2018 Version - Moving of dimensions during detail update

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi @acbsdesign,

I have re-created your original post about the issue you have (re)found in Advance Steel 2018 about moving dimensions at update here, for further discussions and investigations.
Thank you very much for your understanding and help in this.

Best regards,
Emy

“
Hello Udo and Hello Dumitru,

Another secret is out - dimensions and labels moving again:

All default database for AS2018.

ZERO customization, using very powerful Autodesk certified video card / workstation.

The only thing that was changed was bolts diameter and distance to back of angles.

Dimension chain on the left moved with no reason.

I am also attaching the test model and folder.

Regards,

Ilko Dimitrov

"

[acbsdesign]

Hi Emy,

Thank you for your help-if you need anything else from my side-please do not hesitate to call / e-mail.

Dimensions moving and labels moving are the worst part having Advance Steel for detailing.

These issues were somehow overlooked over the years.

I, personally, decided not to renew my contract next year until I see labels and dimensions stable.

VP of BIM is aware of this.

Regards,

Ilko Dimitrov

[ChristianBlei]

Hi,

just because I am curious:

Who the hell is VP of BIM?

Christian Blei

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi Ilko,

Thank you for your comments, as well for this test model and detail.

Investigating the behavior on my side, I have found the following situations related to the dimension you indicated:

1. I have moved the dimension point from grid end point to the intersection point between grid line and beam line.

After update, the dimension point was moved back to the grid end point.

2. I have deleted the extreme dimension points for the vertical grid line.

After update, these dimension points were re-created.

3. When these new dimension points appear, the dimension line is moved from its initial position.

Please see this video I have created with the investigation:

• AS 2018 - Test dimensions during update

I am going to escalate these issues to the development team for further investigations.

Also, I would kindly ask you to confirm if these are the issues you are facing or if you have another scenario when the dimension is moved.

Thank you very much for your help in this.

Best regards,
Emy

[acbsdesign]

Hi Emy,

Yes, these are the issues you have shown-both for the labels and for dimensions.

Once adjusted labels shall stay and not moving or appearing.

Once adjusted dimensions shall stay the way we left them.

Currently we do not know how the dimensions will look like after detail update.

Thank you,

Ilko Dimitrov

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi Ilko,

Thank you for your reply and confirmation.

I have escalated the issues to the development team for further investigations.

Hopefully the development team will be able to enhance the behavior as soon as possible.

Best regards,
Emy

[acbsdesign]

Hi Emy,

Did you also submit the movement of the labels?

Thank you,

Ilko Dimitrov

[Emanuel.Nestor]

Hi Ilko,

Sure I did escalate also the one with moving labels.

Best regards,
Emy

[acbsdesign]

Emy,

These two things were escalated at least 100 times already,

it is so frustrating to work with Autodesk.

I am very, very disappointed.

The Advance steel users, I communicate with, feel exactly the same way.

I am sick and tired of 'escalating' basic issues to the development team, and not getting anything back.

Ilko Dimitrov

[cad]

Hi Ilko,

I totally agree with you. The problem with moving dimensions during detail updates is one of the oldest bugs in Advance Steel. It started with the implementation of "smart" dimensions in AS 2010 or 2011. I don't know how many times we've reported this to the support or development team. The result: absolutely nothing.

I can't understand this. Autodesk does not respect the needings of the customers. The idea board for example is full of good and innovative ideas. But nothing will be integrated in AS. 

Greetings from Germany

Joerg

[acbsdesign]

Hi Joerg,

One way to make them hear is not paying for couple of years, we can live with 2018 version, until they fix these two issues.

Other way is you and others to come to Boston, to meet the VP of BIM and if necessary, to organize a protest on the street in front of Autodesk's office building.

I will offer a free refreshments and food for the protesters...

Legal disclosure-this is a joke!

But back to reality-we have to find a way to make them hear.

Regards from Boston 

Ilko Dimitrov

[cad]

Hi,

there is the next Graitec user meeting here in Germany in June. AS is one big thing at this meeting. In the last few years there were Autodesk officials at this meetings, for example the product manager Mr. Haedicke. So I hope I can talk to such a person directly. 

Greetings

Joerg

[Flies-Eyes]

I am glad to see it is not just us that is having trouble with dimensions moving.  I was starting think that we had missed some setting or variable.  We just had another job that required updates and changes after a review (no surprises there) and we spent 23 man hours re-dimensioning assemblies on a 15t project that had already been previously done.  

After the frustration of this re-work I had to find a solution to put and end this issue.  From what I am reading on this 'Forum' many others have sort a solution going back some years and still waiting.  

This issue must be costing the Industry millions every year in lost productivity, revenue, deadlines and errors.  I would suggest it costs our company $30k USD per year in lost productivity.

What would it cost to have it fixed $100k, 200k, 300k USD?   What does that equate to, $10 USD a user?

I will await a collective industry sigh of relief the day this bug is resolved.

[acbsdesign]

Joerg,

I spoke a few times with Udo already-he is either out of the current situation, or he does not care, because his boss did not tell him to do so.

Instead of talking about these issues, I had to watch a presentation showing how hard the developers work doing connections in Revit.

Sad, isn't it?

Just stop paying, they will fix  these issues.

Ilko Dimitrov

[ChristianBlei]

Ilko,

Prosteel has even more severe qulity issues- it is almost a corpse. I was thinking about a similar strategy- storing the money for the subscriptions in a locked account and start to bargain. The problem is how many of all user would follow.

I know of examples where users made companies to step back, one is SAP taking back a heavy increase of maintenance fees of a couple of years ago and another one is the new York based activists of the Thing against ToysAreUs.I guess you need at least 5 to 10% of all users to follow such a strategy to be successful and where are they........

But good luck with this approach,

Christian

[acbsdesign]

Do you have any other idea?

[acbsdesign]

Christian, 

Back in 2009-2010-2011-I was fighting around with people who were arguing that Advance Steel is not a software to be trusted etc.

My very first project was a 500t structure, some 5,000 structural elements-beams and plates. How I did it, I still do not know...

I have spent probably 200-400 hours so far reporting, suggesting, again reporting bugs and so on.

What I, and others too, want is once dimensions are manually adjusted-any updating to be blocked, if we need to update them, we will do it.

Once labels are moved-to stay there during update.

Is this something too much to ask?

These two issues are eating every single day from our time.

I do not know what else to say-thank you for your wish for good luck may be,... but this is not about saving a few $$.

I just do not see any other way to get an attention.

Also-look how many people are complaining about the same thing. 

If an Advance steel user gets his / her pay check every week or so-these are "SMALL" issues ( I quote the Marketing Director) ,

self employed Advance Steel users do not have their pay checks, and they depend on the stability of the software to support their families.

I know it sounds rough, but hey-this is the truth, and no one can blame me for saying it.

Ilko Dimitrov

[ChristianBlei]

Hi Joerg,

I guess you are in Leipzig. I will attend the Graitec user meeting in Düsseldorf. I do not expect anyone from Autodesk with a deep knowledge of AS is going to be there, because the meeting is going to to be BIM and collaboration focused. But that does not matter. Graitec has very experienced and knowledgable people , some of them are posting here like Jonathan Hand, Aleck Giles and Sebastian Eiche. We can talk to them and we can talk to the Graitec people at the meeting and emphasize that these issues are important and critical for us. Graitec is the biggest development partner of Autodesk for Advance Steel and is representing a big chunk of AS users. Autodesk will definitely listen to Graitec.

And as my personal opinion:

I am confident that Autodesk and its responsibles take these issues seriously and are discussing them and are working to resolve these problems. I am waiting for the next midseason service pack.  

Christian   

[Buxtehude1963]

Hi,

are there news about this problem?

I show what happen when i do  a update:

Before

 

After

[Flies-Eyes]

Yes that is the problem that everybody is banging on about.  An no they have not resolved the issue, although if you ask them they have fixed it or better still ask a sales rep and it is not problem anyhow.   

I understand you frustration as this is an expensive ongoing issue with the software.  I believe it is in the too hard basket.  The cheapest solution would be to set up a dimensioning and re-dimensioning company in a country where labour is $0.05/hr.   The 2nd option is to ask your clients politely, not to make changes.