topic Re: Align Dimensions in Documentation

Align Dimensions

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 11:07:42 GMT

I have searched for the command to align dimensions, but unable to find, can anyone help?

Many thanks

Kind regards,
Lucia Siciliano

Re: Align Dimensions

Aussie John — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:45:16 GMT

You need to use an addon such as the free "Orbit Accesories"

Click on Products in http://www.orbitsolutions.com.au/

Re: Align Dimensions

Djordje — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:46:50 GMT

Lucia wrote:
I have searched for the command to align dimensions, but unable to find, can anyone help?

Align, how?

Re: Align Dimensions

Link — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 15:03:49 GMT

I have searched for the command to align dimensions, but unable to find, can anyone help?

Kind vague mate

If you want to join two strings together, you simply select one and ctrl/cmd click the other, while in the Dimension tool.

If you want to simply align to individual dimension strings, simply start dragging one and click on the other.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Align Dimensions

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 00:59:01 GMT

Thanks for your replies.

In AutoCAD there is a command called "Align Dimension". You choose two points and the dimension will be perpendicular to these points. They are not attached to the items as they are in ArchiCAD.

I have attached a part site plan, there is a 4.5m setback, as the frontage is not 90 degrees, I have drawn a construction line perpendicular to the site to achieve the 4.5m setback dimension. When I delete the construction line the dimension disappears also, I'm sure there is another way to align dims.

All suggestions are most welcome to an ArchiCAD beginner!

Lucia

Re: Align Dimensions

Aussie John — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 01:16:12 GMT

You need to be creative in this instance. Yes, the dimension will disappear when you delete the line as the dimension is associative. You can make a static dimension but to keep it associative you can draw your line but make it only short and make sure it stops short of the house and the boundary and do an angled dimension to the ends of the line.

Now your dimension has the correct orientation. Select the dimension and command click (mac) the end of the site boundary and then command click on the point of the house. The dimension should extend to the new points. Even though the points are not in the same alignment as the original line, the dimension will maintain its original orientation. Delete the line and the dimension will remain and will be associative and to the boundary.

Hope that is clear

Re: Align Dimensions

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:57:45 GMT

Hot spots can also be quite useful for placing dimension to elements that "don't exist". Hot spots don't print but can be snapped to.

Re: Align Dimensions

Link — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:19:41 GMT

Once you understand how the 'aligned' dimension works, you'll see it's really quite easy to achieve without any short lines, hotspots or static dimensions.

The aligned dimension determines it's angle with the first two elements it dimensions to. Those first two elements set the vector for the angle and everything after that is simply placed into the angled dimension chain.

Having said that, all you need to do is continue your construction line past your boundary and then dimension in this order:

1. To the corner of the building. (Keep in mind that ArchiCAD will highlight what you have dimensioned to, so if the construction line or slab appears selected instead of the wall, keep clicking in the same spot until the element you want to dimension to appears selected.)

2. Dimension to the end of the construction line. (That will set the angle of the dimension to the angle of the construction line.)

3. Dimension to a node of the boundary. This node can be an endpoint, midpoint, or special snap point. Just make sure it is not the intersection point between it and the construction line. (Keep in mind that this dimensioned point will be associative (ie. non-static) if the placed dimension node apears as a circle. If it appars as a square, it will be static (not associated to anything), and that's not usually a good thing. If you see a square, just click on the square again and dimension elsewhere.)

Now all you need to do is delete your construction line. The unwanted part of the dimension chain disappears leaving you with not only the correct angle on your dimension, but a dimension that is associative and doesn't require extraneous 2D elements to continue to get in your way. It's clean.

Of course there are many different ways to accomplish this (for example, you could have simply used the midpoint of your construction line to set the angle vector), but I just wanted to make this easy to grasp. Keep in mind that a lateral thinking user will use this method for all horizontal and vertical dimensions to avoid the merciless horizontal/vertical dim switch!

Hope that was clear - it is much easier to show in person and if GS let us upload animations, I would have demonstrated it that way, but until then an image will have to suffice. Feel free tell me if you didn't 'get it'.

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Align Dimensions

Jefferson — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 17:09:38 GMT

Picked this up at my local user group. [talking Jim] Set your dimension points, vertical horizontal, doesn't matter, to the two points you want then select it and rotate it to parallel or perpendicular with a construction line, property boundary, wall, etc.

Who knew dimensions rotated? Simple and fast.

Re: Align Dimensions

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 14:26:35 GMT

Great tip, Jefferson!

Funny how when I knew I couldn't do something in previous versions I don't try to do it in the new ones too! Sometimes routine is bad!

Re: Align Dimensions

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 14:38:54 GMT

Rotate dimensions worked in version 6.5. I have learned to use the aligned (angled) dimension setting for most of my dimensioning and rotating as needed rather than selecting a group of points only to find out you have the wrong dimension direction selected and the command gets cancelled. I have found it to work well in dimensioning drawing.

Actually you can also do mirror also as well as the copy commands (Rotate a copy, mirror a copy).

Re: Align Dimensions

Stress Co_ — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:24:49 GMT

Link wrote:
Having said that, all you need to do is continue your construction line past your boundary and then dimension in this order:

1. To the corner of the building. (Keep in mind that ArchiCAD will highlight what you have dimensioned to, so if the construction line or slab appears selected instead of the wall, keep clicking in the same spot until the element you want to dimension to appears selected.)

2. Dimension to the end of the construction line. (That will set the angle of the dimension to the angle of the construction line.)

3. Dimension to a node of the boundary. This node can be an endpoint, midpoint, or special snap point. Just make sure it is not the intersection point between it and the construction line. (Keep in mind that this dimensioned point will be associative (ie. non-static) if the placed dimension node apears as a circle. If it appars as a square, it will be static (not associated to anything), and that's not usually a good thing. If you see a square, just click on the square again and dimension elsewhere.)

Now all you need to do is delete your construction line.

Found a use for that "temporary guideline"... works well in lieu of the construction line.

Re: Align Dimensions

Link — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:43:31 GMT

Hey Marc

You're right. Now in AC10 we could simply dimension to a point on the guide line to set the angle, then delete it later. It's just a pity that we can't place the guide line while in the dimension tool.

In fact if the dimension tool recognized perpendicular constraints, we wouldn't need to use any construction techniques at all! Seem like an easy solution....

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Align Dimensions

Stress Co_ — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 03:03:31 GMT

Link wrote:
Hey Marc

You're right. Now in AC10 we could simply dimension to a point on the guide line to set the angle, then delete it later. It's just a pity that we can't place the guide line while in the dimension tool.

In fact if the dimension tool recognized perpendicular constraints, we wouldn't need to use any construction techniques at all! Seem like an easy solution....

Cheers,
Link.

I mean like this:

It's not the automatic(?) guidelines, but the temporary guideline you select from the "control box" pallete.

Re: Align Dimensions

Link — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 03:25:12 GMT

I hear you brother.

Using the control box means you can set the guide line while in the Dimension tool, but that little square (static) dimension node is what worries me.

Wouldn't it be nice if the Dimension tool used the perpendicular cursor (just like the Wall tool does) and also became associated with that element (round dimension node) when placed?

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Align Dimensions

Stress Co_ — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 03:44:14 GMT

In 3 words

Re: Align Dimensions

Jefferson — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 04:15:38 GMT

.........very cute Marc! Thanks for that