Dimensioning

[tzframpton]

I try as hard as I can to make sure that the builders know what they are looking at, but some of them can't be helped. I could be on site with them directing the construction and they'd still screw it up.

Haha, nice!!

 

[Dana W]

On my house plans, I'll draw a rectangle around the outermost limits of the plans and offset that by 3/4". This is the closest my dimensions will get to the actual house object lines. I try to minimize the number of dimensions that have to cross over geometry and if I find that I need a lot of them, I'll do a detail on another sheet. I try as hard as I can to make sure that the builders know what they are looking at, but some of them can't be helped. I could be on site with them directing the construction and they'd still screw it up.

That rectangle idea is a good one. Ima try it. Yeah, the field guys are a hoot, ain't they? They're the most fun on Friday afternoon when they stop work at noon, and throw down the tailgates.

[RobDraw]

Yeah, good drafting technique.

 

The boss at my first job as a drafter drawing in-ground pools and patios used to say something like, "Assume the guys reading your plans are idiots. Too much detail confuses them, not enough and they can't get the job built." These "guys" were his employees. No one else, except for the owner, saw most of these plans. Back to topic, all dimension lines were thinner than anything they were dimensioning.

[Dana W]

Yeah, good drafting technique.

 

The boss at my first job as a drafter drawing in-ground pools and patios used to say something like, "Assume the guys reading your plans are idiots. Too much detail confuses them, not enough and they can't get the job built." These "guys" were his employees. No one else, except for the owner, saw most of these plans. Back to topic, all dimension lines were thinner than anything they were dimensioning.

I agree that the dimensions should always be thinner than the drawing geometry, I keep mine that way too. I just learned from someone early on to make the extension lines a little heavier than the dimension lines, but lighter than the major object lines. I guess I got to like it. The extension lines, the way I look at it, are "extensions" of the line they mark.

 

I think I worked with that crew. Are they the ones who cut through the triple 2x10 bottom cord of a 28 foot long bearing beam/roof truss up in Charles County MD in 1971?

 

it was the transition support where the short side trusses meet the long side of an L shaped ranch house and was holding up the ends of the trusses from the short side of the "L".

 

Seems there was a hump in the slab and the pre-fab closet wall panel wouldn't fit under the truss. They got it to fit once they could push half the truss cord an inch upward, then toe nailed the flappy part of the roof truss to the top of the 2x3 interior wall.

[tzframpton]

Assume the guys reading your plans are idiots.

Goodness.... how disrespectful. I tend to think the guys reading my plans are skilled and passionate about their trade.

[RobDraw]

That's what you got out of that? He said that to make a point. I did say they were his employees, yes?

[SuperCAD]

I think he was being sarcastic. We really need a sarcasm font.

[RobDraw]

I've been asking for that for years. For now, I tag sarcasm with something like this, .

[tzframpton]

I think he was being sarcastic. We really need a sarcasm font.

Bingo!!

[road runner]

Thanks guy's for all your in put. I found what I was looking for, it was in Layer Properties manager. Transpareny, It was set on 0 so I turn it up to 75, it just takes the edge off of the line. Not so imposing...

[Dana W]

Thanks guy's for all your in put. I found what I was looking for, it was in Layer Properties manager. Transpareny, It was set on 0 so I turn it up to 75, it just takes the edge off of the line. Not so imposing...

That's like spraying paint on a rusty car. You just made everything on that layer semi-transparent, and it will plot that way.

 

You could have turned the screen brightness down too, but that wouldn't make your dimensions look any more professional either.

[tzframpton]

That's like spraying paint on a rusty car. You just made everything on that layer semi-transparent, and it will plot that way.

I believe there's a System Variable for that.

[Dana W]

I believe there's a System Variable for that.

Yes, you can toggle plot transparency on and off, but the result is a rasterized plot.

 

(Oh, you mean the Coverrustup sysvar?)

[tzframpton]

(Oh, you mean the Coverrustup sysvar?)

Haha, nice!

[Dana W]

Haha, nice!

Change Coverrustup to 19.

[SuperCAD]

I think there's a krylon lisp routine that works better.

[Dana W]

I think there's a krylon lisp routine that works better.

Yeah, that'll cover up bumps on a gator.

[road runner]

Thanks Dana. Point taken. I have always siad that the dim line's were imposing on the drawing on the screen. I turn it up by way of the Transparery from 0 to 75 in the Layer Properties Manger. I didn't say a word about Printing the drawing off. When it comes to printing, it woud take seconds just to turn it back to 0. Another way so I have been told is set it up in the Plot Style Table Editor - Fill Patterns. ctb and it will print fine and just leve the Transparery on 75. job done I hope!

Edited April 5, 2014 by road runner
wording wrong

[RobDraw]

I only use transparency if I want it to use for the print. You never did clear up what you meant by "imposing". There may be alternate solutions that may be more suitable. If you can post a screen shot of what you are talking about, we may be able to actually help you.

[Dana W]

Well, you've still not explained whether you are talking about actual line widths or simply the way the line width is represented on the display screen. If it is the latter, there is a way to control how much the lineweight differential displayed on the screen is represented. OPTIONS >> USER PREFERENCES >> LINEWEIGHT SETTINGS >> There is a slide control for lineweight display. You can set it to no differential or a HUGE differential, or anywhere in between.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Dana W