Dimensioning Styles

     In this unit, I practiced dimensioning parts, and learned several methods of dimensioning drawings in AutoCAD. I used tabular dimensioning and rectangular dimensioning, and I created a tabular drawing.
     Tabular dimensions include every piece of information necessary to create features on an object on a table. A table can display the size, the location, and other information about many features without becoming confusing. To dimension the holes in the anchor plate above., I gave each hole a label that corresponded with a row on the graph. Each row gave the diameter of a hole, as well as the X and Y coordinates based on the origin indicated in the graph. Because the holes went all the way through the plate, the Z coordinate was given as THRU. In the notes section, I provided information about the type of finish for the edges of each hole.
     With the rectangular dimensioning style, every dimension in a view starts at one leader line, and extends to its own leader line. Each dimension is stacked on top of the last, starting with the smallest dimension, and finishing with the largest dimension, which is often the overall length of the part.
      The tabular drawing I created gave the dimensions of four parts with one generic picture that isn't to scale. I dimensioned all the features and replaced the numerical values with letters. The letters corresponded with columns on a table that was created in Excel and copied into AutoCAD. Each row of the table gave the numerical values for the dimensions of one of the four parts. This method allows designers to dimension many similar parts using one picture.
      With these new dimensioning styles I will be able to dimension complex parts faster and with fewer confusing dimension lines. My personal favorite was the tabular drawing, because the dimensioning style makes sense, and is very effective for dimensioning a large number of similar objects.