For professional plan creation, cadvilla offers extensive dimensioning functions. You can individually adjust the appearance, units, and accuracy (e.g., decimal places, DIN-compliant display). Dimensions can use independent units. This makes it possible to plan the building in meters, but have the dimension chains automatically displayed in millimeters or centimeters.

Before you start dimensioning a floor plan, please note the following:

• Pay attention to affiliation: Make sure that dimension lines and the dimensioned components (walls, windows) are on the same layer. Moving the dimension line to another layer later can break the connection to the component (loss of automatic updating).
• Control visibility: If you want to temporarily hide dimensions, use the visibilities of the view (Right-click in view > Visibilities > remove the checkmark for Dimensioning).

In the following tutorial, we will show you three efficient ways to dimension your floor plan. The numbers in brackets are the timestamps for the individual sections in the video. Especially at the beginning, however, it makes sense to watch the entire video.

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1. Preparation: Guidelines for clean distances

[00:57] To place dimension chains in a visually appealing way and at even distances around the building, we recommend using guidelines.

• First deselect the grid and the line width to be able to catch and orient yourself better.

• Select 2D Layout > 2D guidelines > Guidelines > Numeric parallel guideline.
• Draw guidelines around the floor plan on which you can later magnetically place the dimension chains.

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2. Automatic dimensioning proposal (Suggestion)

From version 10 onwards, the software offers a function for a complete dimension suggestion.

• Can be found under: 2D & Layout > Dimensions > Automatic dimensioning draft.
• Once activated, the program creates a suggestion for the entire floor plan, which you can then adopt, adjust or discard.

(Note: The automatic dimensioning proposal is not explicitly shown in this specific English video, but the general manual methods are covered in detail below.)

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3. Manual dimensioning methods

[03:33] Option A: Single dimension: This method is suitable for individual distances between two points.

• Path: 2D Layout > Dimensioning > Single dimension.
• Properties: A right-click takes you to the settings (Text position, Appearance / Dimension line style, display rules, Units).
• Application: Click the start and end point. Keep the CTRL key pressed to align the dimension line exactly horizontally or vertically.

[05:36] Option B: Multiple dimension – n points: Ideal for creating a dimension chain manually point by point.

• Path: 2D Layout > Dimensioning > Multiple dimension - n points.
• Application:
  1. Click the first point.
  2. Select all other points to be dimensioned one after the other.
  3. Confirm with ENTER.
  4. Place the dimension chain on the prepared guideline.

[07:15] Option C: Automatic multiple dimension (Recommended): The most efficient method for complete wall developments (walls, windows, doors).

• Path: 2D Layout > Dimensioning > Automatic multiple dimension.
• Application: Draw a line across the entire side of the building (start to end point). All components (walls, openings) that are intersected or touched by this line are automatically included in the dimension chain.
• Advantage: These dimension chains are associative. This means: If you subsequently move a window, the dimensioning updates automatically.

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4. Important notes on editing

• [12:30] Scale-dependent texts: After selecting a dimension text, you can specify in the properties (Right-click > Properties > Input Text) whether the text size is fixed or dynamically adapts to the scale of the plan (Link to scale).

 

[13:15] Transfer text properties: Select the dimension number whose text properties should be transferred to all other dimensions texts. Make a right mouse click > Transfer properties.... In the dialog window (Transfer properties...), select only the font style under the text properties.

[14:00] Move dimension numbers: If two dimension numbers overlap, move one of them. To do this, select the desired dimension number and choose the function Move with reference point in the selection menu or use the shortcut R for this function.