Unable to use the radial dimension tool on cylinders in plan view

[ChrisW]

So I create a 3D cylinder by creating a circle and extruding it. Then I create a viewport, go into annotations and attempt to dimension the radius. VW will not let me use the radial dimension tool on the projected circle. It works fine in a 2D setting, but not in 3D. Is there any way around this besides redrawing the circle in a 2D view?

Thanks,

[Kool Aid]

You are asking a lot?

The cylinder is not necessarily an upright citizen of the 3D-world. You might not want plan dimensions ? which, should the cylinder be rotated in 3D be dimensions of an ellipse ? but the dimensions of the circle that formed the ellipse.

Maybe an inference mechanism is possible, but should you decide to put your cylinder in rake, what would you expect the dimensions to do?

Don't get me wrong: if you are able to articulate how (arbitrary) 3D-objects should be dimensionable, I believe NNA is all ears!

Meanwhile, you can enter the extrusion and copy the circle, then paste it in place (hmm...) and dimension it.

[ChrisW]

This problem also occurs when using the radial dimension tool on a fillet edge.

To answer your question, I'm a designer and many times I'll create my objects in 3D. Then I'll use viewports to set the orthographic views in the sheet layer. From the sheet layer, I dimension these views for fabrication purposes. Examples include, dimensioning chair posts, artifact cases with fillet edges, columns, etc. It just seems very cumbersome to have to redraw a circle, use the radial dimension tool, ungroup, then delete the circle every time I dimension an object in a sheet layer. It would be nice to be able to pull a radial dimension from these orthographic (plan, elevation, section) views without having to redraw the objects.

[Kool Aid]

Yes, I know what you mean, but my comment was related to something like this:

(Image replaced with a more telling one.) (And now fixed?)

Edited January 14, 2010 by Kool Aid

[bcd]

I'm surprised that it's not even possible to use the radial dimension on the 2d component of a hybrid object. If it was a circle going in it's still a circle in Top Plan view.

I'm sure it's possible to VW to 'know' when a cylinder is being viewed orthogonally - and to allow the invocation of the radial dimension tool in this instance. I mean, really.

Otherwise I agree.

[Kool Aid]

VW of course knows when a cylinder (or anything 3D: all extrusions are created the same way, so VW does not know if one is a cylinder) is rotated and if, whether in 90? angles. However, behaviour based on viewing angle & projection sounds somewhat difficult to implement in a sensible, easy and error-free way. What happens to VP dimensions if the view is changed?

(Actually some peculiarities of 3D-objects and their editing are caused by the mentioned ?knowing?: the object's actual geometry is stored in the original location and it is shown using a transformation matrix ? or whatever it is called ? which calculates the current position and rotation.)

I'm not against the suggestion, on the contrary, but there are certain complexities.

[ChrisW]

In your "Front View," I would like to be able to pull a dimension off of that circle at the top. When not viewed orthographically, as in the tilted cylinders, I would find other ways to dimension them, probably via notes or specific details where I would be able to dimension it appropriately. The end user is the fabricator who will get a hard copy or a PDF of the drawing. They, and I would really find it useful to be able to put a radial dimension on something like this:

[bcd]

VW What happens to VP dimensions if the view is changed?

The dimension object would move in 3d space just as the Layer Plane 2d objects do now. (except the text would be legible)

VW would also have to resolve 2 global angles - sounds feasible, no?

[GWS]

Solidworks and Inventor seem to be able to do it!!!!