dimensions

[Anonymous]

Goddammit..
Is there any way of adjusting dimensions with any level of efficiency?? All dimensions I draw are fixed forever. I cannot adjust one dimension to reflect one change. If I change something which is expressed on a string of dimensions I have to redraw the entire string... retarded? YES!

Also, if I drag the dimensions out to give myself a little more room I find that I can drag them anywhere, not just parallel to the line I drew them. Obviously this means that I can mistakenly shift the entire string of dimensions away from what I'm dimensioning so as to make them all inaccurate. This has got to be the stupidest architectural tool I have ever used. (dimensions, but also goddamn archicad)

So, mostly rant, but please.. Is there any way that I can adjust individual dimensions, or is it just redraw forever..

Thanks.
Nick.

[Anonymous]

Calm down. It's not that bad.

NickMcLeod wrote:
Goddammit..
Is there any way of adjusting dimensions with any level of efficiency?? All dimensions I draw are fixed forever. I cannot adjust one dimension to reflect one change. If I change something which is expressed on a string of dimensions I have to redraw the entire string... retarded? YES!

If you want to add a dimension within an existing string, select the dimension, CMD-click (Mac) or CTRL-click (windows) at a new element (a wall end or intersection, for example) and the dimension will be added.
If you want to remove one witness line within a string select the dimensions' node at the dimension line and Delete.
If you want to remove a dimension in the middle of a string (and split the string each side) select the midpoint of the relevant dimension.

NickMcLeod wrote:
Also, if I drag the dimensions out to give myself a little more room I find that I can drag them anywhere, not just parallel to the line I drew them. Obviously this means that I can mistakenly shift the entire string of dimensions away from what I'm dimensioning so as to make them all inaccurate. This has got to be the stupidest architectural tool I have ever used. (dimensions, but also <b>[censored]</b> archicad)

Thanks.
Nick.

I have never been able to move a dimension away from associated elements (unless the dimension is "Static" which I don't use very often if ever)

[Rod Jurich]

On the contrary Nick, the user may be at fault.

By chance do you have your dimension tool checked for STATIC dimensions.

And you will get a more precise answer if you add a signature with your OS and version of AC

[Anonymous]

dammittt!!!!
Its me.. again..
I have it stuck on static dimension.. I've been doing this all over the place..
Sigh!

Thanks..
This may help.. I haven't tried yet.. I'm glad that although I get frustrated there is always some new variable that I'm being screwed with.
Thank you.

Nick.

[Anonymous]

🙂
mm.. I think I'm resigning myself to it almost always being the user thats at fault..
I've never felt as computer unsavvy as I have felt on this program, and I've used far more complex yet far more intuative software.

Anyway, thanks again..
Nick.

[Anonymous]

yeah yeah..
Fine! So the dimension tool is ok with STATIC unticked.. and that ctl-click a new dimension is pretty good too..

Somehow this makes me less happy. 🙂
Nick.

[Rod Jurich]

Nick, check your build as the latest is 3862.
Your sig says 3004

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I seem to have the same issue as Nick, but STATIC is not checked by default. As far as I can see, the only difference between having STATIC checked vs. unchecked is that checking it disassociates the dimension from the element. This means (for the sake of explaining it to someone new to the program) that stretching a dimensioned wall will not stretch the dimension. However, even though the dimension has been disassociated from the element, I still cannot drag the dimension to adjust it to what I want to show.

Does anyone know how I can adjust a dimension on a dimension string without redrawing the whole string?

Lets say I have a really long string, and along the line, I choose the wrong element (say, a corner point of a window mullion instead of the midpoint) for the dimension.

Then the only thing I can do is start over. The only workaround, something that I realized by reading the posts above, is to command click on the line to add the new element and subsequently delete the old one. To me this seems very inefficient and prone to causing errors.

What I would really prefer would be if dimensions were not associated with elements. Is there any way to do this?

Thanks,

Best,

Oskar

[Barry Kelly]

Oskar wrote:

What I would really prefer would be if dimensions were not associated with elements. Is there any way to do this?

But that is the whole idea - to have dimension associated to the elements.
That way as you adjust the element the dimension will adjust as well automatically.
If you need to add new dimension points then select the dimension and CTRL click on the element point you want to add.
To delete a dimension point (node) simply select just the dimension node and delete it.

Once a dimension is static (i.e. not associated to elements) you can not adjust it but you can add and delete points as mentioned above.
Any newly created nodes will be associated to the element and will adjust accordingly as the element is adjusted.

The whole system is geared up to having the dimensions associated and not static.
If ever I make a dimension static (very rarely) I like to change it to a different colour so it stands out in plan and I or anyone else using the file knows there is something odd about it without even having to select it.

Barry.

[Vitruvius]

If you want to create an adjustable "static" dimension then you can lay down a string of Hotspots and dimension to those.

I occasionally do this when the last dimension in a string ends up being something like 1114.3 mm, due to angled or curved geometry (or an Imperial part). The choice is to insert Custom Text (1115 mm) or to place a hotspot at 1115 mm and dimension to that.

The advantage of the hotspot is that I can stretch the object node/hotspot and keep the dimension relevant whereas the Custom Text wouldn't update.

Cheers