📐 Dimension Default Settings (overview)
After selecting the Tool > Dim Defaults icon, the Dimension defaults dialog is displayed.
📝 Note (fonts for annotation)
Typically, the font used to annotate roof planes and drawings is the font defined under CAD > Defaults > Text Defaults.
As these may change from user to user, it is suggested that a text file called Fontfile.dat be created and saved in the User folder, thus ‘locking-in’ the required font style for each user.
The font used on the roof plan for annotation such as area, azimuth etc will then be determined by the font defined in the Fontfile.dat.
True type fonts will be listed by their name only (such Arial or Calibri)
CAD fonts by the name and the extension (such as HELV.FON for Helvetica font or ISO.FON for CAD ISO font)
If no font file exists (it must be created by the user) then the CAD text default settings will be used.
🔠 Dimension Sizing Options
These options allow you to alter the size of dimensions for the four different methods.
You will see the effect on screen and on the printed drawings.
🧱 Coursing Dimension Specific Options
Set the height of the course dimension text and also the information to be displayed on the roof plan.
For example – Coursing (Eave ###E mm / Int ###I mm) would insert Coursing (Eave 350mm / Int 310mm) on the drawing as shown below.
📏 Ln–Ln Dimension Specific Options
Round Length Dimensions to .. sets the rounding up of the dimension number drawn on the roof drawing – in the example ±10mm.
Match Line Dimension Colour changes the dimension colour to be the same as that set for the line making it easier to associate a dimension with the matching line.
If set to no, the default settings for dimension are used.
Dimension line Lengths Greater Than allows the operator to set how short the shortest lines to be dimensioned will be.
Anything shorter than the specified length will not be dimensioned. This takes the clutter out of the drawing by not dimensioning lines that may not be important.
Dimension Distance Off Line sets the distance the dimension is to offset from the associated line – roof plan on the left is set to 0; roof plan on the right is set to 100mm.
Without offset from the referenced line
With offset from line set to required distance.
Note: Be careful switching between metric and imperial units as this can have a detrimental effect on settings such as arrow size – 100mm in metric becomes a 100” in imperial.
🧭 Azimuth/Area Dimension Specific Options
Round Area Dimensions to sets the rounding up of the area dimension number drawn on the roof drawing – in the example ±1sqm.
Azimuth Dimension Precision sets how many places after the decimal point.
Area Dimension Suffix adds a suffix to the area dimension such as SqFt or SqM.
📐 Pitch Dimension Specific Options
Show Storey on Pitch Dimension adds the roof storey to the pitch dimension drawn on the roof plan.
Used in conjunction with the precision, in this case one decimal place.
Pitch Dimension Precision sets how many places after the decimal point. Our example displays one decimal place.
Pitch Separator (Slope Only) sets the separator character between the numbers indicating the slope of the roof. Typically a colon as shown, but may be a slash.
Show Slope Arrow Direction – Y/N slope direction arrow may or may not be displayed.
Slope Direction Arrow Size sets the size of the arrow. Since we model the roof geometry at full size, the arrow would need to be about 1000mm as shown above (or the equivalent in feet and inches).
Note: Be careful switching between metric and imperial units as this can have a detrimental effect on settings such as arrow size – 1000mm arrow in metric becomes a 1000” arrow in imperial.