DIMALIGNED

CompleteChecked against Musa CAD 0.8.0Verified Oct 23, 2026

Create a dimension aligned with two points.

Type: DIMALIGNED or DAL
On the ribbon: Home › Annotation › Linear › Aligned
Annotate › Dimensions › Linear › Aligned
Since: Musa CAD 0.1.0

What it asks first

Command: DIMALIGNED
Specify first extension line origin or <select object>:

Read from Musa CAD 0.8.0 itself (musacad --dump-wiki-data), so these facts always match the release this wiki is built for (0.8.0).

DIMALIGNED measures the true distance between two points. Its dimension line runs parallel to the line between them, so a slanted edge shows its real length, not just how far it goes across or up.

How it works

Type DAL and press Enter. Click the first point, then the second. Then move the cursor to one side and click where the dimension line should go. The line always stays parallel to the two points; moving the cursor only sets how far away it sits. The dimension is drawn and the command ends.

Command: DAL
Specify first extension line origin or <select object>: 50,45
Specify second extension line origin: 80,25
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]: (click beside the slanted edge)
Dimension placed.

A five-sided plate with its top right corner cut off by a slanted edge. A blue dimension runs parallel to the slanted edge, just outside it, and reads 36.06. Pick 1 is the top end of the edge, pick 2 its lower end, and pick 3 a point on the dimension line. — The slanted edge is 36.06 long. DIMLINEAR would give only its 30.00 across.

Dimension an object

Press Enter at the first prompt and pick an object instead of clicking two points. DIMALIGNED takes the two ends of a line or of one polyline segment, or the two ends of an arc.

Command: DAL
Specify first extension line origin or <select object>: Enter
Select object to dimension: (pick the slanted line)
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]: (click beside it)
Dimension placed from object.
Dimension created from object.

Options

These options are offered while you place the dimension line. After you choose one, Musa CAD asks for the dimension line location again.

Option	What it does
Mtext (`M`) or Text (`T`)	Type your own text. Musa CAD shows the measurement as the default, for example `Enter dimension text <36.0555>:`; after you picked an object it asks `Enter dimension text (<> for the measurement):`. Type `<>` where the measured value should go. Text without `<>` replaces the value. Press `Enter` without typing to use the measurement.
Angle (`A`)	Turns the text. At `Specify angle of dimension text:` type an angle in degrees. `0` or `Enter` puts it back along the dimension line.

Good to know

For a horizontal or vertical edge, DIMALIGNED and DIMLINEAR give the same value. They differ only on a slant.
A circle cannot be picked here. To dimension a circle’s diameter, use DIMDIAMETER or DIMLINEAR.
When you pick an object, Musa CAD checks it as you place the dimension. If nothing usable was under the pick, it says Could not dimension that object -- select a line, circle, or arc. and draws nothing.
The value follows the current dimension style: two decimal places in the Standard style. Change it with DIMSTYLE.
New dimensions go on the current layer, or on the layer named in DIMLAYER.
Esc cancels without drawing anything. U removes the dimension in one step.

Compared with AutoCAD

DIMALIGNED asks the same questions as AutoCAD’s, including Enter at the first prompt to select an object.

Dimension straight across or up with DIMLINEAR.
Chain more dimensions from this one with DIMCONTINUE.
Read about dimensions and notes in Annotation.

Reading settings