changing dimension scale methods

[randyspear]

Everybody has run into this at one time or another. The dimensions and qleaders are done for a project and now you want to change the size of all the plans from 1:100 to 1:200.

I'm sure everyone has there clever ways of doing this for the dimensions but what i would like to know is how everyone changes the leader and associated mtext.

The problem being that when you change the leader from "dim100" to "dim200" and then change the mtext style from "text25-100" to "text25-200", the leader hook and the mtext is not aligned correctly.

Any ideas? (do you leave it, redo all the leadering, redo the leaders only, etc.)

thanks.

[jaberwok]

I recreate all leaders. :-(

[randyspear]

one way to eliminate this problem woult be to use a block with multiple lines of attributes instead of mtext in the qleader settings. You have to give your block an easy name like "L" or "LDR" because you would have to specify it every time. It would all depend on the insertion point but you would only have to change all your leaders once and change the scale of your "L" blocks appropriately using the properties menu. This way if you do have to change the scale of your dims it is all done in 2 steps.

the problem with this is (1) that anyone else that opens your drawing will most likely curse you and then just explode/burst all your blocks not knowing the method to your madness. (2) if you have to change the width of you text you have to delete/add to each attribute in the editor using tab. (i use mtext with a width so it is easy to grab the grips and change things on the fly therefore using attributes would be a pain).

too bad we couldn't have a attribute made of mtext. that would be sweet.

anybody else have a workaround?

[tedg]

We use dimension styles per scale, example: DIM_100, DIM_200 etc.

For the dimensions (in your case) we would set the"200" dimstyle current and update the dimensions.

For the QLeaders, first of all, we don't keep the leaders associated with the mtext, it's too much of a hassle. We keep the mtext width adjustable (no hard returns) so we can grip it and stretch the mtext width.

To fix the qleaders and text (in your case), while in the "200" dimstyle I would do a sample leader and mtext and then match properties to the qleaders and mtext. Then adjust them accordingly, it's usually not to bad unless there's a huge change in the scale factors.

Thats how I do it.

[randyspear]

yeah, that seems to be the norm. i think its a compulsive thing i have about keeping things associated.

thanks for your input.

[michael.12445]

We use a single named dimension style with "children" leaders and aligned dimensions. This style is created/modified in each drawing by means of a LISP program that asks for the plotting scale and then force-feeds the correct values to all the dimension variables. If it's necessary to change the scale, we just run the program again using a different value and the existing style is modified accordingly. Then we can just use the UPDATE command at the DIM: prompt.

Michael Evans
Togawa Smith Martin Residential, Inc.

[randyspear]

thats creative. Can you have different details/plans/sections with different scales (or is that what the "child" styles are for)? Do all dims have to be on a specific layer? And this of course takes care of the leaders and mtext appropriately?

thanks,

[randyspear]

For those of you who do like to keep the leaders associated, I think i have a macro that will speed up conversion from one dimstyle to the other. (see attached image)

1. Change all the dims is the same procedure as before (they were not the problem) 2. change the dim style to the desired style. 3. (if need be) go to customize toolbars > right click on the your button and change the scale factor to whatever you need > Apply. 4. pick your button> pick text and leader (or window-I've allowed for 2 user inputs) > right click or enter > pick the endpoint of the arrowhead and your done.

I use text style named TEXT with a height of 0 and have 1 dimstyle with all other dimstyles being a copy of that dimstyle with an overall scale applied. Therefore all the text and leaders are still on the appropriate style.

[Note: you could also set this to pause for user input for the scale factor but i find that i might only have to change a scale of a drawing's dims once a month and for that one time there might be 100 associated leaders so it is quicker for me to set it once before i envoke the command.]

[randyspear]

sorry, the image didn't upload very well.

here is the macro...

^C^C_DIMTAD;0;SCALE;\\\\0.5;-DIMSTYLE;A;P;;DIMTAD;1;


try it out :)

[irneb]

Yep the leaders (or even that qleader) won't work as easily as the dims, i.e. just changing their style / scale factor. This is because they're basically 2 unrelated entities, one for the line & arrow, and one for the text.

If you've got them on a particular layer, isolate that layer. Setup your new dim style (maybe as per one of the previous respondents with child style for leaders). Select all (text & leaders). In the Properties palette, choose the Leader types in the top drop-down list. Change their style to the new one. Choose the MText from the top drop-down, change it's height correspondingly.

However if you've got 2008, then you should be using the MLeaders which would work exactly like dims.