QCAD.org Forum

I like to use ordinate dimensions on mechanical parts to keep the drawing as easy to read as possible. I also am the machinist who makes the parts that I draw so referencing the dimensions to a specified point is very helpful both with manual machining and when using CNC.

I have stumbled through creating ordinate dimensions on a drawing but there is one thing I can not find a way to do. That is changing the alignment of the text. When I draw a ordinate dimension in the X direction the text also runs in that direction. This creates overlaps so different leader lengths and even offset leaders are necessary. This is shown in my first attached screen shot.
In the second attached screen shot there is a sample of how I would like it to be. By default, the vertical ordinate dimensions have horizontal text and the horizontal ones have vertical text. This makes the horizontal ordinate dimensions a lot easier to read. By searching this board I learned about the Alt key restraining the leaders to straight lines. Is there any way/trick to have the text align vertically? Perhaps pressing two keys with my left hand while doing the dimensions?

Hi,
I can agree that the best option for the value text of X-Ordinates is to align them vertically.
For now it seems that there is no option to do that.

A solution would be to stack X-Ordinates labels alternately on 2 or more lines.
Remind that depending the text height even vertical aligned labels may overlap at some point.


Even in scripting there is no way to influence the text angle.
On creation, Ordinates are categorized as an X- or an Y-Ordinate (xType: true or false).
The other data members are definingPoint and leaderEndPoint.

Then I became curious what the rotate() function does.
For what its worth it is fully unusable. Most probably because QCAD does not support an UCS and can not rotate the plane.
xType is not affected at all, even for a +/- 90° rotation.
The two defining points and the ordinate origin are rotated.
The text remains horizontal but the text position is not simply rotated, it is adapted.
I suspect that the length of the second leader leg, if any, is twice the text height.
But you may discover that the list of Style properties is very limited.
As if Ordinate entities where left out when the newer Style functionality was implemented.


The best way to ask for a new or additional feature is to submit a request at QCAD Bugtracker.

Regards,
CVH

I did not want to submit a request for a feature until I was sure there wasn't something I was missing. That gets embarrassing, you know. But I think I will submit one for this.

I did develop a work around but it is a bit of a time consumer. I am using Layer 0 for construction lines so I terminated them at the edge of the outline of the part. Then I created a line parallel to that edge about 0.55" to the outside. I added lines on my Dimensions Layer from the ends of those construction lines to the parallel line, using the perpendicular function to terminate them on the parallel line. I set the text angle to 90 or 270 degrees to get vertical text and just typed in the needed values, also on the Dimensions Layer. I selected either the left or right hand, centered location for placing the text and placed it at the end of those lines. Then the parallel line was erased and two others were placed at 0.50" and 0.05". I used the Break Out Segment tool to eliminate the two ends of the perpendicular lines so they did not touch either the outline of my part or the text that I had added. Finally the two or three parallel lines were erased and I was left with what looked precisely like Ordinate Dimensions.

I even went further with the above when placing dimensions a view that was at an odd angle. The only difference was I had to manually calculate the angle for the text before adding it to the drawing. All the rest was the same. I am attaching a screen shot of this drawing. It may seem like a very odd orientation for the dimensions, but the print will be turned sideways when the part is in the mill and the numbers will match up to the X and Y axis there.
This is why I like a completely functional Ordinate Dimension tool.

Thanks for your response.

We will add support for text rotation for the next release, so that X ordinate dimensions can have text that is readable from the right.

Non-orthogonal ordinate dimensions cannot be supported at this point as the DXF/DWG format does not seem to support this.

Wow! Next release. That would be great.

I'm glad you liked the idea and I look forward to it.

I didn't have any great expectations for odd angles. I happened to come upon a place where that would have been useful in the present drawing I'm working on. But I really can't recall any other instances where I would have used it in the past 20 or 30 years of CAD use. I even tried it in my old 2D CAD and it was a horrible mess. I did manage to develop a work-around. So I wouldn't spend any time on it unless you are just totally bored.

Thanks!