Learn/Drafting/Dimensions, Text & Annotation
Dimensions
Updated v2.3.6At a glance
- Linear — click a line or two points; drag to set offset from geometry
- Diameter — click a circle; shows diameter with prefix
- Radius — click an arc; shows radius with R prefix
- Angular — click two lines; measures included angle in degrees
- Point — click any snap point; places X/Y coordinate callout with leader line
- Drag any dimension text to reposition along its line, arc, or leader
- Labels draw with a theme-matched halo — readable over any fill, in every theme
- Dimension Text Size setting (75–200%) scales every label, live
One Dimension tool (D) covers every dimension type — what you click decides what you get. Click
a line for its length, a circle for its diameter (prefixed ⌀), an arc for its radius (prefixed
R), two lines for the angle between them, or two points for the distance between them. Click a
snap point on its own and you get an X/Y coordinate callout on a leader. Then move the mouse to
set the offset and click again to place it.
Every dimension drives
Dimensions are parametric from the moment they land: placing one locks the geometry at its current
value without moving anything, and double-clicking the text lets you type a new value — including
math and unit expressions like 1/2in + 3mm (see
Expression Evaluator). The geometry follows. How driving,
reference, and over-constrained dimensions behave is covered in
Constraints & Driving Dimensions.
Placement details worth knowing
- Edge references measure perpendicular. Dimension from a line to a circle's center and you get the true perpendicular distance — two edge-to-center dimensions locate a hole exactly.
- Angular dimensions follow the label. Two lines define four sectors; the dimension measures the one your label sits in, so you can dimension the acute, obtuse, or reflex angle just by where you drop the text.
- Text is always movable. Drag dimension text along its dimension line, arc, or leader at any time — repositioning the label never changes the value or the geometry.
- Values display in your Settings → Preferred Units, inches or millimeters.
Always readable, any size
Every dimension label — placed dimensions, the live readout while you draw, and the Plasma Measure tool — draws with a subtle halo in your theme's background color behind the text, so the number stays crisp over solid fills, dense geometry, and locked parts in every theme. Custom themes can tune it via the Dimension Text Halo token in the theme editor.
Prefer bigger callouts? Settings → Units → Dimension Text Size scales every dimension and measure label from 75% to 200%, live — no restart needed. Printed drawings keep standard drafting text sizes regardless of this setting.