Radius and Diameter Dimensions (switching these in SW 2009)

It doesn’t matter if the dimension starts off as a radius, diameter, or a linear diameter dimension (on a drawing in a model).  One can become another quickly in SolidWorks 2009.

Step 1:  To change a radius to a diameter, RMB click on the radius dimension.  Choose Display Options>Display as a Diameter.

Step 2:  To change a diameter dimension into a linear diameter dimension, RMB click on the diameter dimension.  Choose Display Options>Display as linear.

Unfortunately, there is no way to shortcut these steps from a radius dimension to a linear diameter dimension.  If starting out as a radius, both of these steps will need to be followed in succession to get a linear diameter dimension.  Same goes for the reverse.

One word of caution when switching to a linear diameter dimension though; it will often not come in aligned to the Y or X axis, which may render it unuseful for certain circumstances.

Author: fcsuper

As a drafter, mechanical designer and CAD engineer, I've been in the mechanical design field since 1991. For the first 8 years of my career, I was an AutoCAD professional. I utilized AutoLISP and many other AutoCAD customization features to streamline drafting activities for 6+ drafters and designers. I authored several custom functions, one of which was published in the March 1997 issue of Cadalyst Magazine. Since 1998, I've been used SolidWorks non-stop. I've worked to utilize the SolidWorks' user environment to simplify drafting and design activities for 20+ engineers. I've created this website to provide current information about SolidWorks from a variety of contributors. More recently, I am now employed by Dassault Systemes as SOLIDWORKS Sr. Product Definition Manager to improve drawing, annotation and MBD related areas.

One thought on “Radius and Diameter Dimensions (switching these in SW 2009)”

  1. How can I set diameter to be my default parameter for drawing circles ? In dimensions, the diameter is the default parameter whereas when the circle is drawn first time, it is formed on the basis of radius

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