AutoCAD Tips & Tutorials

Formatting fractions

Some people (mostly architectural types) like their fractions like this:

Others (mostly mechanical types) like their fractions like this:

These are called stacked fractions. For Multiline text, you can format fractions as you type, and also set the format of individual fractions if you sometimes need to change the way your fractions look.

To create stacked fractions as you type, open the Multiline Text Editor and follow these steps:

1. Type the numerator.

2. Type the character that defines the fraction format you want:

• Type a slash (/) to create a fraction separated by a horizontal line.

• Type a pound symbol (#) to create a fraction separated by a diagonal line.

• Type a carat (^) to create a tolerance stack, which is like a fraction separated by a horizontal line except that there is no horizontal line.

3. Type the denominator.

4. Type a space (or other nonnumeric character). The AutoStack Properties dialog box opens.

5. Change any settings you want to change, and click OK to create the stacked fraction.

You can choose in the AutoStack Properties dialog box how x/y should stack. Then check the Don't show this dialog again; always use these settings check box so that you can quickly format fractions on the fly.

To individually set the format of a stacked fraction, type the fraction, select it, and right-click. Choose Stack Properties (in some releases, just Properties) from the shortcut menu to open the Stack Properties dialog box.

Here you can choose the style of fraction, specify the position relative to the text baseline, and set the text size for the numerator and denominator. You can use the Defaults button to either restore original defaults or use the settings that you specified in the dialog box as the defaults. Click OK when you're done.

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