disabling custom dimension text

[Anonymous]

Hello,

We have found that in one of our standard house designs a drafter has 'fixed up' a dimension by using the custom text option. They changed the text to be 830 when the space its dimensioning is much larger.

We can see no valid use for this custom text option and would like to disable it if possible. Does anybody know how this could be done? The best I can come up with is to change it back after it has changed but I do not get notified upon dimension changes due to the fact that dimensions can not be assigned user data (at least in v7).

Ideally I would like to disable this feature alltogether. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Adam

[Link]

Unfortunately the function to stop users making static text is not available! This has been a long standing wish from many of us. In fact if there's not an official wish in the Wishlist section, you may want to add one!

Cheers,
Link.

[__archiben]

i would prefer to see the functionality kept for the time being (see below), but with the added option of setting different text settings for static dimensions which get automatically applied . . .

when drafting details (i'd challenge anybody to tell me that details ought to be modelled as well), you often want to show the components exploded slightly, or even several details in one line truncated into a smaller space . . . then static dimensions come in handy.

i would add that as a principle i tend to agree with the wish to abandon them completely - but i think they'll be around for as long as it takes to develop BIM solutions to the above (and more).

[TomWaltz]

adambutler wrote:
Hello,

We have found that in one of our standard house designs a drafter has 'fixed up' a dimension by using the custom text option. They changed the text to be 830 when the space its dimensioning is much larger.

We can see no valid use for this custom text option and would like to disable it if possible. Does anybody know how this could be done? The best I can come up with is to change it back after it has changed but I do not get notified upon dimension changes due to the fact that dimensions can not be assigned user data (at least in v7).

Ideally I would like to disable this feature alltogether. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Adam

I find long thumb tacks on seats are helpful in preventing people from doing this...

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I don't expect this feature to be removed completely - maybe I will one day find a use for it, but rather I would like to be notified when this happens so that I can prevent it in certain circumstances.

My quick fix has been to go through all dimensions and unset (*memo.dimelems)[ii]note.manual during a certain point in my add-on. This works quite nicely for now, I'm thinking if there is no better way I'll use a win32 hook to watch for the appearance of the "Dimension text Settings dialog", this way I can warn my users in advance not to use this feature.

Thanks,
Adam

[Anonymous]

Would some sort of graphical indicator at text that has been manually overwritten do the job, like a non-printing circle around the text or something? Just a thought.

[Link]

In that case why not just change the color of that changed text? I do think that we should be able to find and select statis dim text though.

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Link wrote:
In that case why not just change the color of that changed text? I do think that we should be able to find and select statis dim text though.

Cheers,
Link.

That would work if you could assign the colour in a setting somewhere and make sure you get the correct print output. Or have it so these dims still print with default dim text colour.

[Link]

Yep - another reason why pen mapping in PM is so important! But that's a whole other story!

Cheers mate,
Link.

[gerd]

hi,
I use this possibility to change automatic dimension text in some cases to mark separate building processes (1st construction phase, 2nd ...)
this is a fast method and looks good in my opinion.

another usage is this:
you have to dimension something which is partly accurate, but partly not defined exactely. drawn in archicad it is defined, but you want to see in the plan something like "ca. 20-50mm"

but I agree to the idea, to mark it somehow in the plan, to make it possible to find manual changed values
I think, a coloured background color would be best. this should be possible to be shown or not (like color of zonestamp), but not be printed.

best regards