Dimensioned drawings - Tell us how you need it

I generate profile drawings for woodworking tools. Has been in 2D CAD till now. Trying to use S3D now.

Most drawings are for customer approval of the profile dimensions, and also for the factory to use for the tooling drawings.

So for the customer approval basic linear, radius dimensions on a sketch plane would suffice as a .pdf or screenshot. I could export the full file in any of the available formats for the factory to use.

Future .dxf or .dwg import/export would be very useful as many of my clients are supplying .dxf/.dwg prints for door and window parts.

I just need the dimensions I can see during the sketching on the printed out paper or on the screenshot I am not able to make a screenshot with them on it

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Hi, I am doing 3D designs for 3D printing. So for not I need X,Y &Z dimensions that I can edit easily. Just look a UMake IOS app for what I am looking for. Currently I have a design done except for changing the dimensions to fit my project. I know that I probably should have dimensioned the 2D drawings first but that’s not how I work. I tried using the black dimension number at the bottom but I can’t figure out how to use them. I don’t see any way to change the dimensions using these numbers. It seems that some parts of my design I can change and other parts I can’t change. I think I have to select a plan in order to adjust the dimensions, I Think. In UMake you can change the dimensions in 3D space, pretty darn easy to perform.

John

image

For woodworking applications, the best implementation would be something that mimics the CutList plugin for Sketchup.

Basically take each body and output it’s dimensions in an ordinal sort of list that describes its LxWxH dimension.

It would also be nice to be able to output not rectangle geometric shapes as their 2d sketch profile to be used as a pattern for cutting complex edges ie on the bandsaw or scroll saw.

Thanks. When/if some feature like this is implemented, I will subscribe. Insufficient use case for me until then.

3 Likes

It is a fact that Shapr3D produces superb 3D Designs in a manner that the great majority of users find to be intuitive and absolutely delightful to use.
Any User not falling into the above category possibly needs to review appropriate educational features that are abundantly available via the App or Shapr3D.com.

After a Design is created it is often taken to a stage that will turn it into a Physical Product.
Seldom is the latter going to come to fruition without a means to communicate specific detail regarding Fabrication.

A picture [read:- a very nice S3D presentation] may be worth the touted ‘thousand words’ but it will be very difficult to put into words the detailed Dimensions involved.

Users of S3D have wide ranging needs and the software accommodates a very wide spectrum.
So the Dimensioning System needs to be flexible enough to provide satisfactory output for a vast range of uses.

I am a newbie to S3D so it is likely that some things have been overlooked or not fully understood.
My goal is to produce 3D images, and that is an absolute joy with S3D, that can be dimensioned sufficiently for fabrication in the workshop. A Design that can include Dimensions and Annotations would be a full bells, whistles and cloud 7 production.

The existing Dimension Indicators are absolutely excellent for the purpose of producing Sketches of accurate Bodies, however the image below is the result of a macOS ScreenShot Exported to PDF:

Dimensions 6.pdf (394.4 KB)

It is possible, with caveats, to produce detailed fully dimensioned Sketches on one or more Planes within the Apps. However it seems that these Dimensions remain in the App and only available within those particular Sketches? Capture with the Shapr3D ‘Take Screenshot’ removes the Dimensions before capturing the image, as does any attempt to create a Body or similar actions. It does not seem possible to display the Dimensions of two Sketches [on different Planes] at the same time. The Objective in attempting to do this was to effectively show a Plan and Elevation at the same time.

It is possible to produce a full set of elevations to convey the full details but of this should not the objective when such accurate information already exists within Shapr3D. Hopefully possibilities exist to use the presently available Dimension Information?

There is a need for Dimensions to be printable enabling essential communications, both examples below were created in SU:

Dimension 1.pdf (153.1 KB)

Note that the above, and that below, have been deliberately modified to show the Dimensioning possibilities available in some Apps. The ability to alter the Text within any specific Dimension, e.g., Placing Dimensions ‘outside ✿’ the Dimension Line when space is too tight, Omitting Units, Decimal places where values permit, Enlarging and Emboldening if deemed necessary or useful, etc.
IMO the above is easier to read because it is far less ‘busy’ compared with the first Sketch.
✿ Some Apps utilise a Callout where the Dimension Line has a connected Line that in turn points to the Dimension Detail usually in the closest available space.
When a Design contains only whole units dispensing with the Decimal Places and Units makes the job of Dimensioning easier, the ‘lack of Units’ can be covered by an on drawing note to the effect that ‘All Dimensions are Millimetres’ or appropriate units of course.
The key factor for consideration should be User Flexibility to enable clear dimensioning in limited space. Many individuals, even companies, do not have the luxury of late format printers or with the produce PDFs that require endless scrolling to view all of the essential information.
My aim is to work from a detailed Design direct from a Tablet.

Users working with larger projects also need to be considered:

Dimensions 2.pdf (212.0 KB)

It is appreciated that the constraints of Development time will dictate what can be done within a reasonable time frame. Ideally Dimensions should graduate toward featuring:

  1. Visible or Invisible by a software Switch

  2. Be capable of being applied to 2D Sketches and to 3D Designs

  3. Positioning Dimensions relative to the Dimension Line need to be User selectable

  4. Font Size/Styles and Indicator Styles [Arrow Heads and Line Ends] need to be User selectable

  5. If possible Actual Dimensions should reflect changes in the Scale of the Drawing and adjust when the Drawing size is changed

  6. Colour can be useful in some Dimensioning situations

To meet my needs investigations into Overlay Apps is underway. The object being to add Dimensions over an existing Design by drawing on a Transparent Layer provided by an Overlay App.
If a Dimensioning App, that will expedite the inserting of automatically inserting Dimension Lines between chosen points, exists I would be happy typing in the measurements. Affinity have made this easier with the advent of Arrow Heads and a good range of other Line Endings but it is still a lot of work.

IMHO some form of printable Dimensions should be high priority, unless iPadOS has some, at present, hidden features waiting to surprise us.

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I held off posting the following hoping I would discover solutions for myself, no such luck.

This is the result of my attempts to Dimension this Design example being used only to investigate Dimensioning possibilities.

The Top Plane has Dimensions but unlike the Front Plane they are difficult to select.
I believe similar MO are being used in each selection but all that is on offer on the Top Plane is the Icon for creating Fillets and Chamfers.
In an earlier iteration of this Design the ‘building’ outline was dimensioned similar to that shown in my Post above. These Dimensions popped up regularly and so I deleted the Floor Plane and attempted to improve their visibility by moving to the Top Plane.

Unsure of whether it is acceptable to Upload the Shapr3D File here I am sending it direct to Support.
Hopefully Support will be able to inform how to resolve this problem?
My message to Support being - Feel free to add the Shapr3d File here if it will help other Users.

This is the macOS ScreenShot:

Dimensioning Test 2.pdf (415.0 KB)

Thanks for all your ideas and input. Dimensions in the ways you described are not supported yet, but we will make our best to support it in some ways as soon as possible. :honeybee:

However with the coming dxf/dwg export the coming weeks, all the locked Shapr3D annotations will be included in the file and can be viewed/printed with any dwg/dxf reader on the iPad.

You can subscribe for a beta here: Upcoming DXF import / export feature - looking for use cases

Would need to be similar to other desktop style exports with ability for notes.

A hole wizard (Machined threads) and dimension drawings would capture about 50% of the general machinist to leave their common desktop software!!! you guys are so close!

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We are on it :wink:

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As for threads… even a threaded call out feature would be fine.
take my money! :slight_smile:

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Hi !
I’m a woodworker making furnitures and I would love to have a feature that allow me to export a kind of 3D-view .pdf (or .jpeg) to have a clear view of each pieces with their dimension. With that I can just print out my sketch and work on each piece separately in my Workshop. I think it does fit with the feature mentioned here. I would like to ask how the development is going on on your side and if you have any release planed soon?

Thanks in advance.

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Yes yes yes please please please have a function to hid or show dimensions. I am using Shapr3d to make mobile home models for construction.

I can’t understand why some dimensions show and others don’t.

1 Like

Hi Kaj - dimensions will show if you have them locked. Tap on the lock button on the NumPad to lock it.

Okay awesome thank you. I appreciate that!

Love Shapr3d.

Hello Peter

There are ample examples already within this thread, it is uncertain what has brought it to prominence again? [Edit: I now see, from the previous two Posts, how this Thread surfaced again]

Dimensions should enable ALL S3D Designs [2D and 3D] to have the ability to deploy this feature.
It is a really important requirement for all types of Drawings.

Post 16 above is my personal take on this subject

Seemingly it needs a simple straight forward solution enabling the User to enter:

  1. Dimensions by first clicking on a Start Point and then on a Finish Point.

  2. Auto calculate the distance and display the result in the most convenient manner.

  3. The Units in Use should be the Units Displayed.

  4. I would be helpful, considering there importance of this information, for the Dimension and Units to be Emboldened in a Font similar to Ariel [could be Ariel Black to give the desired Bold effect?]

  5. It would also be useful in many instances to omit the Units and restrict dimensions to Whole Units where lack of space becomes a problem.

  6. To avoid Screen Clutter the Dimension Settings could be banished to the separate Settings Page? By rearranging the pages the First page opening from the Gearwheel Icon could contain Links to:

Account

Preferences

Notifications

Dimensions

About

This will offer easy access without sidelining anything, additionally to ‘slim’ down On Screen Information Units could be added to the above list?

  1. The last urgent requirement is to enable an ability for users to Type in Annotations, this feature could also join the above list.

This type of arrangement will satisfy the greater majority of Users while enabling all forms of Dimensioning to be achieved.

  1. Suggestions regarding Call Outs, Dimension Modifications Dimension Line Endings, e.t.c, can
    follow when Development time permits.

  2. Last but by no means least all the above NEED to be captured for use via the S3D Image Capture System and via standard ScreenShot Captures.

A Poll of Dimension Requirements would not seem appropriate but obviously If S3D need this information it is within their power to obtain what the majority of Users need from Dimensioning and Annotations.

I have read every thread on this subject. I have watched and reviewed everything tool tutorial on your learning options.

I tried your suggestion of locking and unlocking the dimensions to show or hide the dimension box.

It is still inconsistent. It’s important for me to lock lines inplace so the drawing doesn’t move. Then going back and creating a line over segment of the drawing to create a needed dimension doesn’t work because the lin either disappears or the dimension box disappears if I draw somewhere else.

I would like a option to click on that shows hide or show dimension, or mabye a ruler line that is specifically designed just to show relevant dimensions.
If there is something I am missing I would love a link to learn how to work the dimensions.

Thank you for your help with this.

Can you please give me a visual example for me on what you would like to do see, and I’ll be happy to recreate it for you.

I tried locking and unlocking; but when I go out and come back, the dimension box is gone. I understand that when the line locks the dimension box goes; but for building it’s important to lock lines so when lines are added the previous line doesn’t move.

Thanks for your hard work I appreciate it.

Oh, I see - thanks for the explanation.

Locked dimensions show up until you draw on the same plane. Once you change planes, they will disappear.

Understand the use case now though, thanks for the explanation.