Create, Modify, and Copy Dimension Styles

A new dimension style is created by creating an instance of a DimStyleTableRecord object and then adding it to the DimStyleTable with the Add method. Before the dimension style is added to the table, set the name of the new style with the Name property.

You can also copy an existing style or a style with overrides. Use the CopyFrom method to copy a dimension style from a source object to a dimension style. The source object can be another DimStyleTableRecord object, a Dimension, Tolerance, or Leader object, or even a Database object. If you copy the style settings from another dimension style, the current style is duplicated exactly. If you copy the style settings from aDimension, Tolerance, or Leader object, the current settings, including any object overrides, are copied to the style. If you copy the current style of a Database object, the dimension style plus any drawing overrides are copied to the new style.

Copy dimension styles and overrides

This example creates three new dimension styles and copies the current settings from the current Database, a given dimension style, and a given dimension to each new dimension style respectively. By following the appropriate setup before running this example, you will find that different dimension styles have been created.

Create a new drawing and make it the active drawing.
Create a linear dimension in the new drawing. This dimension should be the only object in the drawing.
Change the color of the dimension line to yellow.
Change the DIMCLRD system variable to 5 (blue).
Run the following example:

VB.NET

Imports Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime

Imports Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices

Imports Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices

Imports Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry

<CommandMethod("CopyDimStyles")> _

Public Sub CopyDimStyles()

  '' Get the current database

  Dim acDoc As Document = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument

  Dim acCurDb As Database = acDoc.Database

  '' Start a transaction

  Using acTrans As Transaction = acCurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()

      '' Open the Block table for read

      Dim acBlkTbl As BlockTable

      acBlkTbl = acTrans.GetObject(acCurDb.BlockTableId, _

                                   OpenMode.ForRead)

      '' Open the Block table record Model space for read

      Dim acBlkTblRec As BlockTableRecord

      acBlkTblRec = acTrans.GetObject(acBlkTbl(BlockTableRecord.ModelSpace), _

                                      OpenMode.ForRead)

      Dim acObj As Object = Nothing

      For Each acObjId As ObjectId In acBlkTblRec

          '' Get the first object in Model space

          acObj = acTrans.GetObject(acObjId, _

                                    OpenMode.ForRead)

          Exit For

      Next

      '' Open the DimStyle table for read

      Dim acDimStyleTbl As DimStyleTable

      acDimStyleTbl = acTrans.GetObject(acCurDb.DimStyleTableId, _

                                        OpenMode.ForRead)

      Dim strDimStyleNames(2) As String

      strDimStyleNames(0) = "Style 1 copied from a dim"

      strDimStyleNames(1) = "Style 2 copied from Style 1"

      strDimStyleNames(2) = "Style 3 copied from the running drawing values"

      Dim nCnt As Integer = 0

      '' Keep a reference of the first dimension style for later

      Dim acDimStyleTblRec1 As DimStyleTableRecord = Nothing

      '' Iterate the array of dimension style names

      For Each strDimStyleName As String In strDimStyleNames

          Dim acDimStyleTblRec As DimStyleTableRecord

          Dim acDimStyleTblRecCopy As DimStyleTableRecord = Nothing

          '' Check to see if the dimension style exists or not

          If acDimStyleTbl.Has(strDimStyleName) = False Then

              If acDimStyleTbl.IsWriteEnabled = False ThenacDimStyleTbl.UpgradeOpen()

              acDimStyleTblRec = New DimStyleTableRecord()

              acDimStyleTblRec.Name = strDimStyleName

              acDimStyleTbl.Add(acDimStyleTblRec)

              acTrans.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(acDimStyleTblRec, True)

          Else

              acDimStyleTblRec = acTrans.GetObject(acDimStyleTbl(strDimStyleName), _

                                                   OpenMode.ForWrite)

          End If

          '' Determine how the new dimension style is populated

          Select Case nCnt

              '' Assign the values of the dimension object to the new dimension style

              Case 0

Try

                      '' Cast the object to a Dimension

                      Dim acDim As RotatedDimension = acObj

                      '' Copy the dimension style data from the dimension and

                      '' set the name of the dimension style as the copied settings

                      '' are unnamed.

                      acDimStyleTblRecCopy = acDim.GetDimstyleData()

                      acDimStyleTblRec1 = acDimStyleTblRec

                  Catch

                      '' Object was not a dimension

                  End Try

                  '' Assign the values of the dimension style to the new dimension style

              Case 1

                  acDimStyleTblRecCopy = acDimStyleTblRec1

                  '' Assign the values of the current drawing to the dimension style

              Case 2

                  acDimStyleTblRecCopy = acCurDb.GetDimstyleData()

          End Select

          '' Copy the dimension settings and set the name of the dimension style

          acDimStyleTblRec.CopyFrom(acDimStyleTblRecCopy)

          acDimStyleTblRec.Name = strDimStyleName

          '' Dispose of the copied dimension style

          acDimStyleTblRecCopy.Dispose()

          nCnt = nCnt + 1

      Next

      '' Commit the changes and dispose of the transaction

      acTrans.Commit()

  End Using

End Sub

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry;

[CommandMethod("CopyDimStyles")]

public static void CopyDimStyles()

  // Get the current database

  Document acDoc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;

  Database acCurDb = acDoc.Database;

  // Start a transaction

  using (Transaction acTrans = acCurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())

      // Open the Block table for read

      BlockTable acBlkTbl;

      acBlkTbl = acTrans.GetObject(acCurDb.BlockTableId,

                                   OpenMode.ForRead) as BlockTable;

      // Open the Block table record Model space for read

      BlockTableRecord acBlkTblRec;

      acBlkTblRec = acTrans.GetObject(acBlkTbl[BlockTableRecord.ModelSpace],

                                      OpenMode.ForRead) as BlockTableRecord;

      object acObj = null;

      foreach (ObjectId acObjId in acBlkTblRec)

          // Get the first object in Model space

          acObj = acTrans.GetObject(acObjId,

                                    OpenMode.ForRead);

          break;

      // Open the DimStyle table for read

      DimStyleTable acDimStyleTbl;

      acDimStyleTbl = acTrans.GetObject(acCurDb.DimStyleTableId,

                                        OpenMode.ForRead) as DimStyleTable;

      string[] strDimStyleNames = new string[3];

      strDimStyleNames[0] = "Style 1 copied from a dim";

      strDimStyleNames[1] = "Style 2 copied from Style 1";

      strDimStyleNames[2] = "Style 3 copied from the running drawing values";

      int nCnt = 0;

      // Keep a reference of the first dimension style for later

      DimStyleTableRecord acDimStyleTblRec1 = null;

      // Iterate the array of dimension style names

      foreach (string strDimStyleName in strDimStyleNames)

          DimStyleTableRecord acDimStyleTblRec;

          DimStyleTableRecord acDimStyleTblRecCopy = null;

          // Check to see if the dimension style exists or not

          if (acDimStyleTbl.Has(strDimStyleName) == false)

              if (acDimStyleTbl.IsWriteEnabled == false) acDimStyleTbl.UpgradeOpen();

              acDimStyleTblRec = new DimStyleTableRecord();

              acDimStyleTblRec.Name = strDimStyleName;

              acDimStyleTbl.Add(acDimStyleTblRec);

              acTrans.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(acDimStyleTblRec, true);

          else

              acDimStyleTblRec = acTrans.GetObject(acDimStyleTbl[strDimStyleName],

                                                   OpenMode.ForWrite) as DimStyleTableRecord;

          // Determine how the new dimension style is populated

          switch ((int)nCnt)

              // Assign the values of the dimension object to the new dimension style

              case 0:

try

                      // Cast the object to a Dimension

                      Dimension acDim = acObj as Dimension;

                      // Copy the dimension style data from the dimension and

                      // set the name of the dimension style as the copied settings

                      // are unnamed.

                      acDimStyleTblRecCopy = acDim.GetDimstyleData();

                      acDimStyleTblRec1 = acDimStyleTblRec;

                  catch

                      // Object was not a dimension

                  break;

              // Assign the values of the dimension style to the new dimension style

              case 1:

                  acDimStyleTblRecCopy = acDimStyleTblRec1;

                  break;

              // Assign the values of the current drawing to the dimension style

              case 2:

                  acDimStyleTblRecCopy = acCurDb.GetDimstyleData();

                  break;

          // Copy the dimension settings and set the name of the dimension style

          acDimStyleTblRec.CopyFrom(acDimStyleTblRecCopy);

          acDimStyleTblRec.Name = strDimStyleName;

          // Dispose of the copied dimension style

          acDimStyleTblRecCopy.Dispose();

          nCnt = nCnt + 1;

      // Commit the changes and dispose of the transaction

      acTrans.Commit();

VBA/ActiveX Code Reference

Open the Dimension Style Manager using the DIMSTYLE command. You should now have three dimension styles listed. Style 1 should have a yellow dimension line. Style 2 should be the same as Style 1. Style 3 should have a blue dimension line.