Expert: Bill DeShawn - 10/3/2007

Question
QUESTION: What is causing the grips of leaders to change when I import a drawing?
I am importing a venders drawing (I don't know what release it was created in) into model space of our border drawing (AutoCAD Mechanical 2005).  In model space the imported drawing looks fine, but in paper space most of the leader hook locations have changed such that the leader lines are going off into space and are not connected to the balloons they had been drawn to.
The problem seems to be related to the DIMSTYLE of the leader (which LIST shows is STANDARD).  Updating the leaders in the original drawing causes the same "offset" of the leader hooks.  (I said "offset" because each leader is offset by a different amount.)

ANSWER: Hopefully you haven't started working very much in the drawing.  You need to erase the block and then purge it.  Then go into the vendor's drawing and rename the DIMSTYLE to something like Vendorstyle or Mark.  Reinsert the drawing.  The problem is that Standard is already a style in your drawing and when you import their drawing, the dimensions that come with it (when you explode it, probably) are trying to obey the DIMVARS in YOUR drawing that are associated with YOUR Standard DIMSTYLE.  
So, do what I said and let me know how it goes.

Keep in touch
Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The problem is that I don't know which DIMVAR is being changed.  If I list the leaders in the original vendor drawing, it shows their DIMSTYLE as being STANDARD; but if I update them without changing anything, the leaders are offset.  The only variable that is difference I see between leaders that have the problem and leaders that don't is the "hook line" being either on or off, but I don't know where to change this variable to see if that is the difference.

Mark
mmazanec@alliedtube.com

Answer
There are a couple of DimVars that can change how leaders and other dimensions react when you explode a block.  

For now, there are a couple of DIMVARS to hit the leaders with: DIMSCALE & DIMGAP.

If the overall scale of the leader looks OK, with the arrowhead the same size as the other ones in your drawing, then DIMSCALE is not the one.  That leaves just DIMGAP.
Now, if the vendor has edited the leaders position by using the grips on the leader, you will not be able to restore the position of the leader to "HOME" position with the "HOME" or "HOMETEXT" subcommand of "DIM".  If that is the case, you will be stuck editing the leader yourself with the grips of the leader.  PICKFIRST will need to be set to 1, & GRIPS set to 1 to do that.  I recommend not redefining your DIMENSION style with the new values in the DIMVARS as that will affect the other dimensions in your drawing under the Standard dimension style name.  Instead, just update the new leaders manually so that just they get changed.  When using the UPDATE command (DIM; UPDATE) be sure to pick the leader and not the associated MTEXT.

    But next time, to avoid a lot of pain and suffering, rename the dimension style before inserting it.  It's really not necessarily a prudent thing to have just one dimension style name.  

Let me know how it goes
Keep in touch
Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn