Background mask default offset - Dimension Text

[joshua.andersen]

I have the MTextMask lisp and really like it. Is there a way to do the same thing but for dimension text. I have done some lisp programming so am not afraid to try but I can not find the dxf codes for the text property in a dimension. I have been able to get a selection set of all the dimension in my drawing and I can filter throught the selestion set to manipulate each text object just like in the MTextMask routine.

Can anyone help with automating the masking of the Dimension text?

[Mike.Perry]

Hi Joshua

Please note I have *split* your post from thread "Background mask default offset" (found in the AutoCAD General forum).

Plus, I have *moved* this (your) new thread to the AutoLISP forum, where I believe it will be better served here.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Moderator

[jwanstaett]

dxf code 2 will poit to the block use to drawing the dimension. you need to work with the mtext in this block. but ever time a dimension is change this block will up date. so use text mask on dimension text is hard.

[Tom Beauford]

In 2006 just set the "Fill color" for "Text" to "Background" in the Dimension Style Manager for whatever Dimension Style you're using.

I have the MTextMask lisp and really like it. Is there a way to do the same thing but for dimension text. I have done some lisp programming so am not afraid to try but I can not find the dxf codes for the text property in a dimension. I have been able to get a selection set of all the dimension in my drawing and I can filter throught the selestion set to manipulate each text object just like in the MTextMask routine.

Can anyone help with automating the masking of the Dimension text?

[joshua.andersen]

In 2006 just set the "Fill color" for "Text" to "Background" in the Dimension Style Manager for whatever Dimension Style you're using.

Is there a system variable that I can use to change this property? I am trying to not have to go through the dialog boxes to change it every time. I would like to have vlisp set a system variable which would change it then.

Thanks in advance.

[Tom Beauford]

Originally Posted by tombu
In 2006 just set the "Fill color" for "Text" to "Background" in the Dimension Style Manager for whatever Dimension Style you're using.
Originally Posted by joshua.andersen
Is there a system variable that I can use to change this property? I am trying to not have to go through the dialog boxes to change it every time. I would like to have vlisp set a system variable which would change it then.

Thanks in advance.

There should never be a reason to modify a dimension. Change the dimension style or create a new one if you don't have one with the fill color set to background.

[joshua.andersen]

Sorry Tombu I guess I should clarify myself. We have some clients that, due to printing issues they say, do not want the text to whiteout what is behind it they want the text moved, others are happy to just have the text clear out behind it. I am trying to write a lisp routine that will go trough a drawing and change the text to have that background mask property on. That way I can also turn it off for the clients that do not like it and I can also update some older drawing that were done before I knew about that property and before it was in ACAD.

[David.johnson.201889]

For anyone who is having problems with clients saying they do not want text masks to be used due to printing problems, I suspect this problem is due to the wipeout plotting as a solid black box, to mitigate this issue just set the colour of your wipeout frame to 255,255,255. This should solve the problems for your clients

[gilsoto13]

Is there a system variable that I can use to change this property? I am trying to not have to go through the dialog boxes to change it every time. I would like to have vlisp set a system variable which would change it then.

Thanks in advance.

There are not many threads with this topic... So I found the variable other way.. and basically used the Dimstyle manager and the option "compare", and then I selected two identical dimension styles (created by a lisp routine) with the only difference I marked the background fill in one of them.. so the differences between them appeared in a list.. and there was it:

Dimtfill 0 (no background fill)
Dimtfill 1 (background fill)

[irneb]

Thanks for posting, that is also shown in Help though: Normal ACad Help --> Command Reference --> System Variables --> D System Variables. See screen capture.

BTW, from there you can also see the DIMTFILLCLR variable which governs the fill colour. However, I don't seem to find anything for setting it to Background Color - like with a wipeout, only ByBlock, ByLayer or Color Index 1-255.