!Restored: Highlight custom text

[Anonymous]

When I have to change the text of a dimension I always change the pen of the text to show me that this text isn't going to update when I stretch the dimension. But this doesn't work so well for existing details. I have to hunt for them. Wouldn't it be great if ArchiCAD did this for me? Wouldn't it be great if ArchiCAD maybe put a non-printing box around custom text fields in dimensions. I think that this box means something in the drafting world though so maybe there needs to be some other form of highlight. But anyway, it sure would be nice if ArchiCAD made a graphic distinction between live dimension text and custom dimension text.

[Geoff Briggs]

Good idea. It's easy to remember custom dimension values when they're text, like "EQ.", but next to impossible when they're dimensions.

On a related note, a lot of custom dimension values would be unnecessary if you could:
A) add leading and trailing text to calculated values , for things like TYP., R.O., ±, etc.
B) adjust the rounding (and units) on a per dimension basis so you could avoid pesky fractions/decimals in selected circumstances without having to alter the accuracy of the entire file.

These are basic requirements of a computer-based dimension system to bring it into parity with what we used to do when hand drafting, and have long been available in less expensive CAD applications.

[Dave Jochum]

Geoff wrote:
On a related note, a lot of custom dimension values would be unnecessary if you could:
A) add leading and trailing text to calculated values , for things like TYP., R.O., ±, etc.
B) adjust the rounding (and units) on a per dimension basis so you could avoid pesky fractions/decimals in selected circumstances without having to alter the accuracy of the entire file.

Very good idea! This would eliminate nearly all custom dimensions, with the exception of those times that changes don't warrant altering the model.

[Anonymous]

I agree strongly with all these suggestions. Dimensioning has always been one of the most troublesome parts of the process. These improvements would be a big help.

One more thing that would be nice is a warning when deleting elements that have associated dimensions, with the option to make them static, delete them, or cancel. This already occurs when unlinking sections that contain dimensions, so it couldn't be too hard to do. Automatic highlighting of the static dimensions would be necessary to keep this from being too risky.