Dimension Line > Ellipse Arc (Annotate Menu)

This command can be used to draw a curved dimension line that is basically an ellipse arc with two end symbols, e.g. arrowheads or points.

The center point of the ellipse can be entered with the mouse by clicking anywhere in the drawing.

The first point through which the ellipse should run is the end point of the first half axis. It can be entered with the mouse by clicking anywhere in the drawing.

The second point through which the ellipse should run is the end point of the second half axis. It can be entered with the mouse by clicking anywhere in the drawing.

The start angle of the ellipse arc can be entered with the mouse by clicking anywhere in the drawing. The position of this point relative to the center determines the start angle.

The end angle of the ellipse arc can be entered with the mouse by clicking anywhere in the drawing. The position of this point relative to the center determines the end angle.

The appearance of the ellipse arc is determined by the current arc direction setting. This is set using the command Toggle Arc Direction (F2), with the F2 key or the button in the panel. If the arc direction is positive, the ellipse arc is drawn in a mathematically positive (i.e. anti-clockwise) direction from the start angle to the end angle. If the arc direction is negative, the ellipse arc is drawn in a mathematically negative (i.e. clockwise) direction from the start angle to the end angle (see graphic).

The resulting ellipse arc is shown during entry and changes immediately if the current arc direction is changed during entry.

When choosing the Change Parameters (+ESC) command, the "Dimension Line" dialog appears where this command's parameters can be specified.

Dimension lines are not automatically assigned to the current layer. Instead, the command Layers > Defaults is used to decide whether they should be assigned to the current layer, or another specified layer. The same goes for pens, which can be assigned using the command Pens > Defaults.

The arc direction saved in the curved dimension line remains unchanged if the current arc direction is changed later. If a curved dimension line's arc direction is to be changed, use the command Transform Objects to > Invert.