Continuing with Dimensions: Drawing Linear Dimensions in AutoCAD

In this video, we are going to continue with our dimensions. Let's zoom in on this bottom wall and draw some dimensions using the dimension tool.

This tool might pop up when you start dimensioning, instead of locking in linear dimensions. It will be good to practice with it. We can click the main dimension button and let's start by dimensioning this window. If I zoom in, you can see that when I hover over the line, my crosshairs switch to a pick box, and I can click the line.

Now, it has selected both endpoints of that line, and I can move my mouse down and pick Shift + Right-click, Nearest onto this magenta line. Notice I am still in my dimension tool, so I can pick this endpoint as the first point of my next dimension, and this endpoint as the second point. Now, the problem here is that you might notice it's dragging an angled dimension.

Again, this is why it might be helpful to always lock in linear dimensions when we know we want linear dimensions. How do we fix this? Let's move our mouse to the left side of the screen, and when I get my mouse over there, I can see it switch to a linear dimension. Now, I can snap onto the endpoint here and click to set my dimension.

Now we can go up and click 'Continue.' I can move my mouse across and click this endpoint to continue from the previous dimension. Hit ENTER to say that I'm done. Now let's go to the linear dimension and finish with our long 24-foot dimension from this endpoint to this endpoint.

I'll come down and choose this endpoint of the magenta line. Zoom extents and press CTRL + S to save. Now that we've done that, let's take a look at this quick dimension option.

I'll zoom in so that I can see my entire wall on the right side of my drawing, and I know that when I look at the handout, every single one of these lines is dimensioned, including two dimensions on this line. Let's see what quick dimension can do for us. I'll go Quick Dimension and then I'll pick one at a time each one of these lines as I move down the screen.

You can see that I have grabbed six total lines, and when I've picked all of my geometry, I'll hit ENTER to lock it in. Now it is showing me a preview of what that quick dimension might look like. Once I click this midpoint here, it will generate the dimensions automatically.

This is because it understood that these lines were in a series that prompted a continuous linear dimension. This is amazing and is not very common in older CAD workflows or AutoCAD software. So please be very careful when using quick dimension in the future.

I'll use it one more time just for the example. Quick Dimension. I'll pick this line, this line, and this line.

I'm skipping the door and clicking this line, this line, and this line. Hit ENTER to lock it in. I'll choose this midpoint here and click, and it will create my geometry.

Again, be very careful that you're choosing the geometry you need when drawing a quick dimension. Now, if I check the handout, I can see that this three feet, four and three-quarter inches dimension does not exist. This is because the door is actually dimensioned to the midline or centerline of this wall.

To the midline or centerline of this wall. So I can click on this dimension and hit the delete key. Let's draw some linear dimensions back in for this example.

I'll go to Linear. I'll pick this point here and then I need to pick the point in between both of these points. In order to do that, I can open up my pop menu box, Shift + Right-click, Mid Between Two Points.

Now I can choose the endpoint here and the endpoint here, and drag my dimension out to match this line and click. Now I have my three-foot dimension. Notice that point is floating in space, but it was snapped to the midline between these two points. To finish, I can use a continuous dimension or another linear dimension and pick this endpoint here.

Click ENTER to say that I'm done. Hit ENTER to say that I'm done. Let's zoom extents and press CTRL + S to save.

Let's finish by adding dimensions on this left wall. Again, I see that I'm going to need a dimension here that goes to the midline between two points. So in this case, I'm not going to use Quick Dimension.

It's actually easier to set my first dimension to the magenta line here, and then use continuous dimensions down the line. So let's go Linear, from this point to this point, and snap to the magenta line. Now we'll go Continue. I'll click the window here, Shift + Right-click, Mid Between Two Points, from that endpoint to that endpoint, then the endpoint of the door, the endpoint of the door, and then I'm going to choose the bottom wall in my bathroom and then the endpoint down here.

Click ENTER to say that I am done. Hit ENTER to say that I am done. You'll notice on the handout that the one foot, one inch, and three-quarter inches dimension does not exist.

That's because we did not want to over-dimension this model. So I will delete it, and we don't need it for the rest of the project. Next, let's add those two dimensions that say equal.

Now this type of dimension could be found in some BIM software, but in this case, we're going to use standard dimensions and then override their text. So for now, let's start by going Linear, this endpoint again to the Shift + Right-click, Mid Between Two Points, from the endpoint here to the endpoint here. I'll pull it out to this next magenta line and click, then finish by going Continue to the far endpoint.

Hit ENTER to say I'm done. Hit ENTER to say that I am done. We will override the text in the next video.

Finally, I can use Linear one more time, grabbing the endpoint at the top of the drawing and the endpoint at the bottom of the drawing, and pulling that all the way out to this second-from-the-end magenta line and clicking to set a 20-foot dimension. Zoom extents and press CTRL + S to save. Let's finish by placing our interior dimensions.

Let's go top to bottom. So I'll start up here, Quick Dimension this line, hit ENTER, drag that out to here, and click, and there's my four-foot six dimension. We can use the same idea for these door geometries using Quick Dimension.

I need to select this line here, this line here, and this line here when I use Quick Dimension. So let's go Quick. I'll select this line, this line, and this line, then hit ENTER to lock it in.

I'll drag my Quick Dimension down to about here and click. There we go. Now, Linear Dimension might be easier for this door.

So I'll click here and here, and I can actually snap to the endpoint of this dimension to line these two dimensions up. Click. Let's add that three-inch jam typical, and again we'll change the dimension text in the next video, but I'll go Linear. I'll choose the wall segments here and here.

Drag out to this space and click, same thing at the top left. There's our three and a half-inch typical dimension right there. Let's go Linear, and this time I'll choose the midpoint and the midpoint, and make sure you drag a little up and click.

Excellent. Finally, let's do our bathroom door. Linear, from here to here.

Click to place, and kitchen. First, let's start with the counter. That's a linear dimension from this endpoint to this endpoint.

Click to place. Then our kitchen sink linear dimension. This one fits right in the countertop, from here to here, and that's one foot zero inches.

Then finally, the dimension string for the bathroom wall and this little bump-out linear dimension. This is from this top corner here to this bottom inside wall edge. Dragging to the right and click, and then let's use a continue dimension to go to the inside corner of this wall.

Click ENTER to say that I'm done. Hit ENTER to say that I'm done. Three more dimensions remain.

Let's do our wall dimension, Linear. This one can be the Shift + Right-click, Nearest to the Shift + Right-click, Nearest. As long as it's a linear dimension, I know that it will be okay.

Then two more dimensions, these one-inch dimensions here and here, helping us to understand the distance between the range and the fridge. Linear, from here to again the Shift + Right-click, Nearest.

I'll pull that up there, and again Linear, from endpoint to endpoint, and I'll pull that up there. Zoom extents and press CTRL + S to save. In the next video, we will move some of our dimensions around and update our dimension text.

Thank you.