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Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

(OP)
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

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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?

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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.

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

(OP)
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

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

(OP)
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

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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)

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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

RE: Measure Tool - Minimum Distance

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)

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