Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> Dimensioning tolerances to use align dimension with grid lines ?

GoinDesign

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Dimensioning sloped pipe seems to be a major PIA.. when things aren't "PERFECT".. 

What I mean by that is I can dimension pipes to themselves, BUT not to the grid as due to the slope of the pipe, my pipe got off a .01 degree I can't go realign everything it would mess it all up. So I am forced to draw detail lines on teh center of the pipe, and then THOSE I can dimension to the grids. 

Another issue is pipe upor fittings, I can highlight the family and see the snaps to dimension too.. but again I can't dimension. So I have to go draw a small tick mark from teh center of the fitting to be able to get the align dimension command to dimension.. I know its because everything isn't 100% square. But by that I mean 99.99% square. Enough even in a multi-story office building the amount of is line a 1/4" over a 100 feet. 

Is there a tolerance option I am missing ?

FWIW, Revit 2015 had the problem since 2010.

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WWHub

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If you use your tab key, you can dimension to endpoints - see attached.

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GoinDesign

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Yes Tab doesnt work in these cases, neither does typing hot keys.. 

Overall its just annoying. See SOME fittings it may work on .. others it wont ( same family ). I have boiled it down to fittings being off a little ( they were nudged a bit during coordination or something like that ). Again its a MINOR amount.. and the dimension never changes.. 

If there were a way to tel revit, hey dimension this stuff anyway, or let me tag that center even if I am off the plane by .1 degree.. that would solve it. Instead everythign has to be 100% square to the grid lines. I underestand the why, but we are contractors, so we don't need fittings 100% and we dont need systems 100-% connected.. we need them clear for coordination and sometimes that requires nudging a piece here or there.

Thats issue #1

Issue #2, is when it won't let me snap to centers of fittings. Its especailly a problem when I have elbows going down.. or pipe that is cut at the view limits. 

See attached.. 

Capture shows that I am trying to hover over and tab to get the center of the pipe.. but no dice. 

Capture1 show that IF I highlight the family the snap is there.. 

In both cases, the solution is draw a line and then dimension to that. Becuase I CAN draw a line to the snap.. I just can't dimension to it. 

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WWHub

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Sorry - I can't recreate your problem.   I don't have that problem - even when an item is slightly off axis.

BTW - Revit is an accurate program.

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GoinDesign

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I have been using Revit it for almost 8 years.. been a problem a long time for plumbing designers. 

MOST Mech Engineers use the course setting and its all single line.. so no issue. As a subcontractor we show in real world.

I am sure it has to do with the fittings being "Down" and hiding the elements or something. But I often get something where I can't dimension to something that I can draw a detail line too..  Often its a pipe or duct in the vertical or a complex family. 

Its a common problem in our office and other projects I have been on. Not just me. 

Just figured I would post here because maybe by now someone found a work around other than the drawing lines to get it to dimension to points we need. 

BTW I know.. but there is a thing as being TOO Accurate.. i.e. 1/256" as a setting is nuts.. we work to a 1/4" tolerance. So wonder why we couldnt have a way of reducing the tolerance for dimensions as we do for the text in teh dimensions themselves is all. The only need to be withing a .1 degree, and 1/4"  usually... not .000001 degree or 1/256" 

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