Dimensioning to the Edge of a Circle or Radius

[Glenn Schroeder]

When inserting a dimension involving a circle or arc in Solidworks, by default it will measure to the center point. However, if you want to dimension to the outside instead it's easy enough. Just hold down Shift when clicking on the circle. That will place the dimension referencing the near or far edge, depending on where your cursor was when you clicked.

If you've already placed the dimension there's no need to delete it and start over. Just click on the dimension to bring up its Property Manager, click on the Leaders tab, and select either Min or Max, whichever is appropriate.

This assumes you're dealing with a dimension in a model or Drawing. If you're using the Measure tool it also measures to the center by default, but you can change it by clicking the drop-down at the top left corner and making the appropriate selection. I rarely do this, but I'm pretty sure it will remember the last setting the next time you use the Measure tool, so after getting your dimension you might want to change it back.