Overview
The parameters used to create dimensions and drafting aids are passed to and
from the following routines using four arrays. The first two arrays pass all
the parameters used to format dimension/drafting aids. The last two arrays pass
the parameters used in displaying the dimension/drafting aids on the terminal
screen or plot file. The first array in each set holds all the integer
parameters, and the second array in each set holds all the real parameters.
Throughout this chapter, we will use the following array names:
MPI - Integer Drafting Parameters
MPR - Real Drafting Parameters
DPI - Integer Display Parameters
DPR - Real Display Parameters
Some of the array elements specify the color of an object. Color is an integer
from 1-15.
The actual color each number represents depends upon the the Color Table Object
(Type 28). The Color Table Object may be modified using the FILE-->UTILITIES-->COLOR
PALETTE dialog. Different Color Tables may be created and stored in
.cdf files and can then be opened for the current part. The .cdf file is an
ASCII file.
The default Color Table Object has the following setup:
1 - Blue
2 - Green
3 - Cyan
4 - Red
5 - Magenta
6 - Yellow
7 - White
8 - Olive
9 - Pink
10 - Brown
11 - Orange
12 - Purple
13 - Dark-Red
14 - Aquamarine
15 - Gray
NOTE: The following MPI and MPR array elements are no longer used:
MPI[26] and MPI[27], MPR[4], MPR[29], MPR[30], and MPR[31]. The correct array
elements to use are designated under these elements in the following
tables.
In V16.0, there are separate text angle preferences for dimension
text and drafting aid text. The ask/set_preference functions returns the
dimension
text angle. Use UF_DRF_ask_lettering_preferences to get the
drafting aid text angle.
mpr[51], area fill tolerance, is now obsolete; use mpr[13] instead.
In V17.0, a separate preference control the angular nominal and tolerance
units format. This routine will return the only the nominal angular
format when queried.
MPI is an array of 100 integer words holding the integer portion of the
drafting parameters. The array is defined as follows:
int MPI[100]
MPI Element | Description |
MPI[0] | Text/Arrow Placement
1 = Automatic 2 = Manual, Arrows In 3 = Manual, Arrows Out |
MPI[1] | Leader Orientation
1 = Leader From Left 2 = Leader From Right |
MPI[2] | Extension Line Display
1 = Display Both Extension Lines 2 = Display Only First Line 3 = Display Only Second Line 4 = No Extension Lines |
MPI[3] | Dimension Value Decimal Places (0-9) |
MPI[4] | Tolerance Value Decimal Places (0-9) |
MPI[5] | Common Fraction Denominator
(1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64) |
MPI[6] | Tolerance Type
1 = No Tolerance 2 = Limit, 1 Line 3 = Limit, 2 Lines 4 = Bilateral, 1 Line 5 = Bilateral, 2 Lines 6 = Unilateral, Above 7 = Unilateral, Below 8 = Basic 9 = Reference 10= Limit, Larger First 11= Limit, Larger Below |
MPI[7] | Text Entry Mode
1 = Only Automatic Text 2 = Automatic Text, Appended 3 = Only Manual Text 4 = Manual Text, Appended |
MPI[8] | Appended Text Site
1 = Below 2 = After 3 = Above 4 = Before 5 = Before and After 6 = Above and Below |
MPI[9] | Text Orientation
1 = Horizontal 2 = Aligned 3 = Over Dimension Line 4 = By Angle 5 = Perpendicular |
MPI[10] | Horizontal Text Justification
1 = Left 2 = Center 3 = Right |
MPI[11] | Diameter/Radius Site
1 = Below 2 = After 3 = Above 4 = Before 5 = Omitted |
MPI[12] | Tolerance Site
1 = Below 2 = After 3 = Above |
MPI[13] | Linear Units
1 = Millimeters 2 = Meters 3 = Inches 4 = Architect Feet/Inches 5 = Engineer Feet/Inches |
MPI[14] | Fraction Type
1 = Decimal 2 = 2/3 Size Common Fractions 3 = 3/4 Size Common Fractions 4 = Full Size Common Fractions |
MPI[15] | Angular Units
1 = Fractional Degrees 2 = Whole Degrees 3 = Degrees, Minutes 4 = Degrees, Minutes, Seconds |
MPI[16] | Decimal Point
1 = Period 2 = Comma |
MPI[17] | Radius Symbol
1 = "R" 2 = "RAD" 3 = User Defined 4 = "SR" Spherical Radius 5 = "CR" Controlled Radius |
MPI[18] | Diameter Symbol
1 = "DIA" 2 = DIA Sym 3 = User Defined 4 = Spherical |
MPI[19] | Dual Method
1 = Below 2 = After 3 = Above 4 = Before 5 = Non-dual |
MPI[20] | Dual Linear Units
1 = Millimeters 2 = Meters 3 = Inches 4 = Architect Feet/Inches 5 = Engineer Feet/Inches |
MPI[21] | Dual Fraction Type
1 = Decimal 2 = 2/3 Size Common Fractions 3 = 3/4 Size Common Fractions 4 = Full Size Common Fractions |
MPI[22] | Dual Dimension Value Decimal Places (0-9) |
MPI[23] | Dual Tolerance Value Decimal Places (0-9) |
MPI[24] | Dual Common Fraction Denominator
(1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64) |
MPI[25] | Line, Arrow, Character Size Relationship
1 = Related 2 = Independent |
MPI[26] | Not used. Please use array elements 79, 82, 85, and 88 to specify Character Font (1-14). |
MPI[27] | Not used. Please use array elements 80, 83,
86, and 89 for Character Line Width. |
MPI[28] | Not used. Please use array elements 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58, 61, 64, 66, 68, 71, 74, and 77 for Line Width. |
MPI[29] | Arrowhead1 Type
1 = Closed 2 = Open 3 = Arch Cross 4 = Dot 5 = Origin Sym 6 = None |
MPI[30] | Entity Site (controls alignment position)
1 = Top Left 2 = Top Center 3 = Top Right 4 = Mid Left 5 = Mid Center 6 = Mid Right 7 = Bottom Left 8 = Bottom Center 9 = Bottom Right |
MPI[31] | Cross Hatch Material. Material values are deter mined by the
current xhatch.chx file. The default xhatch.chx file has the following
settings:
1 = Iron/General Use 2 = Steel 3 = Brass/Copper 4 = Rubber/Plastic 5 = Refractory 6 = Marble/Slate/Glass 7 = Lead 8 = Aluminum/Magnesium |
MPI[32] | Arrow Display
1 = Display Both Arrows 2 = Display Only First Arrow 3 = Display Only Second Arrow 4 = No Arrows |
MPI[33] | GD&T Composite Frame
0 = No Display 1 = Display |
MPI[34] | GD&T All Around Symbol
0 = No Display 1 = Display |
MPI[35] | GD&T Runout Arrow Filled
0 = No Display 1 = Display |
MPI[36] | Arc Length Symbol
0 = No Display 1 = Display |
MPI[37] | Arrowhead 2 Type
1 = Closed 2 = Open 3 = Arch Cross 4 = Dot 5 = Origin Symbol 6 = None |
MPI[38] | Radius Dimension Display; To Arc Center
1 = Yes 2 = No |
MPI[39] | Filled Arrowhead Control
1 = Yes 2 = No |
MPI[40] | Vertical Text Justification
1 = Top 2 = Middle 3 = Bottom |
MPI[41] | Extension Line 1 Color |
MPI[42] | Extension Line 1 Font
1 = Solid 2 = Dashed 3 = Phantom 4 = Center Line 5 = Dotted 6 = Long Dashed 7 = Dotted Dashed |
MPI[43] | Extension Line 1 Density
1 = Normal 2 =Heavy 3 = Thin |
MPI[44] | Extension Line 2 Color |
MPI[45] | Extension Line 2 Font
1 = Solid 2 = Dashed 3 = Phantom 4 = Center Line 5 = Dotted 6 = Long Dashed 7 = Dotted Dashed |
MPI[46] | Extension Line 2 Density
1 = Normal 2 =Heavy 3 = Thin |
MPI[47] | Arrow Line 1 Color |
MPI[48] | Arrow Line 1 Font
1 = Solid 2 = Dashed 3 = Phantom 4 = Center Line 5 = Dotted 6 = Long Dashed 7 = Dotted Dashed |
MPI[49] | Arrow Line 1 Density
1 = Normal 2 =Heavy 3 = Thin |
MPI[50] | Arrow Line 2 Color |
MPI[51] | Arrow Line 2 Font
1 = Solid 2 = Dashed 3 = Phantom 4 = Center Line 5 = Dotted 6 = Long Dashed 7 = Dotted Dashed |
MPI[52] | Arrow Line 2 Density
1 = Normal 2 =Heavy 3 = Thin |
MPI[53] | Arrow Head 1 Color |
MPI[54] | Arrow Head 1 Font
1 = Solid 2 = Dashed 3 = Phantom 4 = Center Line 5 = Dotted 6 = Long Dashed 7 = Dotted Dashed |
MPI[55] | Arrow Head 1 Density |
MPI[56] | Arrow Head 2 Color |
MPI[57] | Arrow Head 2 Font
1 = Solid 2 = Dashed 3 = Phantom 4 = Center Line 5 = Dotted 6 = Long Dashed 7 = Dotted Dashed |
MPI[58] | Arrow Head 2 Density |
MPI[59] | ID Symbol Color |
MPI[60] | ID Symbol Font |
MPI[61] | ID Symbol Density |
MPI[62] | GD&T Symbol Color |
MPI[63] | GD&T Symbol Font |
MPI[64] | GD&T Symbol Density |
MPI[65] | Centerline Color |
MPI[66] | Centerline Density |
MPI[67] | Crosshatching Color |
MPI[68] | Crosshatching Density |
MPI[69] | Intersection Color |
MPI[70] | Intersection Font |
MPI[71] | Intersection Density |
MPI[72] | Target Point Color |
MPI[73] | Target Point Font |
MPI[74] | Target Point Density |
MPI[75] | User-defined Symbol Color |
MPI[76] | User-defined Symbol Font |
MPI[77] | User-defined Symbol Density |
MPI[78] | Dimension Text Color |
MPI[79] | Dimension Text Character Font (1-14) |
MPI[80] | Dimension Text Density |
MPI[81] | Tolerance Text Color |
MPI[82] | Tolerance Text Character Font (1-14) |
MPI[83] | Tolerance Text Density |
MPI[84] | Appended Text Color |
MPI[85] | Appended Text Character Font (1-14) |
MPI[86] | Appended Text Density |
MPI[87] | Drafting Aid Text Color |
MPI[88] | Drafting Aid Text Character Font (1-14) |
MPI[89] | Drafting Aid Text Density |
MPI[90] | Suppress Trailing Zeros
0 = Do Not Suppress Trailing Zeros 1 = Suppress Trailing Zeros |
MPI[91] | Line Between Arrows
0 = No Line Between Arrows 1 = Line Between Arrows |
MPI[92] | Area Fill/Solid Fill material
1 = Cork/Felt/Fiber 2 = Sound Insulation 3 = Concrete 4 = Earth 5 = Rock 6 = Sand 7 = Liquids 8 = Wood - Across Grain 9 = Wood - Along Grain 10 = Solid Fill |
MPI[93] | Reserved for future use. |
MPI[94] | For Angular Dimensions
0 = Allow extension lines to move to oppo site angle when origin is moved closer to that side (default). 1 = Do not allow extension lines to flip to opposite angle when the angular dimen sion has manual text/arrow placement. |
MPI[95-99] | Reserved for future use. |
MPR Element | Description |
MPR[0] | Oblique Extension Line Angle ( Degrees) |
MPR[1] | Upper Tolerance |
MPR[2] | Lower Tolerance |
MPR[3] | Text Angle (Degrees) |
MPR[4] | Not used. Please use array elements 32, 36, 40, and 44 to specify Character Size. |
MPR[5] | Arrow Size |
MPR[6] | Text To Dim Line Distance |
MPR[7] | Position To Extension Line 1 Distance |
MPR[8] | Line Past Arrow Distance |
MPR[9] | Stub Size |
MPR[10] | ID Symbol Size |
MPR[11] | Cross Hatch Angle (Degrees) |
MPR[12] | Cross Hatch Distance |
MPR[13] | Cross Hatch Tolerance |
MPR[14] | GD&T Symbol Frame Size |
MPR[15] | GD&T Runout Arrow Filled Distance |
MPR[16] | Position To Extension Line 2 Distance |
MPR[17] | Centerline Extension Line Length |
MPR[18] | Centerline Gap |
MPR[19] | Centerline Cross Size |
MPR[20] | Centerline Angle (Degrees) |
MPR[21] | Intersection Extension Line Length |
MPR[22] | Target Point Size |
MPR[23] | Target Point Angle (Degrees) |
MPR[24] | Upper Tolerance - Metric |
MPR[25] | Lower Tolerance - Metric |
MPR[26] | Arrowhead Filled Distance |
MPR[27] | Arrowhead Included Angle |
MPR[28] | Dot Arrowhead Diameter |
MPR[29] | Not used. Please use array elements 33, 37, 41, and 45 to specify Character Aspect Ratio. |
MPR[30] | Not used. Please use array elements 33, 37, 41, and 45 to specify the Gap Factor. |
MPR[31] | Not used. Please use array elements 34, 38, 42, and 46 to specify the Line Spacing Factor. |
MPR[32] | Dimension Text Size |
MPR[33] | Dimension Text Aspect Ratio |
MPR[34] | Dimension Text Gap Factor |
MPR[35] | Dimension Text Line Spacing |
MPR[36] | Tolerance Text Size |
MPR[37] | Tolerance Text Aspect Ratio |
MPR[38] | Tolerance Text Gap Factor |
MPR[39] | Tolerance Text Line Spacing |
MPR[40] | Appended Text Size |
MPR[41] | Appended Text Aspect Ratio |
MPR[42] | Appended Text Gap Factor |
MPR[43] | Appended Text Line Spacing |
MPR[44] | Draft Aid Text Size |
MPR[45] | Draft Aid Text Aspect Ratio |
MPR[46] | Draft Aid Text Gap Factor |
MPR[47] | Draft Aid Text Line Spacing |
MPR[48] | Distance Between Dimension Text And Symbol |
MPR[49] | Area Fill Angle |
MPR[50] | Area Fill Scale |
MPR[51] | Area Fill Tolerance - Obsolete use MPR[13] |
MPR[52-69] | Reserved for future use |
DPI Element | Description |
DPI[0] | Margin Display
1= Display Margins 2= Do Not Display Margins |
DPI[1] | Fast Font
1= Fast Font On 2= Fast Font Off |
DPI[2] | Text Box Mode
1= Text Box Mode On 2= Text Box Mode Off |
DPI[3] | Indicator Site
1= Display Indicator Site 2= Do Not Display Indicator Site |
DPI[4] | Text Scaling For Part Merge And Transformations
1= Scale Text 2= Do Not Scale Text |
DPI[5] | Filled Arrowhead Display
1= Display Filled Arrowhead 2= Do Not Display Filled Arrowhead |
DPI[6-9] | Reserved for future use |
DPR Element | Description |
DPR[0] | Character Slant (Degrees) |
DPR[1-4] | Reserved For Future Use |