Dimension Aligned

The dimaligned command places a dimension that measures the true straight-line distance between two points. The dimension line runs parallel to the line connecting the two points, so it can be at any angle. This is the key difference from Dimension Linear, which is restricted to horizontal or vertical.

Anatomy of an aligned dimension

     ●  p2
    /|
   / |  (ext line 2, perpendicular to dim line)
  /  |
 /←5.00→/
/  /
●  /  (ext line 1, perpendicular to dim line)
p1

• Extension lines — perpendicular to the dimension line, drawn from each measured point.
• Dimension line — parallel to p1→p2, offset to one side by cursor position.
• Value — the true Euclidean distance |p1 – p2|.

Placing an aligned dimension

1. Type dimaligned in the terminal or click the Dimension Aligned toolbar button.
2. Click the first extension line origin (p1), or type X,Y and press Enter for an exact coordinate.
3. Click the second extension line origin (p2). Coordinate entry works here too.
4. Move the cursor to one side to set the perpendicular offset of the dimension line.
5. Click to place, or type an offset distance and press Enter for precise placement.

Typed offset distance

Type a number during placement to fix the dimension line at an exact perpendicular distance from the p1→p2 line:

Key	Action
0–9, .	Append digit to the offset
Backspace	Delete the last typed character
Enter / Space	Place at the typed offset

The cursor side determines which side the dimension line appears on.

Keyboard reference

Key	Action
0–9, ., -	Start X coordinate entry (p1/p2 phases), or offset distance (placement phase)
,	Lock X and move to Y entry (p1/p2 phases)
Backspace	Delete last typed character
Enter / Space	Confirm typed coordinate or offset
Escape	Cancel

Dimension Aligned vs Dimension Linear

	Dimension Aligned	Dimension Linear
Dimension line angle	Parallel to p1→p2 — any angle	Always horizontal or vertical
Measures	True Euclidean distance	X or Y component only
H/V orientation lock	No	Yes — H and V keys
Best for	Diagonal features, angled cuts	Orthogonal layouts, grid-aligned parts

Chaining dimensions

To add more dimensions continuing from the second extension line of this one, use Dimension Continue — it locks to the same measurement angle as this aligned dimension.

DXF — DIMENSION entity (aligned type)

Aligned dimensions are saved as DIMENSION entities with dimType = 1 (aligned). Extension line origins, dimension line position, text position, measured value, rotation, arrow style, and all display flags round-trip without loss.