Topic Title

I'm using the latest version of 11 - 11.07 - and have been having a terrible time today dimensioning a plan. At least four times this afternoon while I've been creating dimensions, the computer has completely locked up on me. It seems to happen just when I hit enter to place a dimension text that I placed by hand because it wouldn't have fit as it was. I've had to reboot the computer and have lost whatever I had done since the last autosave (which, after a couple times, I set to 5 minutes).

Has anybody had a similar problem? Does anyone know what's wrong? I'm on a REALLY tight deadline and this is NOT helping!!!!

Hello & welcome:

I have not been experiencing this at all.

Why are you hitting the Enter key to place the dim? Maybe you can try clicking the first mouse button, instead?

Sigh. I had an answer all written and went to check what I was saying and - it locked up! - and lost it!

When I work, especially on dimensions, I'm often moving fast on autopilot, so I wasn't sure exactly where it was happening. That's what I went to check. It is generally when I have to place a dimension (that doesn't fit) but it is actually when I hit the 'enter' to confirm the dimension distance that it locks up.

Are you using associated dims?

No, I don't use assoc. dim's. I work fairly simply.

I've now had this happen when I wasn't doing dimensions once. Mostly, however, it is still on dimensions.

G'Day:

I always use associative dims, so that may be why we have not experienced this -- though it probably should not be happening. I'm still unclear when it is that you are hitting the Enter key -- during a measurement?

I suspect, however, that the crashing is related to something specific to your machine -- Windows itself, or a driver (mouse or video) or a hardware issue.

Maybe you could try using associative dims? Since you have already worked things out once when you drew them, why would you want to have to work through everything for a second time -- when you can just use associative dims! In fact, from the sounds of it, you are working through things three times: once to draw it, once to put in the dims, and then again to measure things?

If you don't dimension by hand you probably have no idea what is going on. I have had trouble with Associative Dimensions trying to think for me. I want to be able to tell my computer where to put the dimension string and what to include - or not include - in it.

No, I don't do things three times. When you dimension, you tell the computer you want a dimension from this point to that point, the string should go here, and yes, that is the right dimension (occasionally it will be a 32'd off, so I correct it). If you are doing a string of dimensions (instead of a single item) each successive dimension skips the 'where the string goes' step and after you tell it what the next point is it tells you what the dimension is and you verify it by hitting enter. It is at that point that the computer has been locking up. I discovered last night that you can also verify by right clicking the mouse, but as I have been using DataCAD for more than 13 years, this does not come naturally to me at all.

It may not be a DataCAD problem at all, but it always seemed to happen at the same point (and never anywhere else), so I thought I'd ask.

Hello:

Using associative dims, I pick the points that I want dimensioned, and I place the dimension -- and as far as the number that is used, I have already drafted the distance correctly (99.5% of the time, anyway), and for the times where I havn't, it either rounds the number (by no more than 1/8" so it doesn't really matter -- so overall, everything adds up!) or I have to stretch things a little bit to correct it.

And I don't have to redo the math a second time. Using associative dims saves me a lot of time, since I'm simply "extracting" the info that is already there and "built into" the drawing. IMO, using associative dims is far simpler than using non-associative dims.

Now, none of this helps you with your problem -- unless you try using associative dims and this does not cause the crash that you are getting! If it does avoid the crash and you continue to use associative dims, then all the better!

Hello Sionned,

I can not get DataCAD 11.07 to crash using your preferred method of non-associated dimensioning. Using the Return key is really the same as clicking the right or middle mouse button click to confirm the dimension.

However, I have found a different dimension anomaly. When adding text to a non-associative dimension, the dimension changes from feet-inches to the DataCAD decimal system as text.

For example, if the non-associative dimension is 75'-8". Press Return, right or middle mouse click, the dimension appears correctly. Add some text like +/- and the dimension appears as 75.8 +/-.

I don't recall DataCAD doing this before.

However, I have found a different dimension anomaly. When adding text to a non-associative dimension, the dimension changes from feet-inches to the DataCAD decimal system as text.

For example, if the non-associative dimension is 75'-8". Press Return, right or middle mouse click, the dimension appears correctly. Add some text like +/- and the dimension appears as 75.8 +/-.

I don't recall DataCAD doing this before.

I think it has done that for some time. I often have to add text to dimensions and I believe I've been having to type out the whole thing since at least DC9. It wasn't that way when I learned, but it has been long enought now that I automatically check what it says and type it all out now.

Hello:

I don't have to redo the math either. All I have to do is extract the information that is built into the drawing. The only difference with associative dimensions, it seems to me, is that when you change something the dimension, supposedly automatically, changes with it. But it is more trouble than it is worth to me, because I usually don't do dimensions until the rest is settled.

It is no trouble at all! To change an associative dim, you simply stretch the line(s) and the dim (at the same time) and that's it.

All I have to do to put the dims onto the drawing is to snap the 1st point, snap the second point, click to place the dim, (and if the number doesn't fit, I then have to click to place the number), click on Stringline if I want to continue the string -- and then click once more for each additional dim in the string. They all then get placed in a single line -- it couldn't be much easier.

To move the number, there is a Change/Text Position menu. If you need to change the size of the numbers, or the size of the tick marks (which I don't need to do because I always use Text Scale), then this can be done for all the dims on the drawing at once.

I'm pretty sure that using associative dims is easier than non -- I used to use non-associative, but once I realized what I was missing, I've never looked back! Same goes for associative hatch -- there is no comparison to non-associative, IMO.

If I need to change something after dimensioning is done, a simple stretch changes the drawing and the dims, all in one step. As I mentioned above, I use a rounding and have it set to a small tolerance, so that small drafting errors won't have any real affect, but if there is something that looks odd, a stretch or two fixes it, pronto.

Sionned -

Maybe if you e-mailed one of the offending files to a couple of us (like Neil, Josh, Daniel, me, etc.) we can try it out on our machines. That way we can narrow it down to a specific set-up in your file, a specific file, or that it's something (as Neil suggests) with your box.

This is a strange one, to be sure!

Maybe if you e-mailed one of the offending files to a couple of us (like Neil, Josh, Daniel, me, etc.) we can try it out on our machines. That way we can narrow it down to a specific set-up in your file, a specific file, or that it's something (as Neil suggests) with your box.

This is a strange one, to be sure!

It might be better to send the file to techsupport@datacad.com and have them make sure it isn't something in DataCAD.

I think it has done that for some time. I often have to add text to dimensions and I believe I've been having to type out the whole thing since at least DC9. It wasn't that way when I learned, but it has been long enought now that I automatically check what it says and type it all out now.

I tried adding to an unassociated dimension in DataCAD 10.05.02. You are partially correct, I could NOT add text to the dimension, only change the entire dimension text as you stated. If I added text to the end, the text does not show,but, the dimension shows correctly. I use associated dimensions 99.9% of time, and unassociated dims infrequently. However, adding prefixes and suffixes to associated dimensions has been on my wish list since DataCAD 6.

I use associative dimensions. On a previous update of version 11 (11.05 I think - 2 to 6 months ago) my computer would crash on me when I was working with dimensions somewhat often - sometimes even if I was just trying to change text position. Since we updated to 11.06, I don't believe I've run into that problem. My computer has not been updated to 11.07 yet. I know it doesn't solve your problem, but maybe this will help in another way. My computer is running Windows 98.