Creating Curvilinear Length Dimensions

You can create dimensions for the curvilinear length of a curve, that is to measure the overall length of a curve.

Before you begin: Create a curve, an arc for example.
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More About Creating Curvilinear Length Dimensions

  1. Click Dimension in the Annotations toolbar (Dimensions sub-toolbar).

  2. Select a curve. A preview of the dimension is displayed. By default, this preview shows an overall curve dimension.



  3. Right-click to display the contextual menu and select Curvilinear Length instead of Overall.

  4. Still in the contextual menu, select a representation mode for the dimension line:


    • Offset displays the dimension line as an offset of the measured curve.

    • Parallel displays the dimension line as a translation of the measured curve.

    • Linear displays the dimension line as linear.

    Select Parallel, for example.

  5. Optionally drag the dimension line and/or the dimension value to position them as wanted.

  6. Click elsewhere in the drawing to validate the dimension creation. The semi-arc symbol displayed over the dimension value symbolizes a curvilinear length dimension. You can now handle the dimension just like any other dimension.



  7. Click Dimension again.

  8. Select another curve. This time, the preview of the dimension shows a curvilinear length dimension (your previous selection was memorized).

  9. Once again, right-click to display the contextual menu and select Offset as the representation mode for the dimension line.

  10. Click in the drawing to validate the dimension creation.



  11. Repeat steps 7 to 9, this time selecting Linear as the representation mode for the dimension line.

  12. Still in the contextual menu, select Dimension Representation > Force Horizontal Dimension in View to specify the dimension line orientation.

  13. Click in the drawing to validate the dimension creation.