Dimension feature geometry

Dimension features draw and symbolize themselves based on their assigned style and are also able to regulate the modification of their geometry. By using the editing tools in ArcMap that you use to modify the geometry of other types of features, you can modify a dimension feature's geometry while maintaining the correct configuration of points for a valid dimension feature. When you are modifying a dimension feature, there are a series of vertices you can pick up and move with the Edit tool to alter the dimension feature's geometry. You cannot add vertices or delete any of the existing vertices. The following diagram illustrates what aspect of a dimension feature is modified when one of these vertices is moved:

Modified dimension feature

You can move a dimension feature's text away from its dimension line. The way the text is shown is dependent on the style chosen for the dimension feature. Some styles have line decoration including a leader line. For these styles, if you move the dimension feature's text far enough from the dimension line that it surpasses the leader line tolerance, that leader line will automatically be displayed.

Dimension leader line

The extension line angle and the other properties of a dimension feature's geometry can be modified by altering the values of some of its fields. The following is a list of the fields you can modify for a dimension feature and how they correspond to its geometry:

Field

Property

BEGINX

X-coordinate of the start dimension point

BEGINY

Y-coordinate of the start dimension point

ENDX

X-coordinate of the end dimension point

ENDY

Y-coordinate of the end dimension point

DIMX

X-coordinate of the dimension line height

DIMY

Y-coordinate of the dimension line height

TEXTX

X-coordinate of the text point (null if the text has not been moved relative to the dimension feature)

TEXTY

Y-coordinate of the text point (null if the text has not been moved relative to the dimension feature)

EXTANGLE

Extension line angle

Modifiable fields of a dimension feature, related to its geometry

Related Topics


5/6/2011