Topic: Saving and reusing Dimension + Text Styles

[ML]

Hello,

We just recently created a bunch of Dimension + Text Styles. I am assuming that ACAD saves them someplace and that I can reuse them on other drawings and computers. I just don't know where and how they are saved and how to re use them.

Any help would be really appreciated

Thank you

Mark

[hendie]

if you have express tools, there is a dimension import/export utility.
other than that, you could insert this "styles" drawing as a wblock
or save it as a dwt and use that

[BREZI]

The easiest way would be to save the drawing you created them on as a template \ or dwg file and insert it into future drawings, this will bring the dim styles accross, you could also use design centre to drag them in as well.

[CAB]

You can create a templated drawing with your layers, dim style, text styles containing no geometry.
IF you use this as a button it will purge the block but leave the layers and the rest in the drawing.
This is one line so when you paste it into a botton make sure ther are no ^M; added by ACAD.
If your block dwg is in the ACAD path you don't need the path.
^C^C(COMMAND "INSERT" "LayerBlock=Layers-1story.DWG" "0,0" "1" "1" "0" "._erase" (entlast) "" "._purge" "B" "layerBlock" "N")


You can import the drawing with lisp <code snipit>

Code: [Select]

(command "._insert" "LayerBlock=Layers-1story.DWG" "0,0" "1" "1" "0")
(command "._erase" (entlast) "")
(command "._purge" "B" "layerBlock" "N")



You can create the needed items with lisp <code snipit>

Code: [Select]

(if (= (tblsearch "layer" "text") nil)
  (command "-layer" "m" "TEXT" "c" "red" "" "")
)
(if (= (tblsearch "style" "ROMANS") nil)
  (command "-style" "ROMANS" "romans" "0" "1" "0" "n" "n" "n")
)
(if (= (tblsearch "style" "gdt") nil)
  (command "-style" "GDT" "gdt" "0" "1" "0" "n" "n" "n")
)

[whdjr]

I think you can drag them in from the saved dwg using design center .

[ML]

Thanks guys

We  wblocked out the drawing with just the dim styles in it and it works really well

Mark

[CAB]

As I understand it the Dim Style & Test Style are save in the Drawing.
This 'Style' is a collections of settings you have chosen to use
along with a particular Font, Arrow Block and a Tick Block.
So you can have a Dim Style called foo in two drawings and they could
be different. So if you had the incorrect foo in a drawing just inserting
the block would not do because the duplicate style would be ignored.
In this case you would have to modify the existing foo style.

[ML]

Hey CAB, I do understand what you are saying. We actually took great measures to make sure we started from scatch, new draing and did all of the dim styles, then we wblocked it out. So, that base drawing will always be in tact.

I like the above idea as well, about using design center BUT that is where you can get in trouble with using past drawings that aren't to our standards or just simply different.

Thanks again

Mark

[Bob]

When I'm really really busy... I just copy and paste a good dimension to the new drawing. It brings all of the dimstyles with it.

Type d (for dimension styles) set as current style and hey presto, you're ready to roll.

I prefer the template method- but you might be on somebody elses PC which isn't set up as good as yours....


Bob

[ML]

That's why you create all of your Dim Styles in a drawing, save that drawing DimStyles.dwg for example and you can insert that drawing as a block anytime


Mark

[CADaver]

That's why you create all of your Dim Styles in a drawing, save that drawing DimStyles.dwg for example and you can insert that drawing as a block anytime

That'll work, but you often wind up with an empty "DIMSTYLE" block floating around on a bunch of drawings.  I built a DIMSET function to just set ALL the dimvars to what I wanted, then a couple of others for special cases.  A couple of clicks, and I'm all set.