forum.datacad.com

I'm not sure if anyone else has done this but I just discovered it ...

To get a line with an arrow at either end you can use an associative (or not ... your choice) dimension line with the witness lines turned off and the dimension text suppressed. If you need text to go along with it (spacing of trusses, max slope for ADA, etc.) edit the prefix of suffix as needed! The only downside is that if you need text under the line that will still need to be done manually.

I've recently be using something similar with the arrows-size suppressed to create nearly-associative metes-and-bounds for site plans. The bearings are still manual entered, but the distances read-associatively when laying them out and the survey information is sketchy.

I have used the double arrow trick from time to time but I don't do it often enough that I sometimes forget about it. I hadn't thought of the metes and bounds trick though. Ted, I am assuming that you are entering the bearings as either a prefix or suffix.

The bearings I'm still notating by hand if I have them. But often I just have the distances taken from a tax map without bearings so having interactive distances let's me finagle the lot-boundaries. The bearings I can sometimes approximate from Google-Earth or Bing Maps to get the general shape and bearings.

For my purposes, I'm primarily concerned with distance for offsets and setbacks, not precise directions/bearings.

I have been using the Plattool macro to label my distance and bearing for years. Maybe that is why I never though of using dimension strings for the boundary.