Dimensions Bar
The following section introduces how the dimensions of various elements are displayed in the dimensions bar located at the bottom of the Arbortext IsoDraw window.
1. Draw a line using the Line element
When dragging the line, follow the dimensions that are displayed in the dimension bar for the line. Each time the length and position of the line changes, the displayed dimensions change accordingly.
As long as the line is positioned on one of the major axes, the following factors are displayed in the panels from left to right – the length of the line without perspective foreshortening, the length with foreshortening, and, in the third panel, the orientation angle of the line relative to the horizontal.
Outside the major axes, length with foreshortening is displayed in the first two panels.
2. Look at the dimensions bar. While dragging a line, hold down the ALT key to temporarily deactivate Grid Alignment and watch the displayed dimensions.
| In order to see dimensions once the line has been drawn, select the line. To select the line, click the Arrow tool, and then click the line with the arrow  cursor. You can change each dimension directly in the dimension bar field. Press the ENTER key to confirm the dimensions that have been entered. If the entered value is not confirmed by the user, Arbortext IsoDraw will automatically confirm and execute the command after a delay of a few seconds. Use the TAB key to move from one dimension bar field to another. |
You can read about which dimensions are displayed for each Arbortext IsoDraw element in the Arbortext IsoDraw User's Reference under Elements.
3. To familiarize yourself with this dimension bar function, draw various elements, change their orientation, and enter your own dimensions.
For example, the following dimensions are displayed for a rectangle and an ellipse:
a. For an isometric rectangle, from left to right in the panels:
▪ The width without perspective foreshortening
▪ The height without perspective foreshortening
▪ The height (with perspective foreshortening)
c. For an ellipse positioned on a major axis, from left to right in the panels:
▪ The ellipse value
▪ The orientation angle
