How to change the numerical value of an dimension?

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody!

I'm new to this forum. I came here to ask for your help.

I was wandering while doing a project of some construction elements if there is any way in Revit that I can change the numerical value of an dimension not with the text but with different value ? and at the same time I don't want Revit to rescale my elements. Something like in AutoCAD that I can type in any number I want and Revit won't rescale i or change the distace between them.

I know that I could simply use AutoCAD instead of Revit but I find it easier in general  and I really want to learn it since I'm a student. 

Thanks for your help!

[Alfredo_Medina]

Revit is different. You can replace a dimension value with text, but you cannot really fudge a dimension value to show a different numeric value. You could enter a value that contains numbers and text, such as "This is 2 feet 2 inches" , but in general, that is very unusual in Revit.

[constantin.stroescu · Accepted solution]

Alfredo is right....Revit has an other philosophy than Autocad....and this will be unfair for the program...

But , anyway ....a trick exists ...I read it once in an article, I don't remember exactly whose it belongs...but I put it down in a notebook .

Here are the steps :

• Double click Dimension Value
• Select : Replace with Text option
• Right click in the text field 
• Select : INSERT UNICODE CONTROL CHARACTER
• Pick : US UNIT SEPARATOR (Segment Separator)
• Type a new dimension in the text box and click OK

and it does work.....

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys for help! 

[Anonymous]

this US or unicode solution is somehow working on revit

but if you try to export on autocad,.

ok you will not noticed because its ok..

and then when you try to Plot the drawing into

PDF there is a weird LINE " | "  shown on the value

ex  123456|

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help

[Anonymous]

Thanks man... Was helpful

[Anonymous]

Haha yes!

[Anonymous]

That solution is totally nuts and obscure but it DOES actually WORK! 

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hello everybody!

I'm new to this forum. I came here to ask for your help.

I was wandering while doing a project of some construction elements if there is any way in Revit that I can change the numerical value of an dimension not with the text but with different value ? and at the same time I don't want Revit to rescale my elements. Something like in AutoCAD that I can type in any number I want and Revit won't rescale i or change the distace between them.

I know that I could simply use AutoCAD instead of Revit but I find it easier in general  and I really want to learn it since I'm a student. 

Thanks for your help!

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[zacharytbroussard]

you're a god for this

[theintthuMF3DH]

thanks it works

[justinTQ4LK]

Is there a way to instead reduce the accuracy of the dimension reading? Basically like showing an answer to fewer decimal places? This would help show dimensions in areas where there may not be room to read very specific dimensions very close together.

[Lachlan-JWP]

You can adjust the rounding properties in the dimension settings.

[coyned_suir]

@constantin.stroescu That's brilliant, thanks for providing the solution

[sapurkotanya]

https://revitstructureblog.wordpress.com/tag/unicode/

[DZimmerKVJT2]

Am i the only one that thinks this is about 3x more complicated than it needs to be? If a field type needs to change in a software with  limited right-click functionality or in a software, shouldn't a drop down be included? Who - besides advanced IT users - know what any of those unicodes are? 
I think 99% of users interpret 'Replace with text" to mean "type in the text you want"

[zacharytbroussard]

I agree completely. AutoCAD has this functionality... complete control over
the contents of the dimension value without jumping through all of the
hoops. It's especially useful when drawing things with break lines.

[RSomppi]

What are the reasons for changing the value without actually changing the distance being measured? Are you not drawing to scale, 1:1?

[zacharyRGVFB]

there are plenty of fringe cases that I have run into where it's useful to not draw something to its full length or scale (like when using break lines, like I said in a previous reply)... but that's not the point. Revit is a software that people pay a lot of money for, they should have complete control over what their dimensions read without having to jump through all of the hoops. Like AutoCAD.

[RSomppi]

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@zacharyRGVFB wrote:

there are plenty of fringe cases that I have run into where it's useful to not draw something to its full length or scale

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I've never had to do use fake numbers in dimensions in the 15 years that I've been using Revit or the 10 with AutoCAD before that, sorry. That's why I ask. As a drafter, I find it to be bad practice and have seen it cause problems more than once.

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@zacharyRGVFB wrote:

that's not the point. Revit is a software that people pay a lot of money for, they should have complete control over what their dimensions read without having to jump through all of the hoops. Like AutoCAD.

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AutoCAD is a drafting program. Revit is a modeling program. They are completely different from the core up. There are other ways to annotate a length that is not as drawn. Revit is trying to tell you something.