Wishes
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Dimension tool made available in Layouts view

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi everyone

The dimension tool is not available in the layouts view at the moment. This is because in layouts mode, sizes (eg. paper size, border width etc.) is at 1:1. Logically speaking, dimensioning of any element(s) onto views laid out will not depict the true dimension of the element(s).

However, won't it be nice if the tool is made available in layouts mode anyway? For example, sometimes we scan hand-drawn sketches and place them onto layouts with the standard title blocks set up in ArchiCAD.

From there, it would be nice that dimensions can be placed (clicking on hot spots placed at specific points). Depending on the actual size, dimension figures can be keyed in manually to override whatever is displayed.
10 REPLIES 10
Anonymous
Not applicable
I did not vote against it, but, IMHO, it is better to place anything that came from outside, in the window "Worksheet". Thus, you avoid problems with the dimension and Autofill titles.
Dwight
Newcomer
I'm not voting to use Graphisoft resources to provide your wish, because an adequate method exists to serve you already.

Paste your scan/sketch/whatever into an Independent Detail or Worksheet and dimension/annotate it there. THEN bring it into your layout.

Trust me - this protects you against disaster.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Dwight wrote:
I'm not voting to use Graphisoft resources to provide your wish, because an adequate method exists to serve you already.

Paste your scan/sketch/whatever into an Independent Detail or Worksheet and dimension/annotate it there. THEN bring it into your layout.

Trust me - this protects you against disaster.
Thanks Dwight for the work-around. I have thought of it, but sometimes I am too lazy, and just wanna drag+drop the scanned images directly onto the layouts

Just for discussion sake, you mentioned "disaster". What exactly do u mean by disaster? Is this a programming issue?
Dwight
Newcomer
The "layout" should be kept pristine so you can move the parts around willi-nilli [they had a hit record, but by using somebody who could actually sing]. With your wish, you've got the potential to have loose bits hanging out - those unassociated dimensions - for the same reason we shouldn't annotate the layout - stuff can get left behind when you drag something or resize it at the last minute.

By making everything an encapsulated image established as a view, etc, you have a nice list of drawings that are all accounted for, not some rogue stuff that you pasted on there that someone else on the team doesn't know about and can mess up. Duh.

Be lazy. You are young and will remember all of your various project perversions. I am old and forget, having had several wasteful [ink and paper] disasters by being cavalier about unlinked layout data. Discipline protects.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
Shingo wrote:
Dwight wrote:
Paste your scan/sketch/whatever into an Independent Detail or Worksheet and dimension/annotate it there. THEN bring it into your layout.
Thanks Dwight for the work-around. I have thought of it, but sometimes I am too lazy, and just wanna drag+drop the scanned images directly onto the layouts
It's not really a work around, it's the best way to do it. That's what the independant worksheets are for! Otherwise what happens if you want your sketch and added dimensions to appear on another layout also?
Chazz
Enthusiast
Shingo wrote:
you mentioned "disaster". What exactly do u mean by disaster?
The real disaster as I see it is that if you dimension in the Layout (a scale sensitive environment), you will get a LIE. if you dimension in the Model as you should (a scale independent environment), it will tell the truth.

I have a friend who lost his house over a dimensioning error. Dimensions are no place to be lazy.
Nattering nabob of negativism
2023 MBP M2 Max 32GM. MaxOS-Current
Thomas Holm
Booster
Chazz wrote:
I have a friend who lost his house over a dimensioning error.
Did it end up too small??
AC4.1-AC26SWE; MacOS13.5.1; MP5,1+MBP16,1
Dwight
Newcomer
So small that it blew away, propelled by the hot, garlic and whiskey laden breath of a corrupt building inspector.
Dwight Atkinson
Anonymous
Not applicable
hi there...i'm new here...i think is not a bad idea to have dimensioning available in layout view...i used to work in autocad in a very big company, and they were setting all graphic stuff in paper space(dimensions, texts, arrows etc)...with scale sensitive dimensions...so if u change the scale of the "window" the dimension would adjust automatically...therefore the drawing was kept pristine...also, by doing so, you just need to set one size for everything, instead of changing the sizes every time you start working on a different scale...

PS: marker size of dimensions only go down to 0.5? while the text can go down to 0.1? why is this...any option u know?