Automatic Feature-based DIMensioning
Dimension a drawing in one command
AFDIM reads the outline of a part and the holes inside it, and places the dimensions, callouts and centrelines for you. It works on plate, sheet metal, structural sections and machined parts.
- Select the part, type AFDIM, press Enter
- Outline, holes, slots, notches, fillets, chamfers and bend lines
- Native dimensions, leaders and centrelines, on the layer you choose
Free 7-day trial with every feature: one click in AFDIM, no email, no waiting. Your drawings never leave your computer.
- Runs in
- AutoCAD® 2013–2027AutoCAD® Mechanical 2013–2027ZWCAD 2026GstarCAD 2026BricsCAD V26
What AFDIM does
Dimensions from features, not from edges
AFDIM works out what the selected outline is made of and dimensions each feature the way a drafter would, on the drawing that is already open.
It recognises the part
AFDIM finds the outline and the holes and cut-outs inside it: circular and elliptical holes, slots, notches, fillets, chamfers, bolt-hole patterns and bend lines. It dimensions each one as that feature.
Laid out to be read
Overall size first, then chain dimensions and located features. The rows of dimensions are spaced from your text height, so the first result reads as a drawing, not as a pile of overlapping text.
Your geometry is never touched
AFDIM explodes blocks, regions and old-style polylines in memory only. It adds dimensions, callouts and centrelines. It never moves, trims or deletes a line of the part.
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Callouts in your drafting standard
Hole, slot, fillet and chamfer callouts follow ISO 129-1, ASME Y14.5 or JIS B 0001, or a drafting standard that you save yourself.
Ordinary CAD objects
You can edit what AFDIM places with grips and the Properties palette. A colleague without AFDIM opens, edits and plots the drawing as before.
Updates from inside AFDIM
An orange dot on the Settings button tells you that a new version is available. Update now installs it from a signed feed while AutoCAD stays open.
How it runs
From install to a dimensioned part
Install
Run the installer. It needs no administrator rights and no NETLOAD. AutoCAD loads AFDIM at start-up and shows an AFDIM ribbon tab.
Select and type AFDIM
Select the outline with its holes, type AFDIM and press Enter. AFDIM does not mistake centrelines and dashed lines in the selection for the part.
Check and save
Move or restyle anything that you would have placed differently, then save. The dimensions are yours.
Questions
Questions drafters ask first
Which CAD applications and releases does AFDIM run in?
AutoCAD® and AutoCAD® Mechanical 2013 to 2027, 64-bit, on Windows 10 or 11. Some of these releases are still experimental, and the install page lists them. Not supported: AutoCAD 2007 to 2012, 32-bit AutoCAD, and AutoCAD LT. AutoCAD LT has no .NET API, so no plugin can load there, AFDIM included. ZWCAD 2026, GstarCAD 2026 and BricsCAD V26 are supported too, 64-bit; ZWCAD Standard and BricsCAD Lite cannot load .NET plug-ins, so AFDIM does not run there. One licence covers AFDIM in every CAD application it supports: there is no licence per CAD brand.
What kind of drawings does it work on?
Any part: plate and sheet metal, structural sections, machined parts, CNC-, laser- and plasma-cut profiles. AFDIM dimensions the outline and the holes and cut-outs inside it. A part with outlines nested several levels deep is only partly understood, so check it for missing dimensions. The drawing can be in millimetres or inches: AFDIM reads the unit from the drawing.
Does AFDIM change my geometry?
No. AFDIM explodes blocks and regions in memory only, so nothing in your drawing is modified. What AFDIM adds (dimensions, leaders and centrelines) are ordinary CAD objects. You can edit them with grips, restyle them or delete them as usual.
Is my drawing sent anywhere?
No. AFDIM runs inside your CAD application and uploads nothing. Activating a licence and checking for updates send no drawing content.
How does the trial work?
Install AFDIM, then click Start 7-day trial in the window that opens when you run AFDIM without a licence, or in Settings › About. The computer needs an internet connection. The trial starts at once and gives that computer every feature for 7 days. Each computer gets one trial, and there is nothing to pay. Without a connection, you can request the trial by hand from the Licence page.
Run AFDIM on a drawing you know
Install AFDIM, start the 7-day trial, and run it on a part that you have already dimensioned by hand. That comparison is the only review that matters.