Dimension Radius

The dimradius command places a radius dimension on an arc or circle. The dimension line runs from the center to a point on the circumference in the cursor’s direction, labeled R <value>. To dimension a full diameter instead, use Dimension Diameter.

Anatomy of a radius dimension

  ● (center)
   \
    \  R 5.00
     \
      ●────── text (cursor side)
   (arc point)
  • Dimension line — from center through an arc point toward the cursor, with an arrowhead at the arc.
  • LabelR followed by the radius value.

Placing a radius dimension

  1. Type dimradius in the terminal or click the Dimension Radius toolbar button.
  2. Click an arc or circle to select it.
  3. Move the cursor to orient the dimension line — the arc-point tracks the cursor direction from the center.
  4. Click to place the dimension.

Only Arc and Circle entities can be selected. Clicking any other entity type does nothing.

Keyboard reference

KeyAction
EscapeCancel

Dimension Radius vs Dimension Diameter

Dimension RadiusDimension Diameter
MeasuresRadius (center to edge)Diameter (edge to edge through center)
Dimension lineCenter → arc pointArc point → arc point (through center)
Label prefixR
ArrowheadsOne (at arc point)Two (at both arc points)
Best forAnnotating one side of a curved featureAnnotating full circular dimensions

Editing the label — simple mode

Double-click a placed radius dimension to open the text editor in simple mode. The editor is pre-seeded with the current rendered value (e.g. R 5.00) so you can position the cursor and edit it directly.

FeatureBehaviour
Bold / Italic / Font / HeightApply to the entire label at once
Per-character formattingNot supported
EnterCommits the value and closes the editor
Multi-lineNot supported

See Text Editor — simple mode for the full reference.

DXF — DIMENSION radius entity

Radius dimensions are saved as DIMENSION entities with radius-type geometry, storing the center coordinates, the arc-point position, and the measured radius value. All properties round-trip without loss.