Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
(OP)
I have been drafting for 25 years and have never had this question come up on any of my drawings until now. I have been told that if I use ordinate dimensions anywhere on a sheet, all dimensions need to be ordinate. I have a large part and used ordinate dimensions for 95% of the dims, but I used standard dimensions with tighter tolerances for a couple of features. I have been told that this is bad practice and that if I use ordinate dimensions, they all must be ordinate. Has anyone ever heard of a rule that states this? I have looked in the manuals and have not found a statement that either allows combining dimension types or outlaws it. If there is a publication out their that defines this rule, can someone provide the publication name?





RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
If you mix ordinate dimensions with "standard" dimensioning, you run a higher risk of accidentally double dimensioning some features but that doesn't necessarily make the practice of mixing them wrong.
If no one else here can provide a document to verify your colleagues claim then this may be another example of the ever elusive "industry standard".
Industry standard = still doing things the way my great grandfather did them.
Powerhound, GDTP T-0419
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RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
I see no problems with combining ordinate on other dimensions on a drawing. If the dimension from hole_A to hole_B is more critical than their absolute position, you are showing your requirement, which is what you should be doing on your drawings.
The bid advantage of ordinate dimensions on a complicated part is that they take up less space, and they make the drawing more readable. This makes it easier to pick out those critical point to point dimensions that you continued to use.
RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
I found through experience that they can, per other suggestions above.
Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP5.0
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RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
Matt Lorono, CSWP
Product Definition Specialist, DS SolidWorks Corp
Personal sites:
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources & SolidWorks Legion
RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
However, the reasons given above wrt tolerance and very good justifications for mixing it at least occasionally.
I'll admit, my own personal prejudice is I'm not a big fan of ordinate dimensions - but that is very much just an opinion without even much justification - I just don't like 'em.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
Recently, I've been looking over the ISO standard, and also others like JIS. "Dimensions without dimension lines" or as they are known in the ISO standards "Running Dimensions" are becoming more popular, with the number of ways to use them increasing. They can be assigned to polar coordinates (general ISO), and sequential radius dimensions from a common center (JIS) now.
ASME is actually falling behind in this area. ;)
Matt Lorono, CSWP
Product Definition Specialist, DS SolidWorks Corp
Personal sites:
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources & SolidWorks Legion
RE: Combining ordinate and other dimensions in a single view
Actually a lot of ISO drawings I've seen are pretty crummy, but then so too are many that claim to be ASME compliant.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?