Measurement Properties

You can set measurement properties in the Properties pane.

Note: Not all properties apply to all actors.

Related Topics
Measurement Toolbar
Category Property / Description
N/A
Name

Specifies the actor name. This name appears in the Collaboration or Assembly tree and is the default tooltip text.
Tooltip

Specifies the tooltip text that appears when you hover over the actor. The default is the actor name, but you can select a different property or meta-property, or type a text string. To type text, which itself can contain properties, select String and use the Tooltip string property.

Note: By default, labels attached to an actor display the actor's tooltip text. To change this behavior, modify the label's Text property.

Opacity

Specifies the opacity, from 0 (transparent) to 255 (solid).

Stay on top

Makes the collaborative actor visible even when a geometry actor covers it.

Auto show

Displays hidden annotation and measurement actors temporarily when you move the mouse pointer over the associated geometry actor. The annotation or measurement disappears when you hover over a different actor.

Note: The Collaboration tree does not reflect this temporary change of visibility.
Show red lines

(Available for radius and diameter measurements only.) Shows the measurement construction circle.

Show construction line

(Not available when Show red lines is cleared.) Shows construction lines.
Auto alignment

Specifies positions for collaborative actors with respect to their associated geometry actors: Perimetric, Circle, Rectangle, Bottom, Bottom and left, Bottom and right, Bottom and top, Top, Top and left, Top and right, Left, Left and right, Right, Free 2D, Free 3D.

Notes:

  • To align collaborative actors using magnetic lines, Auto alignment must be Free 2D or Free 3D. When dragged onto a magnetic line, an actor's Auto alignment is set to Free 2D automatically.
  • To ensure that cutting planes are applied to annotations, you must set Auto alignment to either Free 2D or to Free 3D.

Value (Diameter, Length, etc.)

Specifies the measurement value. Changing the value changes the measurement construction lines.

Tip: To change the value displayed by the measurement actor without changing the actual measurement, clear the Measurement/GD&T > Display value property and specify a pre, middle, or post string.
Complementary

Flips the arc direction.
Value (Diameter, Length, etc.)

Specifies the measurement value. Changing the value changes the measurement construction lines.

Tip: To change the value displayed by the measurement actor without changing the actual measurement, clear the Measurement/GD&T > Display value property and specify a pre, middle, or post string.
Display name
Displays the coordinate system name on the icon.
Display axes labels
Displays axes labels on the icon.
Size
Specifies the size of the coordinate system icon.
Geometrical tolerance
Pre symbol, Middle symbol, Post symbol

Specifies the pre-, middle-, or post-position GD&T symbol.
Pre string, Middle string, Post string

Specifies the pre-, middle-, or post-position string.

Text
Color

Specifies the text color.
Font

Specifies the font family, style, and size of actor text. The default font family is your machine's default font or Arial depending on Use default GUI font for text (Application Preferences - Viewport). The default size is specified by Font size ([Default] Document Properties - Paper Space).

Notes:

  • Font (size) and Size properties are linked.
  • When a font is not available in a vector image format, it is replaced by a default font. If the vector output is not acceptable, use a different font in Composer.
Size

Specifies the text size, in points. The default size is specified by Font size (in [Default] Document Properties - Paper Space).

Notes:

  • Font (size) and Size properties are linked.
  • Because Size is stored as pixels in Composer files, changing your screen resolution (DPI) changes rendered text sizes.
Size in paper space

Defines the font size in the paper space. When you resize the viewport or zoom the paper space, the text scales accordingly. To define text size as fixed in the viewport, clear this property.

Note: You can specify the default value using AnnotationRelativeComposer (for Composer) or AnnotationRelativePlayer (for Composer Player) on the Application Preferences - Advanced Settings page.

Attach
Type

Specifies the attachment line style. You can position the attach line by dragging the anchor at either endpoint.

Shape
Shape

Specifies the annotation shape.
Color

Specifies the shape background color.
Opacity

Specifies the shape background opacity.
Line
Show

Displays a background border.

Width

Specifies the line width, in millimeters.
Opacity

Specifies the actor opacity (between 0 and 255).
Color

Specifies the line color.
Type

Specifies the line style.
Border
Show

Displays the border.
Width

Specifies the border line width, in millimeters.
Opacity

Specifies the border opacity (between 0 and 255).
Color

Specifies the border color.
Event
Link

Defines the action performed when a user clicks an actor or hotspot in the viewport or in vector image output.

To create an event link:

  1. Click in the Link field and then click [...].
  2. In the Select a Link dialog box, select a link type in the URL field, specify an appropriate target for that type, and then click OK.

    See Select a Link.

  3. To test the event in the viewport, disable Design Mode (status bar) and then click the actor or hotspot.