Distance Check

[Anonymous]

How can I check a distance after a wall is drawn? In AutoCAD there is a distance feature (DI - Enter) wherein you can verify the distance of the wall drawn. Is there such a feature in ArchiCAD?

susanmoses

[Dwight]

what is the "Custom Mouse Constraint?" like, 89 degrees?

[Anonymous]

gpowless wrote:
I learned this lesson a while back.

Sometimes the walls or elements get slightly skewed most often by stretching the wall in one direction without constraining the other. Having had to redo a whole lot of dimensions because the cursor jumped in the y direction while stretching it in the x, I have since adapted by making sure that I specify both constraints even if one is zero when stretching or moving elements.

Interesting, and I'll keep it in mind. Since I posted that image, I've stretched both walls, but hadn't done so beforehand. The dimensions seem to have remained the same, though.

To see if this is the problem, make sure that your settings to not have the custom mouse constraint set

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand.

and then move the node of the wall along the horizontal axis while locking the y axis (holding the Shift). If the node moves even slightly, you have corrected the issue.

Sorry, again, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by moving the node. You mean while I'm actually trying to stretch the element? The end that I'm moving?

The other possibility that I have encountered in the tolerance solution is to select the wall and "nudge" it 1/64" in the x direction

For the life of me, I haven't been able to figure out how to nudge anything in AC, and it's one of the things I desperately miss from other programs. Hint, please <g>?

It just shouldn't be this complicated to ensure that when one places or extends/shortens a simple element that it actually goes down perfectly straight, without error, every time, without having to jump through hoops like this. It *looks* easy, but it's clearly turning out to be a real PITA <sigh>.

Wendy

[Dwight]

here

[Stress Co_]

Dwight wrote:
what is the "Custom Mouse Constraint?" like, 89 degrees?

Wendy:

I was having a simular problem..... using the shift key to draw a 0, 90, 180 or 270 degree line .... I was always off by a bit less than a degree. If I didn't look at the angle coordinate... I'd be off. So close, I sometimes didn't notice.

I checked the "Custom Mouse Constraint" and it was set to something like .0234 degrees. How did it get that way?? Sometime in the process of drawing a site plan.... I drew a line using the "Perpendicular to" tool (the line I selected was from an x-refed survey.... and it wasn't at 0 degrees). Drawing that line reset the value in the "Custom Mouse Constraint". I usually have it set to 30 degrees. (THANKS LINK!!)

Anyway... something to be aware of.

Off topic:
Dwight... book arrived on Friday... looks to be.... well worth the wait.

[Dwight]

The "on-the-fly" constraint has this problem.

The way to cope is to constrain from the opposing side from the slight error angle to snap to the perpendicular constraint instead.....


How it gets like that is when you do a "parallel to" on a nearly orthographic element.

[Anonymous]

Dwight wrote:
what is the "Custom Mouse Constraint?" like, 89 degrees?

Thirty degrees. Nothing strange.

Wendy

[Link]

Wendy,

Note the highlighted area in the attached image. The custom constraint can be changed on the fly. If this custom angle is close to horizontal/vertical or 45 degrees, then they can be easily confused!

Always keep an eye on your angle 'a' cordinate in the cordinate box. When you hold shift it effectively locks the angle. When this happens, the a will have a box around it.

Cheers (from Maui! ),
Link.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Link; I'll keep an eye out for that.

Wendy