Hello,
I want to make drawings for machining (milling steel) and I need measurements relative to the X and Y axis. The way machinist read their digital read out:
Is there a way?
Thank you,
Serge
Just start your drawing from the origin.
Best,
Tommy
I had the exact same question when I started with shapr3d. I asked the same question and most of the replies were from people could not wrap their head around how you operate a lathe. I had been using turboCAD which I liked a lot, but I wanted something to run on an iPad cuz that is what I had with we to look at coordinates when running the lathe. All I wanted was to to be able simply put a dot or endpoint at an exact coordinate and then connect the dots just like you would making the part. And of course that is how turboCAD etc does work. Shapr3d is more like drawing a sketch, so the workaround to not having the ability to place a line or endpoint at a specific coordinate to to draw dummy lines and define the dimensions and lengths of the lines. Make lines intersect where your coordinates would be, and than draw your real lines between those intersection points and then when you are close to done, erase the dummy lines. It’s actually not slower once you do it 10 or 20 times. It just looks cluttered until you erase the dummy lines. You can erase the dummy lines as you go, once you have some real lines in place.
Thank you, but that’s not what I need. I need the position in X-Y-coordinates of different items. Like this drawing…
Thank you for your elaborated answer!
Your method seems a bit cumbersom and that’s not exactly what I need. I need to see measurements in the form of coordinates. Look at the picture please…
I have been trying Fusion 360…. WAY too complicated! Shapr3D seems to do the job, but how does it compare to Turbocat? Seems more complicated too, but is it worth the effort for making simple drawings for machining simple mechanical parts?
Thank you for your input,
Serge
It’s my understanding that Shapr3D does not work in absolute coordinates, only relative ones.
Yeah you would draw three vertical dummy lines that are 20 tall, then 60, then 100
Then draw three horizontal lines at 20, 60, and 100, that intersect at the ends of your three dummy lines.
Then draw horizontal dummy lines lines at 20, 40, 60, 80 etc. Then put your pencil at the intersections and draw your circles. Super fast.
Then erase your dummy lines. Then erase all your lines and leave the circles.
That’s not what I need… I need to DISPLAY the coordinates on the X and Y axis. Just like in the drawing.
And what’s your comment about Turbocad please?
Thank you.
Only way i figured out how to do this was to draw the lines like Lipshurt suggests and the move the measurements to where I wanted them. You can then export to dxf format and include the measurements in the drawing. Not ideal but it’s close….
Thank you! It’s a method, but a bit cumbersome. I found another method, and cumbersome too. First draw centrelines and then put text under them. You have to enter the values manually.
Is there a way to let the development team know about this issue?
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Well… since it is only for myself, I can print the drawing and add the coordinates on paper by hand. Fast and easy.
Hi! I may get your point totally wrong, but can it be a solution to place dimensions between the walls and the center points of the holes? It is not that clean as on your hand-drawn sketches, but could do the trick
Hi Peter!
You get my point, no problem, and I figured this out too. But try this with 10 holes 
You see my problem now?
Thanks a lot,
Serge
@KPeter see a previous post please. I added plain text objects, but… a smaller font size and a method to align the text objects would be nice. Now these objects are a bit ‘dancing’ around.
Would it help if you make the text orientation for X axis vertical and place the text at the hole dimension line and for Y-axis use horzontal?
Yes!!! Good idea 