10.2 Continue & Baseline Dimension Strings

Objective 4.3.b covers two closely related tools — DIMCONTINUE and DIMBASELINE — that both generate a whole string of dimensions from one starting point instead of placing each dimension in the string separately. Both build on an existing dimension that must already be present in the drawing, and both are commonly needed anywhere a series of features sits along one edge: a row of holes, a stack of floor-to-floor heights, or a sequence of wall openings.

DIMCONTINUE: Chaining End to End

DIMCONTINUE creates a new dimension that starts exactly where the previous one left off. Specifically, it uses the second extension line origin of the most recently created dimension (or of a dimension you explicitly select) as the first extension line origin of the new dimension, and then only prompts for the new dimension's second point. The result is a chain of dimensions that sit end to end along the same dimension-line height, each one picking up exactly where its neighbor stopped — visually, the extension lines of adjoining dimensions in the chain line up, and there's no gap or overlap between consecutive dimension values.

This is the correct tool whenever a drawing needs to show the individual distance between each successive pair of features — for example, the spacing from hole 1 to hole 2, then hole 2 to hole 3, then hole 3 to hole 4, each as its own separate value.

DIMBASELINE: Stacking from a Common Origin

DIMBASELINE instead reuses the first extension line origin of the base dimension as the starting point for every new dimension in the series, so every dimension in the group measures from that same fixed zero point outward. Because every one of these dimensions shares a start point but has a progressively longer end point, their dimension lines would physically overlap if drawn at the same height — so DIMBASELINE automatically offsets each successive dimension line outward from the last by a fixed spacing distance, controlled by the DIMDLI (dimension line increment) system variable, which is also editable through the Lines tab of the Dimension Style Manager.

This is the correct tool whenever a drawing needs to show cumulative distances measured from one fixed reference, such as every hole's distance from a datum edge, rather than the distance between adjacent holes.

Continue vs. Baseline at a Glance

The Base Dimension Requirement and the Select Option

Neither command can run without a base to work from — that's the "single command" objective 4.3.b is testing: instead of drawing five distinct linear dimensions across five features, you draw one, then let Continue or Baseline generate the rest from it. When either command starts, AutoCAD automatically continues from whichever dimension was most recently created in the current drawing session. If no dimension was just created — for example, if the drawing was reopened, or a different command ran in between — DIMCONTINUE and DIMBASELINE immediately prompt to select a continued dimension or select a base dimension, letting you click an existing dimension elsewhere in the drawing to use as the starting reference instead.

This matters in practice: if the wrong dimension is currently active as the implied base, continuing from it produces a chain or stack that starts from the wrong feature entirely. Always confirm — or explicitly use the Select option to choose — the correct base dimension before continuing.

Ending a Chain and Starting a New One

Pressing Enter once while either command is running ends the current chain and immediately re-prompts to select a new base dimension, letting you start an entirely separate chain or stack without leaving the command. Pressing Enter (or Esc) a second time — at that select prompt — exits the command completely. This two-stage exit means one DIMCONTINUE or DIMBASELINE session can actually generate multiple unrelated chains before finally quitting, as long as a new base is selected after the first Enter.

Not Just for Linear Dimensions

Both commands work with angular dimensions in addition to linear and ordinate dimensions. A DIMCONTINUE chain of angles builds a sequence of adjoining angular values around a common vertex, while a DIMBASELINE stack of angles measures each successive angle from the same starting leg, offset outward the same way linear baseline dimensions are. The underlying "start from the last dimension's second origin" versus "start from the base dimension's first origin" logic is identical regardless of dimension type.

Adding to an Existing Chain Later

If a drawing needs one more dimension added to an already-completed continue or baseline series after the fact, DIMCONTINUE or DIMBASELINE must be run again and pointed — via the Select option — at one of the existing dimensions already in that chain, not just any nearby linear dimension. Selecting an unrelated dimension elsewhere in the drawing as the base would start a brand-new, disconnected chain rather than correctly extending the original series from the correct captured extension line origin.

On the Exam

Expect questions that describe a drawing scenario — a row of holes needing individual spacing values, or a row of holes each needing distance from one datum edge — and ask whether Continue or Baseline is correct, along with questions on what determines the new dimension's starting point in each command and what the two-stage Enter/Select sequence does.