Accessing Reference and Driven Dimensions
The methods described in this section provide additional access to reference and driven dimension annotations.
Many methods listed in the previous sections that are applicable for driving dimensions are also applicable for reference and driven dimensions.
Methods Introduced:
The method
wfcWDimension::CanRegenerate identifies if a driven dimension can be regenerated.
The method
wfcWDimension::Delete deletes the driven or reference dimension. Dimensions stored in annotation elements should be deleted using
wfcWSelection::DeleteAnnotationElement.
The method
wfcWDimension::IsDriving determines if a dimension is driving geometry or is driven by it. If a dimension drives geometry, its value can be modified and the model regenerated with the given change. If a dimension is driven by geometry, its value is fixed but it can be deleted and redefined as necessary. A driven dimension may also be included in an annotation element.
The method
wfcWDimension::GetDimensionAttachPoints gets the entities to which a dimension is attached. This method supports dimensions that are created with intersection type of reference.
The method
wfcWDimension::GetDimensionSenses gets information on how dimensions attach to the entity, that is, to what part of the entity and in what direction the dimension runs. The method returns a
pfcDimSenses object for the driven or reference dimension. This method supports dimensions that are created with intersection type of reference. Refer to the section
Creating Drawing Dimensions for more information.
The method
wfcWDimension::GetOrientationHint gets the orientation of the driven or reference dimensions in cases where this cannot be deduced from the attachments themselves. This method supports dimensions that are created with intersection type of reference. The orientation of the dimension is given by the enumerated type
pfcDimOrientationHint. The valid values are:
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_HORIZONTAL—Specifies a horizontal dimension.
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_VERTICAL—Specifies a vertical dimension.
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_SLANTED—Specifies the shortest distance between two attachment points (available only when the dimension is attached to points).
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_ELLIPSE_RADIUS1—Specifies the start radius for a dimension on an ellipse.
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_ELLIPSE_RADIUS2—Specifies the end radius for a dimension on an ellipse.
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_ARC_ANGLE—Specifies the angle of the arc for a dimension of an arc.
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_ARC_LENGTH—Specifies the length of the arc for a dimension of an arc.
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_LINE_TO_TANGENT_CURVE_ANGLE—Specifies the value to dimension the angle between the line and the tangent at a curve point (the point on the curve must be an endpoint).
• pfcORIENTATION_HINT_RADIAL_DIFF—Specifies the linear dimension of the radial distance between two concentric arcs or circles.
The method
wfcWDimension::SetDimensionAttachPoints sets the geometric references and parameters of the driven or reference dimension. This method supports dimensions that are created with intersection type of reference. The input arguments are:
• DimAttachments—Specifies the points on the model where you want to attach the dimension.
• DimSenses—Specifies how the dimension attaches to each attachment point of the model, that is, to what part of the entity.
• OrientHint—Specifies the orientation of the dimension and has one of the values given by the enumerated type pfcDimOrientationHint.
• AnnotPlane—Specifies the annotation plane for the dimensions.