Learn/Drafting/Dimensions, Text & Annotation
Tolerancing
At a glance
- Right-click any dimension → Tolerance to assign per-dimension tolerances
- Bilateral symmetric: same + and − value (e.g., ±0.005")
- Bilateral asymmetric: different + and − values (e.g., +0.002" / −0.001")
- Unilateral: leave one field blank (e.g., +0.005" / −0.000")
- Tolerance annotation renders below the dimension value at reduced size
- Dimension precision auto-elevates to match tolerance precision
- Prints with tolerance annotation — title block shows drawing default tolerance table by decimal place
- Reset button clears a custom tolerance back to the drawing defaults
Right-click any dimension and choose Tolerance to give it its own tolerance callout. Everything else on the drawing keeps following the general tolerance block; the dimensions that matter carry explicit limits — the way a real shop drawing works.
Entering a tolerance
The dialog shows the dimension's current value plus + Tolerance and − Tolerance fields in your working units:
- Same value in both → bilateral symmetric (±0.005")
- Different values → bilateral asymmetric (+0.002" / −0.001")
- One field blank → unilateral (+0.005" / −0.000")
Blank both fields — or hit Reset — and the dimension falls back to the drawing's general tolerances. For reference the dialog lists the conventional decimal-place table (X.X = ±0.1", X.XX = ±0.01", X.XXX = ±0.001", X.XXXX = ±0.0001"; metric equivalents in mm mode).
Display and precision
The tolerance renders below the dimension value at reduced size, and the dimension's displayed precision elevates automatically to match: put a ±0.0005" tolerance on a length and its value gains a fourth decimal place so the callout means something. Applies to linear, radius, and diameter dimensions.
On paper
Tolerances follow the dimension into Print: the annotation appears under the value in the vector output, and the title block carries the general tolerance table covering every dimension you left at the defaults.