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DIMENSION TOLERANCES - these guys can't seem to get it straignt

rob2218
Enthusiast
Why does this happen so ofter (rhetorical)?

I work with various (ahem) "architects" who swear up and down that they have worked in Archicad for the last 10 years. I'm not sure why but almost every (ahem) "architect" I've dealt with has a BAD BAD habit of NOT wanting to see the truth in how they layout their buildings. It seems "most" (not all but a LARGE LARGE percentage) of them just don't want to draw accurately.

It seems they'd rather "dull down" their dimensions tolerances and then wonder why their slabs just aren't quite right or why their walls from story to story just don't line up right or why their walls are just not quite orthogonal?.....

How can I FIX so-called "architects" who have been (ahem) working in Archicad for 10 years of their bad habit?
What do you suggest? I've tried to be polite. I've tried to be PC about it.....but nothing I do or say gets thru to them with regards to drawing more accurately. I've tried to tutor them on a one-to-one approach....but they just rather FAKE their dimensions and their layout work-flow rather than DRAW CORRECTLY D$%M IT!

Dunno...I'm at the end of my wits here.
...Bobby Hollywood live from...
i>u
Edgewater, FL!
SOFTWARE VERSION:
Archicad 22, Archicad 23
Windows7 -OS, MAC Maverick OS
21 REPLIES 21

@Laszlo Nagy  That caught my attention too. Having a quickly read of the  SOLIDWORKS  help files reveals their dimensioning works both ways e.g. you dimension a part, but you can also change the part by altering a dimension. Sounds a bit like Parametric 3D modelling. I don't think that is coming to AC any time soon! The other thing is they appear to have is a workflow where you dimension from the part to the whole, and the dimensions only appear once in the relevant part when it is added to a layout, which would be great for AC if we had internal parts/blocks/modules*.

I am also interested in @Wookie response...

 

* Delete name to suit personal preferences.

Apple iMac Intel i9 / macOS Sonoma / AC27UKI (most recent builds.. if they work)

@DGSketcher you hit the nail on the head.

 

The dimensioning in Solidworks works both ways, you can set or adjust the dimensions at the part level AND at the model and floor plan level.

 

So for example, you create a wall with a window cavity in 2D or 3D, adding the dimensions. The dimensions can then be adjusted on the part, the model (or assembly in Solidworks) and on the floor plans themselves, which updates them everywhere else. It puts dimensions at the forefront of your designs, allowing you to make precise, quick tweaks, at all levels during the build. It’s much faster. They’re also far easier to set and more intuitive, this is of course subjective.

 

From what I can tell, dimensions can only be set or adjusted at the part level only on Archicad. This somewhat limits the workflow and makes dimensions feel clunky and less important some how. I’m sure Archicad pros have no issue with this but for anyone moving over from Solidworks, or Siemens NX etc, you really notice it.