About Dimensions from Part Design Features

The Generate Dimension Functional Tolerancing & Annotations allows you to generate the specific dimensions from Part Design features only.

Related Topics
Generating Dimensions from a Part Design Hole

The following dimensions can be generated:


  • Some or all hole dimensions from a hole parameters (except if these parameters cannot be associated with an existing geometrical element to generate dimensions: diameter of a tapered hole out of the part, depth for a blind hole setting a through hole, etc).
  • Pad/Pocket length: if two limits are defined, two dimensions will be generated between the sketch plane and each limiting face, and sketch constraints.
  • Multi-Pad/Multi-Pocket lengths, and sketch constraints.
  • Shaft/Groove distance constraints that are parallel or perpendicular to the shaft/groove axis direction, distance between shaft/groove axis and point and/or straight line and/or circle (arc or complete) as a half dimension diameter if the shaft/groove is not complete (value of the single angle or total of the 2 less than 360 degrees, as regular diameter if the shaft/groove is complete, angle, and sketch constraints.
  • Chamfer features; dimensions are generated according to the Part Design chamfer feature definition: for a chamfer with a length x length definition, the dimension format will be distance x distance, whereas for a chamfer with a length x angle definition, the dimension format will be distance x angle dimension. However, you should be aware of the fact that if tolerances are applied to chamfer parameters, only the tolerance applied to the first parameter will be generated. Chamfer dimensions cannot be edited, but they can be modified via the Dimension Properties toolbar and the Edit Properties command.
  • Thread features; thread diameter, depth and pitch parameter dimensions can be generated. Dimension generation automatically generates a thread symbolic representation.

    Warning:
    • Any tolerance attached to the pitch or diameter parameter will not be generated.
    • Generating a pitch parameter dimension requires the generation of the corresponding thread diameter parameter dimension.
    • If the thread is not a metric one, the prefix will be a diameter symbol instead of the letter M.
    • You could select User Feature and explore them in order to find Part Design features allowed in Generative command. The command will recursively search each compatible internal Part Design features (in the same way User Feature containing other User Features) in order to show parameters (if nothing could be analyzed by generative command, no parameter will appear). Moreover, user can immediately select all of them in generative command list as if User Feature does not exist. Only published parameters (during User Feature creation) are seen in list and corresponding dimensions could be created.

Important:
  • Dimensions are associated with the design of a part, including the Mean Dimension behavior.
  • When parameter tolerances are still defined, they are set to the dimension tolerances.
  • Modifying dimension tolerances modifies the parameter tolerances and vice-versa.
  • A generated dimension is always created in an annotation plane parallel to the related feature internal parameter plane and this annotation plane is not necessarily the active annotation plane:
    • If an annotation plane parallel to the feature internal parameter plane already exists, the dimension is created in this annotation plane,
    • Otherwise a new annotation plane is created parallel to the feature internal parameter plane.