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

[rob2218]

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.

[DGSketcher]

At least you can display the error. It's even more entertaining when they manually override the dimension to a static figure...

[gpowless]

What I find equally annoying are those that were taught using AutoCAD using hotspots to dimension to. They don't care about the accuracy of their drawings because they simplpy fudge the dimensions by moving the hotspots!

[rob2218]

That's messed up. Yes, I too have heard many a times...."Oh, I know what I'm doing on the computer cause I was (ahem) 'self-taugh'".........................LOUD BUZZER SOUND GOES OFF MAKING A "WROOOOONG ANSWER" sound.

Geez, I tell you, some folks, and I'm sure you've run into them and have yer own stories to tell, should never be let NEAR a PC.

I had on tell, just recently, "I'm a big ideas kinda guy, I'm not a production guy"................Well, then, if you can't create designs or drawings correctly "IN" Archicad, let me do it for you. Trust me the drawings will LOOK 1000% better and I'll save you money in the long-run.

[Lingwisyer]

Big ideas? Sounds like they should be working on paper rather than within the limitations of a software...

[Anonymous]

I'm guilty of that. When you design on the 3d model is very easy to think you got it right in the point, but in reality theres another object you don't see that's giving the reference...so it ends up with little deviations. When I notice the error, it consumes some time to put it correctly.---But I do not force it! I correct it!

[rob2218]

well...at least you know well enough to correct the error.
Most of the architects I deal with just don't give rats A$%$@ how they draw or do layout of design elements...they just want to PLOW IT down and let someone else worry about why it's not right later....bad idea.

That's ok, keep doing that architects cause you keep me gainfully employed to fix all yer errors.....so please, carry on.

[Erwin Edel]

I try to explain that it takes one small extra step to put something at a round accurate dimension, but it takes a ton of steps to fix incremental errors that start from one element being put 'about right'.

Billable hours are also not part of big ideas sadly.

I'm ussually the one starting off from the original sketch ideas (scanned hand drawing), this gives the project a good start at least.

Sloppy drafting is very annoying and unprofessional. I've hated it since I started drawing in CAD back in university.

I get that you guesstimate an initial position when you are working out some design, but just check the dimension and fix it after you've plopped something in to place.

No idea how this works out with inches, but with our mm I keep my drawing units at 1 decimal so I can spot right away that something is just dropped in place randomly by looking at the coordinates feedback in tracker and coordinates palette.

[rob2218]

Archicad can only go down to a 1/64th inch tolerance...but here's the kicker...if you have two lines, walls, whatever and you move them 1/128th of an inch apart....Archicad wont register it as any movement.

In autocad...it had a higher tolerance level, at 1/256th of an inch but WTF draws at that tolerance.

But, I agree, "sloppy design and even more so sloppy drafting" is a hassle.

That's why I'm known as "Mr. Wolf-The Cleaner" (remember Pulp Fiction). "I'm sorry if I was curt with you but I think fast, I think on my feet...so let's get a move on boys....pretty please with sugar on top"..................

Again, NO, absolutely NO reason to be sloppy when you have a tool that can place objects so accurately.

[David Maudlin]

rob2218 wrote:
Archicad can only go down to a 1/64th inch tolerance...

You can set the Working Units to Feet & Decimal Inches to 3 places (1/1000"), which makes it easier to spot these errors.

David