Learn the step-by-step process of setting up and drawing dimensions in a CAD project using the VDCI Fundamentals template. This guide provides detailed instructions on how to appropriately scale your dimensions, utilize object snaps, and effectively draw linear and quick dimensions.
Key Insights
- The guide begins with setting up your work space by making A dims the current layer and switching to the Annotate tab. It is also advised to have the CAD 201 A201 PDF handout available for reference.
- The creation of a new dimension style named VDCI-Tick-48 is demonstrated. This style allows you to change your overall scale to 48, making dimensions appear appropriately at your scale factor.
- The article provides specific tips for drawing dimensions, such as always choosing an object snap, never drawing a dimension into space, and using the "mid-between-two-points" object snap to create equal dimensions. It also instructs on the use of Linear and Quick Dimension tools.
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In this video, we will start on our dimensions. I suggest that you have the CAD 201 A201 PDF handout available so that you can view the dimensions as you go through this project.
To start, let's make A dims our current layer, and let's switch to the Annotate tab. In our VDCI Fundamentals template, remember, we only have the VDCI Tick Annotative Style. If we draw dimensions using this style, they will appear very small.
Let's open up our Dimensions Manager, and let's add a new dimension style. I'm going to add this, and I'll name it VDCI-Tick-48. We're going to start with VDCI-Tick, and hit Continue.
Now, if we go to Fit, we can change our overall scale to 48. Let's hit OK, choose it, and set current, and hit Close. Now, when we draw dimensions, VDCI-Tick-48 will be our active dimension style, and the dimensions will appear appropriately at our scale factor.
Let's zoom in, and let's begin drawing dimensions. I'll choose Linear from this endpoint to this endpoint, and I'll choose this third line, second from the top, and pick. Let's do another linear dimension, and remember, when drawing dimensions, always choose an object snap.
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Never draw a dimension into space. I'll click to place on my no plot, and here I'll use Continue, picking the snaps here and here, and hitting Escape when I'm done. Zoom Extents, Control-S to save.
Now, I'll go around the building in a counterclockwise manner, so I'll go over to this wall next. I'm going to start with my linear dimension here to here, again to that outmost line, but not on the very outside, because remember, anything placed outside of this will not fit in our viewport, so I'll choose the line that's one in. Next, we have our equal dimension that goes to the point in between these two points, so we need to create dimensions using the mid-between-two-points object snap.
I'll go linear, choosing this point here, Shift-Right-Click, mid-between-two-points, this wall and this wall, and I'll snap that here, and then we can use Continue and choose this endpoint here. Enter to say that I'm done, and Escape. Next, let's finish by adding in our individual lines on the way down.
Linear, here to here, click to place, and Continue. Choosing the window edge, choosing the Shift-Right-Click mid-between-two-points, here and here, choosing the edge of our door, which, remember, is the edge here, not here. The door opening is what we're dimensioning, again, here, and then I will add a dimension to the bottom of this wall and to the endpoint here.
Enter to say that I'm done, and Escape. I'll choose this one-foot, one-and-three-quarter-inch dimension and delete it, as it's not on our handout. Zoom Extents, Control-S to save.
Let's do our bottom wall. Again, I'll start with Linear and go to the outside, most points, moving in from here to this endpoint and down. Continue to place my dimension across to the other side.
Escape to say that I'm done, and finally, the window. Linear, from this window opening to this window opening. Click to place.
Zoom Extents, Control-S to save. Finally, on this wall, I will use Quick Dimension for multiple dimensions. I'm going to choose Quick Dimension, picking this line, this line, this line, this line, this line, and this line.
Enter to lock it in, and I'll place this on the second line here, and I can see that my Quick Dimension has drawn the appropriate dimensions, except this dimension does not go to this point, and we could not select it with the Quick Dimension tool. So, I will click on this dimension text, hit the Delete key to delete the dimension, and then I'll go back to Linear and draw these two in. Endpoint to the Shift-Right-Click mid-between two points, here and here, out to this line, and then simply continue to the edge of our door.
Escape to say that I'm done. Zoom Extents, Control-S to save. It looks like we missed one dimension on the outside here.
Linear, from this top endpoint to this bottom endpoint, and to that line. Zoom Extents, Control-S to save. In the next video, we will draw our interior dimensions and update our dimension overrides.
See you there!
