How can I draw engineer dimensioning diagrams in LaTeX? For instance,
What I currently do is drawing the diagram in MS Visio, save as a pdf file and then embed it into LaTeX. (It is not easy to type mathematical formulas in Visio.)
asked Jul 7, 2015 at 21:58
4 Answers
Using the tikz-dimline package will get you:
\documentclass[tikz,border=2mm]{standalone}
\usepackage{tikz-dimline}\pgfplotsset{compat=newest}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[]
\path (0,0) coordinate (A)
(4,0) coordinate (B)
(12,0) coordinate (C)
(16,0) coordinate (D)
(0,2) coordinate (E)
(4,2) coordinate (F)
(16,2) coordinate (G);
\draw[gray!10,fill=yellow] (E) rectangle (B) node[black] at ($(E)!.5!(B)$){bus1};
\draw[gray!10,fill=red] (F) rectangle (C) node[black] at ($(F)!.5!(C)$){overlapping};
\draw[gray!10,fill=green] (C) rectangle (G) node[black] at ($(C)!.5!(G)$){bus2};
\dimline [color=blue,
line style={thick},
extension start style={blue,thin},
extension end style={blue,thin}
]{($(E)+(0,.5)$)}{($(G)+(0,.5)$)}{$t_c$};
\dimline [color=blue,
line style={thick},
extension start style={blue,thin},
extension end style={blue,thin},
extension start length=-1cm,
extension end length=-1cm
]{($(A)-(0,.5)$)}{($(B)-(0,.5)$)}{$(t_c-t_{12})/2$};
\dimline [color=blue,
line style={thick},
extension start style={blue,thin},
extension end style={blue,thin},
extension start length=-1cm,
extension end length=-1cm
]{($(B)-(0,.5)$)}{($(C)-(0,.5)$)}{$t_{12}$};
\dimline [color=blue,
line style={thick},
extension start style={blue,thin},
extension end style={blue,thin},
extension start length=-1cm,
extension end length=-1cm
]{($(C)-(0,.5)$)}{($(D)-(0,.5)$)}{$(t_c-t_{12})/2$};
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
Using Tarass's excellent solution from Dimensioning of a technical drawing in TikZ will get you:
\documentclass[tikz,border=2mm]{standalone}
\usepackage{xparse}
\usetikzlibrary{calc}
\tikzset{%
Cote node/.style={%
midway,
sloped,
fill=white,
inner sep=1.5pt,
outer sep=2pt
},
Cote arrow/.style={%
<->,
>=latex,
very thin
}
}
\makeatletter
\NewDocumentCommand{\Cote}{%
s % cotation avec les flèches à l'extérieur
D<>{1.5pt} % offset des traits
O{.75cm} % offset de cotation
m % premier point
m % second point
m % étiquette
D<>{o} % () coordonnées -> angle
% h -> horizontal,
% v -> vertical
% o or what ever -> oblique
O{} % parametre du tikzset
}{%
{%
\tikzset{#8}
\coordinate (@1) at #4 ;
\coordinate (@2) at #5 ;
\if #7v % Cotation verticale
\coordinate (@0) at ($($#4!.5!#5$) + (#3,0)$) ;
\coordinate (@4) at (@0|-@1) ;
\coordinate (@5) at (@0|-@2) ;
\else
\if #7h % Cotation horizontale
\coordinate (@0) at ($($#4!.5!#5$) + (0,#3)$) ;
\coordinate (@4) at (@0-|@1) ;
\coordinate (@5) at (@0-|@2) ;
\else % cotation encoche
\ifnum\pdfstrcmp{\unexpanded\expandafter{\@car#7\@nil}}{(}=\z@
\coordinate (@5) at ($#7!#3!#5$) ;
\coordinate (@4) at ($#7!#3!#4$) ;
\else % cotation oblique
\coordinate (@5) at ($#5!#3!90:#4$) ;
\coordinate (@4) at ($#4!#3!-90:#5$) ;
\fi
\fi
\fi
\draw[very thin,shorten >= #2,shorten <= -2*#2] (@4) -- #4 ;
\draw[very thin,shorten >= #2,shorten <= -2*#2] (@5) -- #5 ;
\IfBooleanTF #1 {% avec étoile
\draw[Cote arrow,-] (@4) -- (@5) node[Cote node] {#6\strut};
\draw[Cote arrow,<-] (@4) -- ($(@4)!-6pt!(@5)$) ;
\draw[Cote arrow,<-] (@5) -- ($(@5)!-6pt!(@4)$) ;
}{% sans étoile
\ifnum\pdfstrcmp{\unexpanded\expandafter{\@car#7\@nil}}{(}=\z@
\draw[Cote arrow] (@5) to[bend right] node[Cote node] {#6\strut} (@4) ;
\else
\draw[Cote arrow] (@4) -- (@5) node[Cote node] {#6\strut};
\fi
}
}
}
\makeatother
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\path (0,0) coordinate (A)
(4,0) coordinate (B)
(12,0) coordinate (C)
(16,0) coordinate (D)
(0,2) coordinate (E)
(4,2) coordinate (F)
(16,2) coordinate (G);
\draw[gray!10,fill=yellow] (E) rectangle (B) node[black] at ($(E)!.5!(B)$){bus1};
\draw[gray!10,fill=red] (F) rectangle (C) node[black] at ($(F)!.5!(C)$){overlapping};
\draw[gray!10,fill=green] (C) rectangle (G) node[black] at ($(C)!.5!(G)$){bus2};
\Cote{(E)}{(G)}{$t_c$}<h>
\Cote{(A)}{(B)}{$(t_c-t_{12})/2$}
\Cote{(B)}{(C)}{$t_{12}$}
\Cote{(C)}{(D)}{$(t_c-t_{12})/2$}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
answered Jul 7, 2015 at 22:58
Also in plain Metapost, with all the parameters at the top...
prologues:=3;
outputtemplate:="%j%c.eps";
beginfig(1);
c = 280;
t = 120;
h = 30;
path box[];
box1 = unitsquare xscaled 1/2(c-t) yscaled h;
box2 = unitsquare xscaled t yscaled h shifted point 1 of box1;
box3 = box1 shifted point 1 of box2;
fill box1 withcolor 0.8[red+green,white]; draw box1; label("bus1", center box1);
fill box2 withcolor 0.8[red,white]; draw box2; label("overlapping", center box2);
fill box3 withcolor 0.8[green,white]; draw box3; label("bus2", center box3);
path a[];
a1 = (point 0 of box1 -- point 1 of box1) shifted 12 down;
a2 = (point 0 of box2 -- point 1 of box2) shifted 12 down;
a3 = (point 0 of box3 -- point 1 of box3) shifted 12 down;
a4 = (point 3 of box1 -- point 2 of box3) shifted 12 up;
for i=1 upto 4:
drawdblarrow a[i];
draw (up--down) scaled 4 shifted point 0 of a[i];
draw (up--down) scaled 4 shifted point 1 of a[i];
endfor
label.bot(btex $(t_c-t_{12})/2$ etex, point 1/2 of a1);
label.bot(btex $t_{12}$ etex, point 1/2 of a2);
label.bot(btex $(t_c-t_{12})/2$ etex, point 1/2 of a3);
label.top(btex $t_c$ etex, point 1/2 of a4);
endfig;
end
Here is a simple semi-automatic solution using TiKZ:
\documentclass[tikz,border=2pt]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows,positioning,calc}
\begin{document} \sffamily
\newcommand{\Dline}[4]{%
\path ($(#1)!#4!90:(#2)$)coordinate(a) ($(#2)!#4!-90:(#1)$)coordinate(b);
\draw[|<->|,shorten <=-.5\pgflinewidth,shorten >=-.5\pgflinewidth] (a)--node[fill=white,sloped]{\small#3}(b);}
\begin{tikzpicture}[blk/.style args={#1,#2,#3}{minimum height=#1,minimum width=#,fill=#3,outer sep=0pt}, >=latex']
\node(b1)[blk={1cm,3cm,yellow}]{bus1};
\node(ov)[blk={1cm,4cm,red},anchor=west] at(b1.east) {overlapping};
\node(b2)[blk={1cm,3cm,green},anchor=west] at(ov.east) {bus2};
\Dline{b1.north west}{b2.north east}{$t_c$}{4mm}
\Dline{b1.south east}{b1.south west}{$(t_c-t_{12})/2$}{4mm}
\Dline{ov.south east}{ov.south west}{$t_{12}$}{4mm}
\Dline{b2.south east}{b2.south west}{$(t_c-t_{12})/2$}{4mm}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}
Here is a pstricks solution, with a comparatively short code: I define three frame nodes, and connect them in varrious ways:
\documentclass[11pt, a4paper, x11names]{standalone}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{pst-node}
\begin{document}
\sffamily
\psset{arrowinset=0.0, fillstyle=solid,}%
\begin{pspicture}(-0.1,-2)(8.1,1.6)%
\pnodes(0,0){O}(8,0){A}(2.4,0){ry}(5.6,0){yg}%
\psset{linecolor=SteelBlue3}%
\psline(0,-2)(0,1.6)\psline(8,-2)(8,1.6)\psline(ry)(2.4,-2)\psline(yg)(5.6,-2)%
\psset{linewidth=0pt}%
\fnode[framesize =2.4 1, fillcolor=Red1](1.2,0){b1}\fnode[framesize =3.2 1, fillcolor=Yellow1](4,0){ol}\fnode[framesize =2.4 1, fillcolor=Chartreuse4!80!](6.8,0){b2}%
\psset{arrows=<->, offset=1, linewidth=0.8pt, nodesep =0pt}%
\ncline{ry}{O}\naput{\color{SteelBlue3} $\mathsf{{(t_{\scriptscriptstyle C}-t_{\scriptscriptstyle 12})}/2} $}%
\ncline{yg}{ry}\naput{\color{SteelBlue3} $\mathsf{t_{\scriptscriptstyle 12}} $}%
\ncline{A}{yg}\naput{\color{SteelBlue3} $\mathsf{{(t_{\scriptscriptstyle C}-t_{\scriptscriptstyle 12})}/2} $}%
\ncline{O}{A}\naput{\color{SteelBlue3} $\mathsf{t_{\scriptscriptstyle C}} $}%
\rput(b1){bus1}\rput(b2){bus2}\rput(ol){overlapping}%
\end{pspicture}%
\end{document}
pstricks,picture,pdfliteral, etc., take your pick. See also What graphics packages are there for creating graphics in LaTeX documents?(It is not easy to type mathematical formulas in visio)I do this all the time, I also use Visio. like this: I open SW (scientific word) write my math in there, then select the math as_picture from SW, and paste it on VISIO. Here is an example image and another the math ofcourse will not be as good as native Latex code as with Tikz, but it is much easier to do and move the math around using the mouse, and one can resize it also ;)