Allow to customize created dimensions more: move and style text, reposition lines, change units and scale, etc.
The functionality of the Dimension Tool needs to be improved. I think this tool should be made even more customizable. Example: Numbers and fonts should be able to move, rotate, change its style (add stroke or box it). We need to be able to easily change the units of measurement directly in the settings of the tool itself. Also lines with dimensions should be able to move arbitrarily (up and down) with Direct Selection Tool.
Roman Subbotin
shared this idea
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Taranoko m commented
As a sign designer, I would like to request the following feature enhancements.
I would like Illustrator’s Dimension tool to be easier to configure.
Specifically, it would be helpful if the scale could be set individually for each object, and if settings such as color, font size, and line weight could be adjusted more easily.At present, I am adding dimensions to more than 50 objects with different scales. However, I need to manually open a settings window for each object to adjust the scale, which is time-consuming and makes the tool difficult to use.
Thank you for your consideration.
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As for the units part — Dimension Tool Options dialog allow to choose units, scale, and precision... but for the NEW dimensions. So once a new dimension is made, we can’t change these :(
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I agree with the general message of it, but not with the Direct Selection part.
Currently live dimension objects are immune to Direct Selection tool completely, given their fragile nature and the habit to get expanded on any change. But the more important reason is to allow to work with the actual artwork without messing with the 'meta-artwork' — which is what dimensions are...
While a 'soft isolation' model is a thing (allow to make direct changes to the object that was selected fully first — which is integral to how Affinity Designer works), it’s not used in Ai at all, and it’d be risky, I guess, to start implementing it with dimensions...So all the direct changes to a live dimension are handled with the Dimension Tool itself — we can reposition the dimension line with it (even though the snapping is broken, reported here: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/48899984)... but that’s it basically.
We can’t move the text arbitrary, suspend it with an extension of the line, rotate it... style it... This is something I very much agree with. But not with the Direct Selection Tool.
