So can the option for a null arrowhead be added by Michael, in addition to options for e.g. a barb or dot or open arrowhead...?
Either or both arrowheads being null?

Add option to dimAngle factory for not displayiing angle numbers?

New question: The result of the dimAngle looks line a drawn archery bow, with the string being two lines. Are the two lines needed,
or can there be an option to not show the two lines?

- Brian

The drawn bow seems to be one object, some type of object. It cannot be separated? Nor portions deleted?

You can draw arrow call outs "leader" with the dimension tool and leave the text "blank"
[AFTER you draw the leader arrow and the text box appears just CLICK OK].
I used this earlier to label a tiny rebate that was less than 2mm to draw attention to the
Design detail for a fabricator..

Tip:
1. Try/consider using LEADER arrow and "abc" text separately. It seems really flexible!
You can also put more points than needed on the arrow part then later "show points"
to give even more flexibility on the arrow direction and placement.

UPDATE:
2. Create presets for different arrow types.
>> Options/Dimensions/Property Presets & "ADD"
Focus on the arrow section..and "ADD" preset.

Then when you draw leader arrows and RIGHT CLICK you can see the presets
and swap them about at a click.

I'm not sure this is it's full intended use but it's rather flexible. If you leave text
out and have extra control points shown then the 'arrow' is effectively totally separate
(and sizeable or pivotable in lots of directions). Text can be added at any time
through 'leader details' or via separate "abc" text tool.

Hi Reggy,

> - Rebuild: returns a script error
> - Array/Grid: returns a script error
> - Network: : returns a script error
> - Sweep: places copies on top of each other. Sometimes 7, sometimes 9 copies.

Hmmm, the script errors kind of look like you're missing a file.

If you right click on the app and choose "Show package contents", then go into the commands folder, there should be a file there named "WaitForDialogDone.js" . Is it missing?

Also by any chance did you happen to download it on a Windows machine and also unzipped it on a Windows machine before transferring it to the Mac? That can result in permission problems because the Mac does some special handling of .zip file decompression to maintain the original file permissions. So you need to unzip it on the Mac, not on any system.

I'd recommend to try deleting it and downloading it again, it kind of seems like your installation may be damaged somehow.

- Michael

A quick search shows that some CAD programs use "Spline Leaders," and "Arc Leaders." The arc leader in Autocad had a slightly curved arrow.

First time to play with the Dim's. They are elegant and well thought out, likely representing lots of work. There is much to learn. Changing arrows, and options, and presets, is not understood...

- Brian

So a guess would be that dimensions represent a special kind of geometric object, not subject to many of MoI's commands?

restore defaults does not seem to work for Options Dimensions, arrowhead or line lengths, etc...?

- Brian

When in the Dims section of Options, After hitting restore defaults button, does Current Section Only refer to the Dims section?
And Everything refer to all of the option setting tabs?

Hi Brian, You should find the dimensions very easy and flexible
with presets, try this from Michael, it's very slightly edited:

Go to Options > Dimensions , create some settings for a 'preset'
and then when ready at the top of the window push “Add” to add in a new dimension property preset.

You could add in one preset that you want to use for horizontal dims and set it to have text height 12,
and then an additional one for radial dims and set it to have text height 6.

Then when you are in the horizontal dimension command, go to the command options in the upper right corner of the screen
and there is a “Preset” option there where you can tell it which preset to use. Set it to the one you added for linear dimensions.

Similarly in the DimRadius command, set it to use the preset that has the properties you want for radial dimensions.

Once you have that set up you should be able to create linear dimensions or radial dimensions and they will each start out with their own different properties.

The way the storage of the presets work is the “Default” preset is stored in your moi.ini file and so it will automatically be available in any new project. The other presets after Default are stored inside a .3dm project file so you can have different ones on a per-project basis. If you want those other presets to be available when you start up a brand new file then make a .3dm file that has them set up as you want and specify that file as the startup template under Options > General > Template file. Then when you start a new project it will go grab the presets from that file.

----------------------------------------

Stefano

Hi Brian, for the reset "everything" means all sections, otherwise it will reset only the stuff in the current active section.

And yes, it doesn't do anything for the Dimensions but I will tune that up. There is another way to reset it right now, if you delete the default property preset it will remake it with default settings.

- Michael

Hi Mindset, yes for a single headed arrow you can use Dim > Leader and leave the text blank. When the dialog for text pops up just push "OK" without putting in any text:



- Michael

Hi Brian,

re:
> Add option to dimAngle factory for not displayiing angle numbers?

You can remove the text from an angular dimension by selecting it and then click the "Details..." button in the properties panel in the upper right.

Inside "Annotation properties", there is a Text: field. By default it will read "<>" , the <> part will be where the numbers will be added.

If you remove the <> and have a blank text property then there won't be any text or numbers displayed for that dimension.

You an also add in text with the <> included where you want the number, like if you put in

Text: This angle is: <>

That would result in this kind of display:



re:
> New question: The result of the dimAngle looks line a drawn archery bow, with the string being
> two lines. Are the two lines needed,or can there be an option to not show the two lines

At the moment there isn't any way to not show the extension lines. I can add in an option for that.


re:
> The drawn bow seems to be one object, some type of object. It cannot be separated? Nor portions deleted?

Correct, it's a specialized object type, there isn't currently any way to separate it out into different components. It could be possible to make it respond to Edit > Separate and convert it into some lines and arcs and a text entity but that would be sometime after v4.

- Michael

Hi Brian,

re:
> A quick search shows that some CAD programs use "Spline Leaders," and "Arc Leaders."

I would like to have an option for the leader to be a spline curve instead of a polyline but it won't be for version 4.


> The arc leader in Autocad had a slightly curved arrow.

Yes, that one seemed pretty weird.


> So a guess would be that dimensions represent a special kind of geometric
> object, not subject to many of MoI's commands?

Correct, they are a distinct "Annotation" object type. They have their own new area in the "Types" section of the scene browser. There are 5 different sub types of annotations currently: Linear dimension, Radial dimension, Angular dimension, Leader, and Text.

There are several commands that can work on them like Transforms, Delete, Copy, Paste. But not model construction stuff like Extrude, Revolve, etc...

- Michael

Thank you Michael and Stefano, for all of the useful explanations.
Editing dims with the Details button is cool.

A very short leader arrow can be added to one end of a circular arc, to simulate an arc leader. Do not know if this is OK or not.

- Brian

Hi Brian, it was great spending a few hours on the dimensions tools ( annotations).
I also created a quick way to do custom 'leaders' (which I prefer to call "callouts") and will likely demo
that and a few other things on my post #9950 later . Cheers Stefano

Hi Michael,

Thank you for responding.

> If you right click on the app and choose "Show package contents", then go into the commands folder, there should be a file there named "WaitForDialogDone.js" . Is it missing?

You're right! Everything that comes after the 'T' is gone!?!
So I will download/install it again. Thanks so much!

- Reggy

Hi Reggy, you're welcome I'm glad that was it.

Thanks,
- Michael

Hi Michael,

thank you for deep explanation, as usual.

It isn't so important readibility AI format v8 by Affinity, but it is more important that MOI generate older AI format, because most of laser cut machines use just old AI format insted of new one.

Affinity reads PDF files generated by MOI without problem.

Thanks.
Mik

"> Just so I am clear, this "Gaurd Rail" function is "NEW", Correct?

Correct."

That is a typo, right?

Hi Pauland, see here:

http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=9942.13

I think its spelt "Guard"!


- Stefano

Yes, that's why I asked the question - I haven't tried V4 yet so I wondered if there was some mis-spelling in the program.

Hi pauland, no that text is not in the program itself, that's just text in a discussion here on the forum.

- Michael

Hi Michael,

The new release is looking really good, I'm loving the new dimension tools.

Apologies if this has been covered already.

Is it possible to have the new dimension objects editable by double clicking (or even shift+click or ctrl+click) them in the viewing window. Currently the only way (that I can see) to access the edit dialog box is to select the object and then click the details button over on the right toolbar.

Thanks, Dan.