Dimensions are what turn a drawing into a specification. Cadelo supports the full classic dimension toolset — linear, aligned, angular, radial, diameter, and more — with dimension styles to control exactly how they look.

Adding a dimension

The Annotate ribbon tab holds all dimension tools; the commands work the same from the command line:

Command	Alias	What it measures
`DIMLINEAR`	`DLI`	Horizontal or vertical distance between two points
`DIMALIGNED`	`DAL`	True distance between two points (any angle)
`DIMANGULAR`	`DAN`	Angle between two lines or three points
`DIMRADIUS`	`DRA`	Radius of a circle or arc
`DIMDIAMETER`	`DDI`	Diameter of a circle or arc
`DIMARC`	`DAR`	Arc length
`DIMJOGGED`	`DJO`	Jogged radius for large radii
`DIMORDINATE`	`DOR`	X or Y coordinate of a point
`DIMCONTINUE`	`DCO`	Continue a dimension chain from the last one
`DIMBASELINE`	`DBA`	Continue from the same baseline
`LEADER`	`LE`	Callout with a leader line and note

Linear dimension, step by step

Type DIMLINEAR.
Click the two points you’re measuring (use object snap — endpoints, midpoints — for accuracy).
Move the mouse to position the dimension line and click. Done.

The measured value is inserted automatically from the geometry — no typing, no math, and it stays accurate if you later move the points.

Angular dimension

Type DIMANGULAR.
Click the first line, then the second line.
Click where the dimension arc should go.

Selecting and editing dimensions

Click a dimension to select it. Its Properties panel shows the full text, the measured value, the arrow size, and more.
Double-click a dimension (or run DDEDIT) to edit its text — e.g. add a prefix like 2× or a tolerance like ±0.1.
Press Delete to remove a dimension.
Stretch a dimension’s definition points with STRETCH and it updates automatically.

Dimension styles

Dimension styles bundle every visual setting — arrow size, text height, extension line offsets, units, precision, and more — under one name. Open the Dimension Style Manager (Annotate tab, or DIMSTYLE / DDIM).

Create a style, set:

Lines — extension line color/linetype/lineweight, offsets
Symbols and Arrows — arrow style and size
Text — text style, height, placement (inside/outside, horizontal/vertical)
Fit — how the dimension adapts when space is tight
Units — format (decimal, architectural, fractional), precision, prefix/suffix
Alternate units — display a second unit (e.g. inches + mm)

Switch a drawing between styles anytime; every dimension using that style updates to match. The <> in a style’s measurement template is replaced by the measured value — put text before it for a prefix, after it for a suffix.

Tolerances

Add tolerances to any dimension via its Properties — symmetric (±0.05), deviation (+0.05 / -0.02), or limits. For geometric tolerances (GD&T feature control frames), use the tolerance tools on the Annotate tab.

What’s next?

Blocks & attributes — reuse geometry with intelligence
Text & annotation — notes, labels, callouts

Next: Continue reading →

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