How to Use Annotative Dimensions in BricsCAD

Quick answer: Dimensions created with an annotative dimension style get the annotative property and current annotation scale assigned automatically, the same pattern used for annotative text. Dimensions created with a non-annotative style need to be made annotative manually.

DIMSCALE and Annotative Dimension Styles

The Dim Scale Overall setting (DIMSCALE) isn’t editable for annotative dimension styles, and gets ignored entirely for annotative dimensions. Octave’s documentation recommends setting Dim Scale Overall to 1 for annotative dimension styles specifically.

Making a Dimension Entity Annotative

1. Select the dimension entity; its properties appear in the Properties panel.
2. Select the Annotative property.
3. Choose Yes to make the dimension annotative, applying the current annotation scale to it.

Worth flagging clearly here: the source’s own procedure for this exact task, titled “To make a dimension entity annotative,” instructs choosing “No” in step 3, and describes the result as the dimension scaling according to DIMSCALE. That’s internally inconsistent with the note directly above it, which states DIMSCALE is specifically ignored for annotative dimensions, meaning DIMSCALE-based scaling describes the non-annotative case, not the annotative one the section is titled for. Choosing Yes is the option that actually matches both the section’s stated purpose and the rest of the page’s own explanation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit Dim Scale Overall for an annotative dimension style? No, it isn’t editable for annotative dimension styles, and gets ignored for annotative dimensions regardless of its value.

What value should Dim Scale Overall be set to for an annotative dimension style? 1, per Octave’s own recommendation, since the setting doesn’t apply to annotative dimensions anyway.

Does every dimension automatically become annotative? Only if it’s created using an annotative dimension style. Dimensions created with a non-annotative style need to be made annotative manually afterward.

Why does the source’s own procedure seem to contradict its own note about DIMSCALE? It appears to be an inconsistency in Octave’s documentation: the procedure is titled for making a dimension annotative but instructs choosing “No,” while its described result (DIMSCALE-based scaling) matches what the page’s own note says happens specifically when a dimension is not annotative.