AutoCAD 2008 User's
Guide > Annotate
Drawings > Dimensions and
Tolerances > Create
Dimensions > Create Linear
Dimensions >
Overview of Creating Linear Dimensions
Linear dimensions can be horizontal, vertical, or aligned. With aligned dimensions, the dimension line is parallel to the line (imaginary or real) between the extension line origins. Baseline (or parallel) and continued (or chain) dimensions are series of consecutive dimensions that are based on a linear dimension.
In all four illustrations, the extension line origins are designated explicitly at 1 and 2, respectively. The dimension line location is specified at 3.
As you create linear dimensions, you can modify the content of the text, the angle of the text, or the angle of the dimension line.
