Manual Dimensions and Layers

[Tyler_K]

In Chief Architect Premier x12, I have a drawing set built based upon views from different layer sets. For example when draw a point to point dimension in the plot plan view, it automatically gets assigned to the "Dimensions, Manual" layer. If I enable this "Dimensions, Manual" layer I have a ton of different other dimensions that come up that were made in other layers that don't apply. Is there a way to just have a manually drawn dimensions automatically get associated with a Dimension layer that's tied with only that view? For example, if I manually draw a dimension  in the Plot Plan View, can it automatically just be associated with the "Dimensions, Plot Plan" layer since im in the plot plan view? Instead of just being defaulted to the "Dimensions, Manual" Layer 

[SH_Canada]

may I ask where this is set? In my plan views settings, I can pick a dimension set, but that dimension set has it's own layer. For instance, the "1/8" dimension defaults" has its own layer property, which is set as "dimension, manual". if I change this to layer "foundation", when I draw a p2p dimension it will set that dimension on the "foundation" layer. but if I goto my "floor plan"view and use this "1/8" dimension defaults", it sets it to the "foundation" layer

 I could do it this way and create a multitude of dimension sets, but that is large. For instance if I have a foundation view and a floor plan view, and I wanted to be able to draw dimensions at 1/8,1/4,3/8,1/2, for each layer, I would need 4x2= 8 dimension sets. As I am creating about 12 plan views, this would be 48 dimension sets. not ideal.

 

If there is a way to override the dimension set layer property with the plan view, that would be helpful. same question for text and leader lines

 

thanks

[Alaskan_Son]

38 minutes ago, jasonN said:

If there is a way to override the dimension set layer property with the plan view, that would be helpful. same question for text and leader lines

 

thanks

 

No.  There isn't. Me and others have requested this in the past.  It would help if you would send in a request as well. Bottom Line:  It sure would be nice if we could simply change the desired Layer for the annotation object to be placed on without creating a whole new Default...much like we can with Current CAD Layer except we would need Current Dimension Layer, Current Text Layer, Current Point Layer, etc. etc.  This is from a request submitted over 5 years ago back before Saved Plan Views, but it illustrates the same basic idea.  It would be great to have some additional settings like these....

 

[SH_Canada]

done. it would be nice to have a toggle button between dimension default layer and plan view layer

[SH_Canada]

my math was off. 

I could do it this way and create a multitude of dimension sets, but that is large. For instance if I have a foundation view and a floor plan view, and I wanted to be able to draw dimensions at 1/8,1/4,3/8,1/2, for each layer, I would need 4x2= 8 dimension sets. As I am creating about 12 plan views, this would be 48 dimension sets. not ideal.

 

but then there s the text, rich text, callouts, markers, notes, arrows. so for my 12 plan views, I need 48 dimensions sets, plus 48 text plus 48 rich text plus....

 

This will take a very long time to initially enter. Is this what people actually do, or do people just draw them and then resize? or something else?

[SH_Canada]

...and I should probably create a new layer for them as well. so I have 12 new dimension layers, 12 new text layers, etc.

this would also help when I use automatic dimensions, because I could change the layer to "dimension, foundation" prior to doing them...

 

 

seems like a lot of work

[Alaskan_Son]

34 minutes ago, jasonN said:

but then there s the text, rich text, callouts, markers, notes, arrows. so for my 12 plan views, I need 48 dimensions sets, plus 48 text plus 48 rich text plus....

 

While I do agree with the general premise of your gripe, I'd say you're probably exaggerating a bit.  For MOST people, I think a single Saved Plan View is tied to a single Layout view and if its not it could at least be reused for other floors meaning conservatively speaking, on average 1 Saved Plan View = 1 Default Set or 12 total Default Sets.  That could still easily mean 8 Saved Defaults x 12 Saved Plan Views for a total of 96 Saved Defaults though.  If layer control were pulled out though and added as its own independent setting as some of us have suggested, then we could potentially stick with the original 8 Saved Defaults.  Would be a big time saver for even the most conservative estimates. 

 

34 minutes ago, jasonN said:

This will take a very long time to initially enter. Is this what people actually do

 

Yes.  This is what most power users eventually do.  New users just fumble with settings using an array of different messy methods until they finally figure it out and bite the bullet.  Yes, once you set it up its done and you shouldn't need to mess with it again for a while, but I still think its an unnecessarily complex and convoluted system...having to set up a ton of extra Saved Defaults for the sole purpose of placing them onto different layers. 

 

By the way, even after you do set them all up, its equally as time consuming to make adjustments if/when you start drawing for another builder who likes to see things different or if/when you decide to adjust something about your system.  I'm holding out hope that Chief will eventually change this.  I know how it works and I still hate it. 

[SH_Canada]

So this is what I am doing as I want dimensions, text on the same layer as the layer defined in the view:

 

Foundation plan view->Foundation Plan Layer Set->default Set-> 1/2" Foundation Set 

1/2" Foundation set then has:

1/2" Scale dimension Foundation - set to Foundation Plan layer Set

1/2" Scale Rich Text Foundation- set to Foundation Plan layer Set

1/2" Scale Text Foundation- set to Foundation Plan layer Set

1/2" Scale Callouts Foundation- set to Foundation Plan layer Set

 

Section plan view->Section Plan Layer Set->default Set-> 1/2" Section Set

1/2" Scale dimension Section - set to Section Plan layer Set

1/2" Scale Rich Text Section- set to Section Plan layer Set

1/2" Scale Text Section- set to Section Plan layer Set

1/2" Scale Callouts Section- set to Section Plan layer Set

 

...repeat for rest of plan views

 

...repeat ALL for 1/8,1/4,3/8

 

so 4x12x4 = 192

 

sound about right?

 

 

 

[Alaskan_Son]

50 minutes ago, jasonN said:

sound about right?

 

Sort of.  A few things to consider:

1. Are you actually going to need to annotate every single view type for 3 different scales?  That's hard to believe.
2. Are you actually going to use every single annotation object (text, dimension, callout, etc, in every single view type?  Again, hard to believe.
3. Even if you are going to annotate every view for 3 different scales with every single annotation object, that doesn't mean you need a new Saved Default for each and every view.  In many cases all you have to do is set Text to be controlled by Layer in which case one single annotation can be used in multiple Layer Sets and result in a different (and suitable) text style for each scale.
4. Do you really need a Section View specific Default Set?  Any annotations you add to a camera view will only exist in that camera view so you should be able to simply reuse one of your other Saved Defaults for those.  For example, you can simply use the generic 1/4" Defaults for both your standard Floor Plans and your Section Views. 
5. I personally usually use the same Default Set for both my foundations and my floor plans.  To me there's no reason the foundation needs its own in most scenarios.  Its not like I'm usually creating both a floor plan and a foundation plan on my foundation level. 

I guess my point is that you really only need to create the defaults you actually need.  Take your time and just add what you need when you start to need it.  Don't overdo it right off the bat.  I've seen to many guys do that and you end up overwhelmed and shooting yourself in the foot.  Not only are you doing extra work setting up unnecessary extra defaults, but you're also setting yourself up for placing more dimensions than you really need to.  I mean if you actually find it necessary to create 12 different sets of defaults for every view at every scale, then you're also saying that you'll be placing dimensions 36 times, text 36 times, callouts 36 times, rich text 36 times, etc. etc.  Its just not necessary.

[SH_Canada]

thanks. What I notice is that I need to dimension smaller things, which mean smaller font, same with text, otherwise they start overlapping.  For instance to make sure my closets are 2' deep I put in a dimension, so when I am moving things around I can see that I maintain 2' or I want to put in a room label "Linen" which needs to fit into a 2'x2' closet, but i dont want that dimension to show on the roof plan or ceiling plan, where I have some other manual dimensions. this would imply I need the different size dimensions on at least some of different layers, which to your point, I should setup based on the 90% use case, not the entire range of possibilities because they will rarely or never happen. I was perhaps a bit frustrated in setting these up as I went in the plan, trying to use the Dimensions manual, and then moving them to an actually named layer ("foundation plan), instead of a properly named layer set, such as "Dimensions. Foundation". although in pondering these two options I'm not sure it is worth it to create a new layer for Dimensions, Foundation. I could just use the named layer "Foundation" and assign text, dimensions to it as I'm not sure I would have the case where I want ot show dimensions but not text on that layer

 

On another note, I decided to create a foundation plan and a basement plan to keep the foundation plan purely concrete driven showing strip footings and pads for posts, while the basement plan has all the rooms, HVAC, labels etc

Thanks for the tip on the section

I'll need to look a little more into this:

"In many cases all you have to do is set Text to be controlled by Layer in which case one single annotation can be used in multiple Layer Sets and result in a different (and suitable) text style for each scale."

 

as this sounds like a better solution than creating 192 sets.

 

 

 

 

[joey_martin]

Open a test plan and try setting these and see if this helps. You are, in my opinion, wayyyyyy overthink this. I do a ton of construction plans each year and rarely need more than these.

 

 

MDP X12 Default_Anno_Sets.cadefs

MDP X12 Layer Sets.layers

[SH_Canada]

merci, I will take a perusal