Setting up Architectural Dimension Styles in AutoCAD for Arch Drafting I

For more information on WHY there are scale factors and HOW these numbers are calculated, see references such as:
http://archtoolbox.com/representation/cad/19-scalefactor.html (If you are curious and have time)
The following tutorial will walk you through setting up text and dimension styles for 1/4= 10 Scale.
First read the Lecture Notes page called Scale Factor Table for Text
Architectural Scale Factors
(1/10" Text)

` Scale Scale Factor
Text Size
Inches
1/16" = 1' - 0" 192 19.2
1/8" = 1' - 0" 96 9.6
3/16 = 1 - 0 64 6.4
1/4" = 1' - 0" 48 4.8
3/8" = 1' - 0" 32 3.2
1/2" = 1' - 0" 24 2.4
3/4" = 1' - 0" 16 1.6
1" = 1' - 0" 12 1.2
1 1/2" = 1' - 0" 8 0.8
3" = 1' - 0" 4 0.4
TYPE IN THE WORD STYLE or find the Text Style editor on your menu/ribbon. First set up your text style for
1/4= 10 Scale. Create a NEW text style named Text48. Choose the appropriate text height from the table
ABOVE i.e. 4.8 for this scale.
In Draft 224: Use Stylus BT as your font and set the text height to 4.8.
In Draft 225: follow assignment instructions as to what font. Note: When you enter 4.8 for the height of your
text AutoCAD converts the text height to a fraction and displays 0-4 13/16 because you have your UNITS set to
Architectural Inches with a precision equal to 1/16.

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NEXT CREATE THE DIMENSION STYLE.
Type in DIMSTYLE or find Dimension Style on your Ribbon. Set up a new dimension style named Dim48. Set
up the dimension style using the following parameters.
NOTE, IF YOU ARE SETTING UP A STYLE FOR ANOTHER SCALE RATHER THAN DIM48, YOU WOULD DO AS
FOLLOWS: Look at the Scale Factor Chart above; for a viewport scale of 1/2" =1-0, you would create a Text
Style Text24 with a height of 2.4 inches and then a Dimstyle Dim_24 in which you substitute 2.4 everywhere you
put in 4.8 on the Dim48 style.
So, here below are settings for the DIM48 Style
GO THROUGH ALL CATEGORIES ON ALL THE NEXT FEW SCREENS.
CHECK EVERY SINGLE CHECK BOX, DROP DOWN MENU, ETC.

CONTINUED, THERE ARE SEVERAL MORE TABS!
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CONTINUED!
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CONTINUED!
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Dont change anything on Alternate Units or Tolerances.
But I do want you also to change an item on the FIT TAB
Find the option under WHEN TEXT IS NOT IN DEFAULT POSITION, PLACE IT. .
Check the Over dimension line, with Leader. Option. This lets you adjust the text position when a dimension
is so short that the numbers cant fit between the arrows. (If you dont do this for the whole style its also okay
to just change it in Properties for an individual dimension object)
Dont change the scale on the fit tab and dont check Annotative.
IF YOU ARE CURIOUS: Annotative is an option in which the sizes of everything self adjusts to the viewport scale.
Sounds easy, but it has other quirks that make it not ideal to teach at beginning drafting. Learning this
traditional method above helps you understand how annotative scale works so that when you do decide to
learn to use that, it is more understandable.
END OF THIS DOCUMENT