If you option is just temporary, you can choose (before you start a new Sketch) to cancel Auto Dimensionning.
Follow the steps bellow:
Task → Sketch Style → Continuos Auto Dimensioning).
Question has been answered, so let me rant a bit. Instead of putting effort in features like this why not change other things first? As a pretty obvious example, instead of having a zillion toolbars, what about a single toolbar that I can drag buttons to and delete them from. Where can I get those buttons? From a small errow at the end of the toolbar? No. From a ribbon, in which each tab represents either curves, view, featues and so on. Now, the first thing after an NX upgrade would be dragging the sketch and extrusion buttons to my toolbar. Of course, when I click sketch, the sketch ribbon tab becomes active. I would be ready to start in 3 seconds. I honestly can't imagine a customer who would ask for something like autodimensioning. It makes things look easy that really aren't and in fact makes things more difficult to use.
Wow, you guys really need to give auto dimensioning a chance. I've been in CAD for 22 years as an engineer, a trainer, and as a heavy user. I used to hate auto-dimensioning in I-DEAS but the auto-dimensioning in NX 7.5 is great. I like that the sketch is always fully constrained although not automagically the way I want my constraints to be on the sketch. However, many of the dimensions are what I want. I don't care about the other dimensions because as I add my own dimensions, the reference dimensions that NX created just dissapear. It's like the best of both worlds; always fully contrained AND easy for me to add the dimensions that I want. I can only recommend that you give up old-school methods and give this auto-dimensioning a chance. Hmm, maybe you might learn something new and possibly become more efficient. (This message was not paid for or endorsed by Siemens)
Personnaly, I always start a sketch with functionnal dimensionning in mind. And that's one think the computer will never get before long.
Hence my question how to get rid of dimensions that have no meaning design wise.
The product comes 1rst, UG is just a tool.
Have you ever tried using the 'Full Screen' mode when running NX? Aand I assume that you are aware that you can, using the customize tools and then saving your efforts as a Role, customize the content of ANY toolbar or menu pull-down to include whatever you wish in terms of icons and functions.
For the record, last week I was giving a presentation at a regional users meeting and several people commented that their initial feelings about Auto-Dimensioning were similar to yours but they also admitted that after awhile they started to appreciate how it works and how it no longer feels like it's slowing them down. In fact, they now like the idea that they are being shown that any sketch can be be constrained and that even if they ultimately decide to create their own dimensions or use geometric constraints instead, that having the system suggestions does provide a benefit. It was also interesting since several of the people in attendance were former I-deas users where apparently they also had a form of auto-dimensioning (which I understand could NOT be disabled) and that their first reaction was that "here we go again" but that after seeing how adding new constraints and/or dimensions automatically removes the now unneeded auto-dimensions that they suddenly appreciated the approach that has been taken with NX.
But be that as it may, as you have already learned, Auto-Dimensioning can be disabled, either temporarily or more permanently, your choice.
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Actually, in I-DEAS, the auto-dimensioning could be easily turned off. Virtually no one uses it in I-DEAS. Never gives you what you really want. Auto-dimensioning in NX, pretty cool and useful and yes, I too at first was not happy with it but I soon converted.
>Hmm, maybe you might learn something new and possibly become more efficient
I don't get how efficiency can be measured that whay. If the amount of auto dimensions gets doubled, does that mean I'm twice as efficient? They don't mean anything. They don't constrain my sketch. The only thing they do is to block my curves from being selected.
>I assume that you are aware that you can, using the customize tools and then saving your efforts as a Role
Not wanting to be rude, but yes I'm aware of that and no I never invest the time to do that. In fact, I've done it before and when you need them they are gone or they don't work or whatever. The whole point is that things can be made really great, but no software engineer is ever willing to change that because they think it is no problem, they don't see the problem and they don't care about user experience. And the engineers who use the tool don't care either. The whole NX system can be down for two hours and nobody says a thing. They just keep staring at their screens. Still, I hope I'm not rude by saying that.
