Dimensioning in Elevations

[spark]

Sarah,
Brick coursing (other than top/bot) & plants is taking it to the extreme, but..........
Roofs

• top of fascia

• baseline

• ridge

Rooms/ Walls

• sub-floor hgt

• finish floor hgt

• ceiling (plate) hgt

• lowered ceiling

• top & bot doors/windows/cabinets

• casing, base & moldings

• electrical

Exterior

• grade at foundation wall

(How's that, Ray?)

Some of this is already doable.
Jim

Thanks for the feedback. The list is very helpful. Knowing what you use and need are equally important. Not planning on removing any functionality. But, in a purely hypothetical universe, if nobody dimensioned windows in elevations, putting our efforts into fixing all manner of bugs associated with them doesn't make much sense.

[Allen42acj]

I think point markers with macros might be the way to go..
There are just so many thing that can and will get dimensioned to..

[spark]

I think point markers with macros might be the way to go..
There are just so many thing that can and will get dimensioned to..

Ah. Yes. But with an automatic dimension tool you could specify just floor and ceiling heights or just cabinets. So you would avoid all that clutter.

Sounds like an auto dimension elevation tool should be separate anyway. You may not want to get a bunch of dims when you auto detail everything.

[jmycue]

Dear Ms. Spark,

Thanks so much for even asking! X2 Rocks!!! The entire product just gets better and better with each release. What a daunting task to even try to give people the tools they need in such a diverse field. Dynamic dimensioning toggle would be great to change dimension defaults for cabinet elevations and then back again for floor plan work. Ideal dimension procedure might be to have preset "basic" dims as others have described then have a check box selection for additional dim. values --like you have provided for door and window schedules. Thanks again.

[DougM]

Just to add to Allens, if it were handled in that way, I think the output should be Foot & inches. 8'-0" or 8'-6 1/2" etc. Not 96" or 102 1/2"

[spark]

Just to add to Allens, if it were handled in that way, I think the output should be Foot & inches. 8'-0" or 8'-6 1/2" etc. Not 96" or 102 1/2"

Marker macro number format is controlled by CAD Defaults (General >> Displayed Line Length Format). Always has been. So, the units would be/are defineable.

[DougM]

And please, the ability to add prefix/suffix text to dim string. As discussed in other posts. I'm going put up a fight for this... LOL.

[spark]

And please, the ability to add prefix/suffix text to dim string. As discussed in other posts. I'm going put up a fight for this... LOL.

You're not the only one.

[builderlfd]

Sarah,

You are on the right track with the thought that horizontal dimensions are for plan view, and vertical dimensions are for elevation and cross section view.

Personally, I dimension my cross sections and elevations to the framing layer only. I’m not concerned about floor finishes, window or door casing and trim, or drywall on ceilings when dimensioning elevations and cross sections. The subfloor, header heights, window sill, ceiling and floor joist heights, and roof ridge are all critical. I think Allen’s picture in post # 30 shows it well. But others may prefer to dimension to the finish layer, so you could treat elevations and cross sections as you do in plan view, where the user can select the wall layer (or floor/ceiling layer) that is being dimensioned to by the defaults.

In plan view we have auto exterior dimension, with the ability to manually change those strings, or we can create a manual string based on our reach and default settings. I would be delighted to be able to do the exact same thing in elevation and cross section just using the same tools we currently have. But I have to admit, I love Ray’s idea in post # 45. It would be great if we could activate the dimension tool, and then wherever we clicked in the elevation view we would automatically get an extension to the side for setting a dimension string. And that extension would have a marker that we pre-set in defaults.

Also, in this part of the country, building heights are measured from the finish grade of the terrain to the highest point of the roof. Not sure if that is what Ray was getting to about the terrain at the foundation, but that is one other dimension string that we have to show that is outside of the actual building structure.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

[lbuttery]

Also, in this part of the country, building heights are measured from the finish grade of the terrain to the highest point of the roof


In Fairfax Va they have a different method

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/p.../lti/06_13.htm


I have seen other methods, I will post some links when I find them


Lew

[DougM]

Qutoe from Len Dalton: "Also, in this part of the country, building heights are measured from the finish grade of the terrain to the highest point of the roof. Not sure if that is what Ray was getting to about the terrain at the foundation, but that is one other dimension string that we have to show that is outside of the actual building structure."


Same here, we usually have to dimension from grade up or a bench mark set down by engineers. So the height datum is always different. which can be handled in auto dim. mode by either selecting 0,0 or typing in a negitive number from F.F. ....

[Allen42acj]

"Auto Elevation Dimension Defaults"
We could set up what gets dimensioned to.
I just don't want to see it get to complicated or have to spend more time deleting things than it would take dong it manually..

[spark]

"Auto Elevation Dimension Defaults"
We could set up what gets dimensioned to.
I just don't want to see it get to complicated or have to spend more time deleting things than it would take dong it manually..

I agree that an automatic tool shouldn't become complicated to setup nor should it produce lots of stuff that you're going to delete. So, maybe, for an Auto Elevation Dimensions tool, you would have the following options:

[ ] Include Terrain
[x] Include Roof Ridges

( ) Floor/Ceiling, Finshed
(*) Floor/Ceiling, Framed

[ ] Generate Callouts

It's not too many options. Maybe you don't want your floor and ceiling dimensioned. Maybe all you need is a dimension from ridge to terrain. If that's the case, though, drawing the dimension manually is the way to do it.

[Ron Ravenscroft]

I agree that an automatic tool shouldn't become complicated to setup nor should it produce lots of stuff that you're going to delete. So, maybe, for an Auto Elevation Dimensions tool, you would have the following options:

[ ] Include Terrain
[x] Include Roof Ridges

( ) Floor/Ceiling, Finshed
(*) Floor/Ceiling, Framed

[ ] Generate Callouts

It's not too many options. Maybe you don't want your floor and ceiling dimensioned. Maybe all you need is a dimension from ridge to terrain. If that's the case, though, drawing the dimension manually is the way to do it.

One checkbox I would like to see is in plan to have the ability to shut off dimensioning nterior partitions on the exterior dimension string. Many of us do not dimension interior walls on exterior strings. I have to gothru and delete the interior walls which is time consuming.

[lbuttery]

I have to gothru and delete the interior walls which is time consuming


Ron:


I agree


Would turning off that layer help as a workaround ???


Or setting them to "invisible" ???


Lew