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I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but is there a setting or trick to prevent SOLIDWORKS from reducing fractional dimensions? I have to duplicate some dimensions from a customer drawing and the callout is 44/64" (+0/ -2/64). Sure, this is 11/16 (+0/ -1/32) but I need to show the unreduced dimensions on the drawing.

If I understand you correctly, you want the actual dimension to show instead of having it rounded to the nearest 1/16"? If yes, it's pretty simple. Go to the Document Properties > Units, and change the 16 to 64.

If that isn't what you meant please clarify for my tired old brain.

I'm pretty sure that your pretty sure is correctly intuited. I know of no way to express 32/64 (or any other reducible dimension) and not have it automatically reduce to 1/2.

No one likes dimensional overrides, but that would place numbers on the page the way you want to show it. Personally, I would apply an override color indicator, outside of design standard.

Glenn Schroeder wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:08 pm If I understand you correctly, you want the actual dimension to show instead of having it rounded to the nearest 1/16"? If yes, it's pretty simple. Go to the Document Properties > Units, and change the 16 to 64.

If that isn't what you meant please clarify for my tired old brain.


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This setting has no effect on a dimension where the numerator and denominator have a common divisor. If you have a dimension that can be reduced to a lower denominator, SW seems to do it, no matter what denominator you have in the settings. For example, you cant have 6/12, it will always reduce to 1/2.

I'm sorry. Now I understand. No, I'm not aware of any way to do that. Do you mind if I ask why you want to?

Tom G wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:30 pm I'm pretty sure that your pretty sure is correctly intuited. I know of no way to express 32/64 (or any other reducible dimension) and not have it automatically reduce to 1/2.

No one likes dimensional overrides,

And they don't work for fractional dimensions, and they definitely aren't available for tolerances. I had to kludge it with an overriden dimension, two notes and a sketched line. I feel dirty......

JSculley wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:46 pm And they don't work for fractional dimensions, and they definitely aren't available for tolerances. I had to kludge it with an overriden dimension, two notes and a sketched line. I feel dirty......

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As an (ex)machinist, that dimension makes my skin crawl.

mike miller wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:23 am As an (ex)machinist, that dimension makes my skin crawl.

That's what some of us are here to do...we don't want machinists to have too easy of a job...they may get lazy...