or an assembly. When created, these elements are associated with a view.
Note that for views that are generated from surfaces, only sketched constraints are generated.

 

Before you begin: You should be familiar with basic concepts.
Create dimensions: Create dimensions by clicking elements.
Create half-dimensions: Create half dimensions on distance, angle, diameter, cylinders, diameter edges and diameter tangents but not on cumulate dimensions.
Create explicit dimensions: Create dimensions using explicit selection both of the desired icon and of the required geometrical elements.
Create/modify angle dimensions: Create an angle dimension and perform the following kinds of modifications: new angle sector or turn an angle sector into a supplementary sector.

Create chamfer dimensions: Create a chamfer dimension using selection.
Create thread dimensions: Create thread dimensions.
Create/modify coordinate dimensions: Automatically create coordinate dimensions on elements.

Create a holes dimensions table: Create a table containing holes dimensions (diameter and center coordinates).

Create points coordinates table: Create a table containing 2D and  3D points coordinates.
Create/modify radius curvature dimensions: Create and modify a radius curvature dimension. This lets you know the curvature radius at a given point on a curve (spline, ellipse, etc.).
Create overall curve dimensions: You can create dimensions on the overall size of any kind of curve, whether it is canonical or not (e.g.: line, circle, ellipse, spline, etc.). You can also create dimensions on the overall size between 2 curves, or between a curve and a line, for example.
  Create curvilinear length dimensions: You can create dimensions for the curvilinear length of a curve, i.e. measure the overall length of a curve.
  Create partial curvilinear length dimensions: You can create dimensions for the curvilinear length of a curve portion, i.e. measure the partial length of a curve.
  Create dimensions along a reference direction: You can create dimensions along a direction of measure. In other words, you can measure the projection of a segment/distance onto a direction.
Create dimensions between intersection points: You can create dimensions between an intersection point and an element or between two intersection points.
Create dimensions between an element and a view axis: Create dimensions between an element and a view axis (one of the two axes or the origin). 
Modify the dimension type: Modify the dimension type as you create a dimension. On other words, you modify the dimension attributes.
Re-route dimensions: Re-route dimensions, i.e. recalculate dimensions taking into account new geometry elements.
Interrupt one or more extension lines: Interrupt manually one or more extension lines of one or more dimensions, either using the contextual menu or the Insert menu bar option.
Modify the dimension line location: Use the mouse to modify dimension line location either before or after creating dimensions.
Modify the dimension value text position: Use the cursor to modify dimension value text position.
Specify the dimension value position: Automatically or explicitly position the dimension value inside or outside the area between extremity symbols.
Add text before/after the dimension value: Insert text before or after the dimension value.
Modify the dimension overrun/blanking: Use the Blanking Edition dialog box to modify dimension overrun or blanking.
Line up dimensions (free space): Line up dimensions relatively to a point in the free space.
Line up dimensions (reference): Line up dimensions according to a given reference.
Create a datum feature: Use the Datum Feature Creation dialog box to create a datum feature.
Modify a datum feature: Modify a datum feature by editing it.
Create a geometrical tolerance: Use the Geometric Dimensioning And Tolerancing Parameters dialog box to create geometrical tolerances.
Modify a geometrical tolerance: Use the Geometric Dimensioning And Tolerancing Parameters dialog box to modify geometrical tolerances.
Copy a geometrical tolerance: Copy an existing geometrical tolerance and then edit the content for creating a new one.
Create driving dimensions: Create dimensions that will drive associated constrained geometry.