dumb blueprint question

[jman]

This isn't a vectorworks question per say, but I thought I'd ask it here anyway.

When I'm laying out a wall that runs at an angle (say 45 degrees) what's the most efficient way to specify it's length. The issues is that a 10' wall measured on the center line is slightly shorter on the inside surface and longer on the ouitside. It makes for some messy, fractional dimensions that are going to make builders fume.

What is the standard practice? - dimension from the center line or either outside surfaces and let the chips fall as they may for the rest?

[Ray Libby]

I don't think the tolerances are high enough to worry about in framing. The easiest way to handle it in the field would be to dimension to the inside with a round dimension on the two legs that meet the angle where the chalk line with be made. The outside and center dimensions wouldn't be needed for layout.

[islandmon]

Our standard practice is that all Structural Plans are dimensioned to centerlines...column lines, etc. Whereas, Architectural Plan dimensions attach to areas like the inside and outside of framed/poured walls. This approach resolves the diagonal issues mentioned.

Another advantage is that Structural Plan Areas must equal 100% of the total building area to insure proper Load calcs. Whereas, Achitectural Plan Areas may omit the Wall Plan Area, as required.

[Amy L]

The accepted method in my area is to dimension to the outside of exterior walls and on the edges of interior walls. When dimensioning angles I concern myself with making sure the right angles are whole (inch) dimensions (you?re right, builders hate fractions). This usually results in the hypotenuse being a weird fraction, but it is rarely dimensioned on most exterior walls anyway. In Vectorworks, you can adjust preferences to ?no fractions? if you need to dimension any wall on the angle. Framers are perfectly OK with dropping that 1/16th of an inch. In an earlier posting, I mentioned having a little trouble with keeping dimension strings adding up properly. When it did occur, an angled wall was the culprit. That problem has to do with constraints competing with the grid, as well as by using ?auto-joining? (which I love). I have the greatest success avoiding errors by deselecting most of the constraints, with the grid snap ?on? when first drawing exterior walls. I have all my settings on ?no fractions?. This works for me. Others prefer to type in exact values with grid snap ?off?. That makes my head hurt. As the drawing progresses, I begin to select more constraints.