In Chief Architect, you have two different types of dimension tools.
If we go here to the CAD drop down menu and down to dimensions,
you can see that I have my manual dimension tools and my automatic dimension
tools. In this video, we will discuss the manual dimension tools.
You'll also find the manual dimension tools, parent tool here in your toolbar.
If you look for the yellow ruler icon,
any of these tools that have a small arrow next to it is a parent tool and
holds child tools that will appear here at the left side of your screen in the
child tool palette. We'll start here with the manual dimension tool.
To use the manual dimension tool you activate it by clicking on the tool and
then click to drag a line close to the objects that you want to dimension.
You can see that the tool will place an extension at the first object as the
start point. And then as you drag a line,
it will locate the second locatable object,
the side of this window and place another extension line.
As I continue to drag the line,
it will place another extension line at the next object and the next it will
stop. When I release my mouse pick button, once you've placed a dimension line,
you can edit it. If I click here on the dimension line,
you will see the move edit handle as indicated by the two way arrow,
you can move the dimension line only in the directions indicated by the arrow.
If you try to move it side to side, it will not move.
When you click on the dimension line,
you will get the diamond shaped edit handles. At the end of each extension line,
you can use these handles to move extension lines and add or remove
extension lines to remove extension lines
you can click on the one you want to remove and drag it away from any locatable
objects. If I want to move this extension line from the side of the window,
to the center of the window,
I will click on the diamond edit handle and then drag it to the center snap
point of the window. If I try to move this edit handle to the side of a wall,
it will not be able to locate a snap point and will simply remove the extension
line.
You can add extension lines by using the floating diamond edit handle that will
show up right where you click on the dimension line and then drag that diamond
shaped edit handle to a locatable object that you want to dimension to.
If I click on the extension line, instead of the dimension line,
I will get square, edit handles. You can not move the extension line with these,
but you can shorten or lengthen the extension with it.
And you can click on the extension line and then click on the center line tool
in the edit toolbar at the bottom of your screen,
to add the center line indicator to that extension,
you can use your dimensions to move objects that are associated with dimension
line. For instance, if I select this window and activate the move,
edit handle on the window,
then click on this dimension number to open the editor.
I can type in a specific number and hit enter to move the window into play.
We'll go back To the dimension tool parent tool.
And here in the child tool palette is the second dimension tool.
The end to end dimension tool. I'll activate this tool. And again,
start to draw a line close to the objects that I want to dimension.
It will find the first two objects and place extension lines to each object,
the corner of the wall and the side of the window. But as I move down the wall,
it will drop that second extension and place one on the other side of the
window. As I moved down the wall, it will locate the next object.
And then the next placing one dimension from the start point to where I release
my mouse pick button with only two extension lines at each end of the dimension
line, we'll go back to the dimension tools, parent tool,
and look at the angular dimension tool.
This tool will dimension the angle between two objects like these two walls.
To use this tool,
I'll simply click and drag a line between these two walls that will place an
angle dimension. Again, I can move this dimension line.
If I click and drag the angle dimension to the opposite side of the pivot point
of this angle, it will give me the opposite angle dimension.
If I select one of the walls that are associated with this dimension,
and then click on the angle number here,
I can change the angle number and it will move the wall to that angle.
When I hit enter
Another manual dimension tool is the interior dimension tool.
This tool will measure the interior of each individual room.
It will only locate walls and place dimension between each wall inside of each
room. Again,
you can move these dimension lines using the move edit handle, and you can move,
add, or remove extension lines,
and you can move the walls that are associated with the dimension lines by
selecting the wall and then click on the dimension you want to change and then
type in the precise dimension that you need.
If we zoom into the walls intersection,
you can see where the dimensions are locating these walls.
The extension lines are going to the framing layer or main layer of each wall.
This is determined by the dimension default settings.
If we go to the default settings button here in the toolbar,
the little white wrench, go down two dimensions,
and then two dimensions here and click on edit.
You will see that the active dimension default is the one quarter inch scale
dimension defaults with this selected here in the list,
you can click on edit to change those defaults.
Here in the locate panel,
you will find all of the objects that are selected for your dimensions to snap
extension lines to. Here under walls,
you will see that it is set up to go to the walls dimension layer that is set up
in most wall types to be the framing layer or main layer of the wall.
If you want your dimensions to go to the finish layer or drywall layer of the
wall, select surfaces.
This will not change the dimensions that have already been drawn.
But when I create another interior dimension line,
you can see that it is measuring from the finished layer on this wall,
to the Finished layer on this wall.
An easy way to delete all dimensions in a plan at one time is to
use the active tool selection mode, activate the manual dimension tool.
Then hold down your shift key and draw a selection box around
everything. Because the dimension tool is active,
it will only select dimensions. Then hit your delete key to remove them.
Another handy dimension tool is the point to point dimension tool.
If I click on this tool and drag a line between two objects,
the dimension line will snap to each of these objects and create a dimension
line, just like the manual dimension tool. However,
you can use this tool where there are no objects to snap to.
If I click and drag a line out away from the plan,
the point to point dimension tool will create its own dimension points.
You can see those here at each end of the dimension line.
You can move these points to wherever you want them by clicking here on the
crossed lines and then check the bottom left hand corner of your screen at the
feedback bar to make sure that you have the word marker that tells you what
object you have selected. If you have selected the dimension line,
then hit tab to go to the next object, check the feedback bar again,
to make sure you have the marker.
Then you can use the dimension number editor to move them just like we did other
objects and dimension lines. Once you have placed it exactly where you need it,
you can then use the marker to snap other objects too.
The next dimension tool is the baseline dimension tool.
When I click on this tool and then drag a line close to the objects I want to
dimension, it will use the start point,
the corner of the wall and create one dimension to the first object,
the side of the window. Then as I continue dragging the line,
it will create another dimension line from the start point to the next object,
the opposite side of the window. As I continue drawing a line,
it will locate each object and create a separate dimension line from the
original start point.
The running dimension tool is similar.
When you click and drag the line for the dimension, it will locate first object,
create an extension line and then locate the next object and add an
extension line, place the number on the same dimension line.
But the dimension number is the distance from the original start point indicated
by the circle here at the corner of the wall,
it will continue until you release your mouse pick button.
The center line dimension tool will generate an extension line with a center
line indicator on objects that are set by default to locate at their centers.
The last tool under the manual dimension tools,
parent tool is the tape measure tool.
When you activate this tool and click and drag a line between two points or
objects, you will see a temporary dimension number,
but as soon as you release your mouse button, it will disappear.
It will not leave a permanent dimension line in the plan.
Like a tape measure it will snap back when you let go learning the
application and use of each of these dimension tools will help speed up your
production time.