Release 2.4 Enhancements
New Look
The most noticeable feature of the new release is the look. The traditional Windows look has been replaced by a look similar to Microsoft Office.
Measurement Legend
The Drawing Legend displays a grid of all traces used in a drawing. There are columns for the trace graphic, trace description, total quantity for all measurements using the trace and unit of measure.
The drawing legend can be displayed or hidden on a drawing-by-drawing basis. It can be displayed with an opaque or transparent background, with or without a border and/or grid lines. It can be placed anywhere on the drawing.
Figure 1: Drawing Legend with Opaque Background, Border and Grid
Measurement List Multi-level Sorting
In previous releases, the measurement list could be sorted by a single column (ascending or descending). Now it can be sorted by multiple columns. For example, it could be sorted by Drawing, then by Bid Code within drawing.
Measurement List Subtotals
It's now possible to display totals in the measurement list. Subtotals can be shown or hidden. When shown, subtotals are displayed for the current sort sequence.
Figure 2: Measurement List with Subtotals by Trace
FTP Support
When working with plans provided via an FTP site, it's now possible to set up the FTP site information and the site will be integrated with Dimension the same way an electronic planroom is integrated. For more information see Ftp Integration Overview.
Dynamic Sizing of Measurements
In previous releases, text and point symbols associated with measurements were displayed the size of a typical text on the drawing. As you zoom in and out, they gets larger and smaller. This made them difficult to read when zoomed out. If they were always displayed in a readable size, they could clutter the zoomed out view on a busy drawing.
Dynamic sizing allows you to set the sizing to your personal preference. It can be of constant size no matter what the zoom factor, change to reflect the zoom factor, or partially reflect the zoom factor.
Subscription Pricing
The Dimension licensing has been expanded to support subscription pricing. Subscription licenses provide advanced capabilities on a month-to-month basis.
Excel Bid Code Formulas
The Excel interface has been expanded to support formulas that return the total of all measurements with a given bid code. This allows use of an Excel template that references pre-defined bid codes. When the template is matched to a project, Dimension returns the measurement totals by bid code for that project. This eliminates the need to individually assign measurements to Excel spreadsheet cells.
Dimension Editing
The control panel now supports a control to edit the length of a line segment or an arc radius. After digitizing a point (other than the first point), the distance from the previous point appears in the edit control. You can change the distance and the point will be moved accordingly. Similarly, after creating an arc, the radius appears in the edit control and can be edited.
Arrows on Line Annotations
Arrows can now be added to the ends of line annotations. The arrow can appear at the start and/or end of the line. The size and style of the arrow can be adjusted.
Horizontal and Vertical Lines
When digitizing a measurement point, you can hold down the control key to force the line from the previous point to be either horizontal or vertical.
Copy Current View to Clipboard
An option has been added to the main menu to copy the current view to the clipboard. The view can then be pasted into an email message, a Word document or any other application that accepts bitmaps.
Share Measurements and Annotations
When working with other Dimension users (inside or outside your organization), it's now possible to select measurements and annotations and send them to another user. They are bundled into a small file that can be easily attached to an email or stored as an attachment in a project management system. The attachement can later be double-clicked to display the drawing and the measurements and annotations.
Previous Enhancements
Click here to see the enhancements made in earlier releases.
