I’m hoping that in future version on LayOut, there is better control of elements such as numbers in a dimension string. Currently the bounding box is what is gets selected rather than the elements themselves (the number or the lines), however the bounding box is not something that’s visible unless you click on it.
Sometimes the binding box overlaps another element and you cannot selected the one below. I’ve attached a video showing what I mean. In the example I’m trying to select the dimension with the ‘7’ on it, but the bounding box for the 9 overlaps it, so even though I’m selecting the 7, the 9 gets selected. I have to move the 9 out of the way to get to the 7.
Click on the number if you like. That’s what I do. Then the bounding box appears; stay on the number and drag it where you chose. The bounding box simply surrounds what is about to move. Add a leader (Dimension Style Panel). The leader will only appear when needed and adds clarity to your work as the dimension number can be located away from the congestion. I like a curved leader as it sets the leader apart from other lines.
Hi Richard, referring to my video, when I click on the 7, it selects the bounding box for the 9, because the bounding box of the 9 is on top of it.
I add leaders to specific dimensions when they need it. I find if I have the leader setting on all the time, then it overuses them and makes the drawings messy.
“You need to use different practices so that you never encounter this problem” is not constructive help, this difficulty exists and cannot be always avoided. I’m sure @joanne knows about leaders. I can confirm that in stacked elements in general, selection of specific overlapping elements can be difficult. Sometimes using context click > arrange > bring forward or send backward can lift a given entity above another to allow for easier specific selection. But it would be nice if the selection tool could be applied directly to a piece of text (instead of the text box area) regardless of it’s stack order to select that entity.
Not dumb, it’s a working method, but there might be many many many layers to manage for each individual dimension, and often it’s very beneficial to have all dimensions on the same layer so they can be controlled together.
Knowing that the 7 in. dimension is under the 9 in. dimension, you can send the 9 in. dimension to backward to put the 7 in. dimension on top so it can be accessed.
I do think both of those dimensions need some help because they are so close together. There are better ways to handle them so their text doesn’t run together. Still it’s simple enough to acces either dimension if you need to.
Fixing the issue is what the post is all about. It’s a needed fix and happens in a lot more situations than this one. Labels, dimensions, texts are hard to deal with in Layout.
We are confusing an example of such an issue that should be fixed, with a dimensioning bad practice.
If Layout would work better people would have less issues doing what they want. If they are doing it wrong, that is another discussion.
If i had a dimension string that had dimensions so close together i’d add leaders to them. But to the larger point, dimensions are hard to work with in LO and could be made much more intuitive to use. How many years was i searching for a way to reduce the length of the extension lines above the string until i stumbled upon a video that told me how to control it. My mantra bout LO is “make it more like SU!” Make it intuitive the way Sketchup is.
