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.

[rob2218]

That's a good tip David.
Still need to get something out to you sir.
I've been tied up. "Life gets in the way" as my brother whom I care about very much, always likes to say.

[Erwin Edel]

Decimal inches sounds about as what I have going with mm with 1 decimal.

If you have the coordinates palette open (I have it docked at bottom of the screen), you get instant feedback when you highlight corners or edges of elements.

[rob2218]

thank you.

[KeesW]

Metric is much better. We draw to 1mm accuracy which is 1/25 inch. Builders here only build to within 5 or so mm, and joiners might work to 1mm. So why build to 1/64” unless US builders have been trained as brain surgeons! What tolerances do you get building materials such as framing?

The trick to draw accurately is work between designated points, intersections and surfaces rather than to specific dimensions.

[DGSketcher]

I do detailing where the dimensioning system can fail due to rounding. It depends what you are working on but some of my drawings need to be accurate to the millimetre. As a simple example, a chain of dimensions 50.3mm + 50.3mm will illustrate to the millimetre as 50mm + 50mm BUT if you then dimension the overall line length which would be 100.6mm it will be rounded up to 101mm. So you then have to explain why 50 + 50 = 101 to the end user. OK there are many fixes, but some of them fall into the categories which are considered bad practice that started this thread in the first place.

[Wookie]

The main problem is that dimensions in Archicad just aren’t prominent enough. Take Solidworks for example, it’s dimensioning and ease of use of the dimension tool takes pride and place, everything you do revolves around it, as it should in a cad / 3D modeler. Archicad’s dimensions are barely visible, and very difficult to change / track after you have set them. They’re pretty terrible tbh and quite obscure, which is bad considering that everything should be focused around the dimensions. And so, it forces this sloppyness from the user making it someone else’s problem later on. It’s the one thing about Archicad that needs a serious overhaul IMO.

Anyone can model a house, but designing one that is dimensionally sound and ready to build is the mark of a true architect. I really want to love Archicad but I keep going back to Solidworks based on the dimensioning alone. 

[DGSketcher]

I don't think this is just a software issue, it is an education issue for users. I have to work from various architects drawings and there is a clear division between those who understand the construction process and those who just happily click on their drawings to add dimensions they think might be useful. The latest one to cross my desk had external perimeter dimensions and internal dimensions but the external wall thicknesses were not defined so there was no way to tie the inside to outside. 🤔 There needs to be a shift towards producing drawings dimensioning the core/structural/grid elements which will help identify continuity of load lines and fix the building layout. This isn't structural design, it is common sense to explain to the engineer/builder how the designer thinks the building structure should function.

[Laszlo Nagy]

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@DGSketcher wrote:
As a simple example, a chain of dimensions 50.3mm + 50.3mm will illustrate to the millimetre as 50mm + 50mm BUT if you then dimension the overall line length which would be 100.6mm it will be rounded up to 101mm. So you then have to explain why 50 + 50 = 101 to the end user. OK there are many fixes, but some of them fall into the categories which are considered bad practice that started this thread in the first place.

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How would you suggest such a rounding situation should be handled by Archicad?

[Laszlo Nagy]

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@Wookie wrote:

The main problem is that dimensions in Archicad just aren’t prominent enough. Take Solidworks for example, it’s dimensioning and ease of use of the dimension tool takes pride and place, everything you do revolves around it, as it should in a cad / 3D modeler.

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Could you show a few examples of why you think Solidworks dimensions are much better?

I do not know Solidworks at all, so this I am genuinely interested in the answer.

[DGSketcher]

@Laszlo Nagy  Professionally! 😉

I don't think AC is wrong, I was pointing out what can happen with detailed dimensions. This really is a case of user education and judgement. If the 100.6mm is correct, the dimension display settings should reflect this. Basically, we should be modelling to the displayable dimension tolerance. This is why we have decimals & extra accuracy display options in the Project Preferences>Dimension Settings.