Drafting Parameters


 
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.
 
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 is an array of seventy double precision words holding the real portion of the drafting parameters. The array is defined as follows:
 
double MPR[70]
 
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 
MPR[52-69]  Reserved for future use 

 
DPI is an array of ten integer words holding the integer portion of the display parameters. The array is defined as follows:
 
int DPI[10]
 
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 is an array of five double precision words holding the real portion of the display parameters. The array is defined as follows:
 
double DPR[5]
 
DPR Element  Description 
DPR[0]  Character Slant (Degrees) 
DPR[1-4]  Reserved For Future Use