dimensioning cad items to centers

[Bruce Boyle]

How can I draw dimension lines to center of a circle or the center of a rectangle. With the circle it seems that if I rotate the circle it then lets me dimension to the center, but I can't figure out why. with the rectangle it never seems to let me dimension to the center.

[alobartn]

As far as I know you cannot automatically dimension to the center of squares. The easy workaround, and I hope this will change soon, is to draw lines which will snap to the center of the square, and dimension to them. In version 10 the snapping capabilities make this, well, a snap. You can change the colors of the center lines to white and send them to back, and leave them there. It's easy to see them if your screen color is set to something other than white, and they won't print if you print on white paper. I don't have to rotate a circle to dimension to its center.

[slatta]

this has been a problem since I started using chief, consequently I do not use chief for much more than 3d stuf anymore

[louis]

Use Chief's new snap tools to find the center of a rectangle.

[Tim O'Donnell]

if you turn on 'display arc centers' you can dimension to centers of circles/arcs

[alobartn]

Louis, you can find it, but you can't dimension to it, can you?

[louis]

Yes. I place a cad point at the center and then use the point to point dimension tool.

[Tim O'Donnell]

place marker(s)...

for a rectangle

turn on midpoint snap and perpendicular extensions...when the extension indicates you are at right angles to the midpoint of the side you want to dimension place a marker....these can be at any distance out from this midpoint if you want...if you want to move the extension on the dimension after you create the dimension, jsut slect the extension and grab one of the end handles and move like you woould a cad line...very easy very fast...

[louis]

The point to point dimension tools places the markers.

[Tim O'Donnell]

Originally posted by louis
The point to point dimension tools places the markers.

I know that...but this way I don't have those old x's to delete..and now there have been three ways presented to easily dimension these

six of one a half dozen of the other

[louis]

That's true. Saves a step.