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Trim Dimensions
Tip# 3579 By Greg Vice On 13-Feb-2011
3
 Rated By 6 users
Categories : Edit Dimension
Software type : AutoCAD 2011
Rename File To : No Files to download.
Shorten and extend dimensions with the Trim and Extend commands.

Greg Vice, a piping and instrument designer, sent in a tip that can help you edit dimensions in AutoCAD.

"I have found that the Trim and Extend commands work with dimensions. As a simple example, you can draw a line across a dimension, then use it as the cutting edge."
 
Notes from Cadalyst Tip Patrol: Editing dimensions can be a pain. As this tip notes, you can shorten them with the Trim command, or extend them with the Extend command. Using Trim will move the nearest extension line to the trimming line. The same thing happens when you use the Extend command.
 
 

Average Rating:
3


User comments
Comment by White,David
Posted on 2011-02-14 14:39:52
I don't get the correlation or comment made by the Tip Patrol. Greg was stating that he could use the dimension lines, leader, extensions, etc., like any other entity that you can trim or extend to. I don't understand how you can "shorten" or "extend" a "dimension". You can edit the components of a dimension with trim, extend as long as something crosses or intersects with them, but you gotta have DIMASO turned off.
Comment by nemirovsky,len
Posted on 2011-02-14 16:09:39
Did not work for regardles of DIMASO settings. But t5hen again maybe I am doing something wrong here.
Comment by Eaton,Nancy
Posted on 2011-02-14 18:07:18
Worked fine (DIMASO on). I can see many uses to update dimensions without having to drag nodes. Great tip!
Comment by Elharrar,Greg
Posted on 2011-03-01 15:23:54
Sorry about not being clear on the tip. Hope this will help. It's the dimension line, the line where the text resides that gets extended or trimed. Object lines that are perpendicular to the dimension outside of or cross the dimension line will used for your cutting edge or extending edge. I've attached a drawing file that shows this better. As far as I know this isn't mentioned in the documentation or command references but really saves time having to redimension when things change.
TRIM-EXTEND ON DIMENSIONS0.dwg
Comment by Bouvier,Alan
Posted on 2011-05-02 15:52:17
I have been doing this since R12. It is actually the imaginary line drawn between the dimension pick points that is extended. In the attached drawing you can see that the extension/trim follows the direction between these points. Any associative dimensions loose their associativity with this action.
extend dimension.dwg