Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

[macduff]

Is there a way to set the default from "Center to Center" to "Minimum Distance"? I use this more often than the C to C measurement.

Colin Fitzpatrick (aka Macduff)
Mechanical Designer
Solidworks 2010 SP 3.1
Dell 490 XP Pro SP 2
Xeon CPU 3.00 GHz 3.00 GB of RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB
3D Connexion-SpaceExplorer

 

[ArtL]

Mac I feel that the part will be machined (holes) center to center, with the min/max dimension used as a reference dimension only. If you use the min/max dimension as an absolete dimension, you have cut down the center to center plus / minus tolerence in half,making the part harder to make and more costly.Also that also cuts down the diameter plus / minus. I havent tried, but can you set up your templates for the drawings to reflect the min / max you need?

 

[maxh3]

ArtL, he seems to be asking about the measure tool, rather than dimensioning prints. I'd like to know how to change the measuring tool to minimum distance, as well, since I seem to want to know that more often than center-center distance. Of course I still dimension parts to hole centers.

 

[macduff]

maxh3, exactly what I'm asking.

Colin Fitzpatrick (aka Macduff)
Mechanical Designer
Solidworks 2010 SP 3.1
Dell 490 XP Pro SP 2
Xeon CPU 3.00 GHz 3.00 GB of RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB
3D Connexion-SpaceExplorer

 

[handleman]

Try the Instant Measure macro at thread559-241405. It doesn't change the measure tool's function, but it does report minimum distance for arcs.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[macduff]

which file do I download?

Colin Fitzpatrick (aka Macduff)
Mechanical Designer
Solidworks 2010 SP 3.1
Dell 490 XP Pro SP 2
Xeon CPU 3.00 GHz 3.00 GB of RAM
nVida Quadro FX 3450 512 MB
3D Connexion-SpaceExplorer

 

[handleman]

Wow. Forgot how long that thread went.

Here's what I'm using now.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[maxh3]

handleman, that sounds awesome. Do you have any instructions for the installation/use of it?

 

[handleman]

Just stick that folder somewhere and go to tools-macro-run, make sure the file type is VSTA macros, and browse to wherever you put the file. Choose SmartMeasure.dll.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[maxh3]

Thanks, I got it to work. Is there any way to change the precision to 3 decimal places instead of 2?

 

[handleman]

I think the source code is there... you will have to find and edit some constant. Sorry, I don't have time to do it right now.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)