Break Lines...

I've got a issue with "break lines" on dimensions that have bothered me on
and off for a long while and I figured I finally would break down and ask.
Are they just quirky with when they decide to break or is it just me? I'm
on SWx 2007, but have had this happen on previous releases. I'll have 20
dimensions that are inserted on a drawing, lets say. I adjust all dims to
final location, make sure they've got tolerances, move and adjust some more,
etc. The last thing I do is go through individually and turn on certain
dimensions break lines, for whether I want the vertical dimensions to break
the horizontal or visa-versa. I'll get through 95% of the dims I want with
break lines and then I'll get a "stubborn" dim that just doesn't want to
cooperate. If I give up on it, it looks like I forgot to do one when you
view the print. My standard is that when this happens, I'll just turn off
all break lines so that at least the drawing is consistent.

Does anyone else have an idea on what causes this? All dimensions were
created at the same time, and have identical settings that I can tell. I've
tried yelling at it to try to tell the dim to get with the program, but this
seems to have no effect other than to get strange looks from other
coworkers. Was going to try kicking the PC next in a effort to wake it up,
but figured I'd ask here first.

IYM

PS: Forgive me for not googling to see if this has been discussed before,
but as internet usage is monitored here, I try to stay off and stick to the
NNTP news port in my reader as it's not looked at.

 

I have seen them not break properly if the item they cross isn't an actual
dimension witness line. Could that be your issue as well?

WT

 

Wayne,

No - I'm aware that (for whatever reason) that certain items, (such as
notes/annotations) are "immune" to the breaking features. These are your
standard dimensions. I create a drawing view, bring in the dimensions and
move them around and you get one or two that are a PITA. It does not seem
to matter whether any of the dims are reference not, you seem to get the
same random result. Obviously, the more dimensions you have on the print,
the more chances of it happening are. If you create simple parts with 3 to
10 dims, you may not ever have an issue. My current print is a fairly
simple turning blank print and has 50 dims on it and I have 2 "bad" dims
that I want to smack around for mis-behaving.

Now after thinking about it last night, it seems to be random - however -
I'm wondering if this can be an anomaly based on how the model was created.
What I mean is that on a few previous releases, there was an issue of
dimensions on your print "disappearing" if you had edited a revolved feature
model. If you made a change to the sketch in a revolved feature, then
exited the sketch, saved and returned to the drawing, dimensions imported
from that sketch would seemingly disappear. The correction quirk was to go
back to the part, edit the sketch again and exit the sketch not by closing
out normally, but by clicking rebuild. Do that and return to the print and
presto - your dims were back. I mention this because as a lot of my prints
with issues have revolved features (as in turnings) instead of building them
out of circular stacked extrusions and cuts. Perhaps this might be another
issue regarding dims and revolved features. Just a thought....Guess I could
try doing models out of stacked extrusions, but I'd hate to do that. A lot
more work, more features and more difficulty in editing in a later
assembly...

Anyway, just a stab in the dark...

Thanks for the insight, though...

IYM

 

I only recently saw the break lines option, thru reading the SW Bible
and I thought this was really neat. For finicky prints I do the break
manually - PITA. However, the option hasn't worked on any of the
drawings I've made, either with inserted dimensions or dimensions
created in the drawing. I'm running 2007 sp2.2.

I've checked the options settings, tried dragging the dims around a
bit, rebuilt multiple times and tried using the break option on one,
then the other, then both dimensions. Nothing works yet. There also
doesn't seem to be much in the help files

Any suggestions?

Diego

 

lacking. I've put in one ER for break lines already, by may need many
more before they fix their functionality.

Matt Lorono
http://sw.fcsuper.com

 

The only thing I can add, is that you have to be careful when using the
break line feature. If you simply
create the drawing and dims, then window to select all dims and turn the
break line feature on, it will probably give you the result you
have....Nothing.
Similar to adding fillets on a part model, using the break line feature has
to be done a particular way to get the result you want. Generally, it's one
of the last things I do upon completing a drawing. After all dims are in,
I'll start selecting one dim at a time (or a series - i.e., all horizontal
dims that I know I want to break) and turn the feature on. It also is
tricky in that it'll break lines based on the order you activate the
feature. (I'll use the term "jump" as it's easier to think out and type
"break line"..besides, that's what we used to call it when you drew by hand
and instead of leaving a gap, you drew the extension line actually jumping
the other extension line.)
Anyway, for example, on a left side of a view, lets say you have three
horizontal
dims, and a radii as well as a chamfer dim that cross all three horizontal
extension lines. If
you turn on the break line feature of only one of the horizontals, that
single horizontal will jump the
radii and chamfer. If you then turn on the break line of the radii, it'll
jump the
extension lines of the two remaining horizontals. Now say after that, you
turn on
the break lines of one of the remaining horizontal dims and because the
radii break feature was activated before, the horizontal's extension line
will remain solid and jumped by the radii, but will then jump the chamfer.
The result will be a bunch of inconsistent breaks and probably not what you
had intended. In order to fix it, you have to deactivate and activate the
break lines in the order you want.

Kind of a PITA but once you get the hang of doing it, it'll come second
nature and you can usually read ahead to get it done in the right order the
first time...

Sorry, but this is the best way I can describe the Break Line feature....

Good Luck!

IYM