If I select a line in Front view of my subject on its port side and there is an exact same line on the far side (stbd) of my object, I would expect the start of the dimension to start on this line, but it is vital to have perspective view open as it often picks the opposite side (stbd). Is there a way of forcing it to pick on the active line ?
I find that I need to start the pick in ortho view as using perspective view the dimension ends up at the wrong angle for my ortho view, Else I could start in perspective seeing exactly which line I am picking.
secondly…
Dimensions often disappear into the surface because it curves.
If the arrow head was to form to suit the final view window the last click occurs in before enter is hit, we could start in front view for first click on line, then go to top view to take the position of the number out away from the surface, then back to front view for the final click where the number will start. I try that and the arrow head is lying side on (thin) in front view with a legible number, because it is placed by the first click.
This to avoid BringForward which then sees dimensions from both sides appearing, so I have to have separate layers for port and stbd, and when it comes to views of underside, another layer for those.
I may be missing something, but if your second question is how to make a dimension show when a shaded object obscures it, you can select it and drag it in front of the object toward the viewer. Likewise, you can draw the dimension in the top viewport and then later rotate it 90 degrees to make it visible in the front viewport. Modifying the dimension like this will, however break history, so it will no longer update with changes to the measured object.
As to your first question, I don’t have a direct answer, but I would simply remove the unwanted lines from the workspace while I was dimensioning. Lots of ways to do this, I would probably window select just the unwanted lines, then Group and Hide the selected lines. (If it is not possible to select just the unwanted lines, try using SelCrv to select all the lines, and then removing just the wanted lines with CTRL-window-select.)
Hi Mark,
For speed I am using keyb entry Br which puts BringForward into command line and hitting enter. I am making sure the objects, lines and dims this is applied to are on their own layer, so as to undo this feature on them afterwards, else they make shaded view into a translucent view which is a nightmare.
To hide the lines I dont want means coming out of ortho view and trying to find them all that lie directly behind the one I do want…I need to oeparet in ortho view only for speed and window size, having Front view fill my screen is good,
I hope the answer lies in my other post just made about picking next line away from me etc.
It just seems logical that the command that asks you to select a line then pick a point would limit the pick to that line, else whats the ‘point’ of asking you to pick a point for the line ? It needs an option pick on/off line, incase someone might wish to have the arrow tip in a different location, I cant see why they would want such though.
Here is another niggle…I have just the one line active, working in Front view staring at port side of my aircraft, I run the dimension on curve command, pick the line pick again for end of line with arrow and hit enter, where is the result, not on the line, but on Cplane…look to see if I have Project on but it isnt,…so why ? it saw another line behind on Cplane.