Help With Ordinate Dimensioning

[maesoph]

Dear All:



We are a start up company and everyone here is new to Pro Eng, so I don't have anyone to ask this very simple question to....... I would like to know how to have all of my dimensioning done in ordinate dimensions - always. The help isn't all that clear at all and I am disappointed in what i have been able to do so far.

 

[chill2001]

you can create ordinate dim's in your drawing by placing a csys at you 0,0,0 then selecting that csys when you create dim's for your drawing.





I am not sure why you would want that method in modeling

 

[jabbadeus]

I agree with chill, I don't know why you would want all your dimensions in your model to appear ordinate.



In the drawing, though, when you use Show and Erase to make feature dimensions appear on the drawing, there's an option Switch to Ordinate that you can have checked. You will have to select or create an appropriate baseline, but you will have ordinate dims.

 

[Sidemout]

I am not sure there is a way to automatically have ordinate dimensions. Under Insert, you have the option for Ordinate dimensions... I usually have to start out with a normal dimension being placed, then right click on it, choose the switch to ordinate dimension, and select which witness line you want as 0.



Once you establish that, you can go to insert ordinate, select your zero reference, and just pick points at will to dimension.



You will also want to insert jogs, so pick on the line (not the dimension itself) right click and choose insert jog. It took me a while to figure out how to insert jogs without getting 14 of them, but it comes... eventually.

 

[maesoph]

I need the ordinate dimensions in the drawing mode, not the model creation. I have a plate with dozens of holes that crowd normal dimensions very badly. Ordinate dimensions is what I would like to use as default on any drawing. I have tried converting them one by one, but that is extremely slow. I would almost prefer doing them manually in ordinate mode instead of the automatic stuff that I have seen so far. Of course, it could be operator error....

 

[jabbadeus]

When you go into the Show & Erase dialog box, check the Linear to Ordinate box before selecting which dimensions you want to appear. You will have to select an appropriate baseline.



For sheetmetal parts, there is automatic ordinate dimensioning. In 2001 this is located under the Advanced menu in the menu manager IIRC.



Dave Martin

 

[rcamp]

To create an ordinate dimension, first create a regular dimension with one end being to whatever feature will be your zero datum. Then select menu option create an ordinate dimension, and select <create base>, select the regular dimension (anywhere I think) and then click on the extension line of the side that you want to be your zero datum. You must do this first to convert a regular dim to an ordinate dim SYSTEM. Now change the create ord dim setting to <create dims>, select the zero datum (0.000) then select the entities that you want to add to the ordinate dimension sytem. Once you leave this function you must reselect the zero datum (0.000) each time to add more dim's.

 

[BugStar]

hi maesoph,

if it's mainly holes that are crowding your drawing why not use hole tables instead? With a suitable co-ordinate sys the dimensions will be ordinate, but will appear in a chart instead of the drawing.