Ok, so I am going to try to explain this the best way that I know how. I hope that you guys can follow me.

A lot of the time, I have to import 3D drawings from other software, usually Inventor and Solidworks. From these drawings, I have to build a fixture for holding. I have the hardest time dimensioning these 3D drawings in bobcad because the dimension feature wants to tell me the distances in real 3D space. But, what I really need, is the 2D dimension for the current view that I am looking at.

As is many times the case, I may need to get the X and Y coordinates of a feature, but not neccessarily the Z at the moment. But when I try to dimension, it gives me a point to point distance in X, Y, and Z.

If I havent explained this well enough, let me know and I will try better.
Hope you guys can help me out.
Thanks in advance

Few things you can do.

Change your UCS so it's in the plane you need the dimension for This way the Z value won't get in the way.

The other thing you can do is extract the wire frame and project it onto a surface in the X Y. This way you'll get ride of all the z values.

If you are running a the v23 you now can dimension a point so that can be very useful as well.

Hi Allen,
Doesnt X-Ordinate or Y-Ordinate do this also? Or does it still give a 3d readout?

Ahh, thank you so much :)
I knew it was something easy that I was overlooking

those both give 3d readouts

That just has to do with the way the numbers come out on the dimension if they go along the X axis or the Y axis. Nothing to do with the Z values.



http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/damjuice/11.jpg

BobCAD is really only designed to dimension in a 2D plane.

Pin Man, Do you want to post your file?

how do you project a 3d wire frame onto a x-y surface...
you can trim a line to screen wich the z depth does not matter.
wouldnt it be easyto dimension screen so anything picked would be flat, no z depth.
it is very iritating trying to get something dimensioned especially if there z's are not much different . then you dont realize your .002 off until later when you realize something is amuck.

You use project on surface, it's found under the other menu.

I agree you should be able to dimenstion to screen and that way it' all in the XY plane. This is something that would be useful, but you can always mesaure your part regarless of them being 3D or not.

Use the verify feature the only thing is it doesn't print out those values.

I bought Omax Machiningjet 55100.
I have to make different designs in the marble and granite(Madalions). Do you any body who assist me to getting cad/cam file of different designs. see attachment.
Boby80181

You know the carve wright machine would be perfect for what you are doing.

http://www.carvewright.com/

It comes with it's own software and it cheep!

This machine is for wood

That just has to do with the way the numbers come out on the dimension if they go along the X axis or the Y axis. Nothing to do with the Z values.



http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/damjuice/11.jpg

BobCAD is really only designed to dimension in a 2D plane.

Pin Man, Do you want to post your file?


I ended up doing it the long way around, but basically I was trying to put some simple 2D dimension on this 3D model of some test equiptment that I designed. Here is the file.