Allow us to Draw Small Detail and Model Lines

[Anonymous]

This is is not exactly a new or ground breaking idea. For years I have battled with not being able to draw very short lines. If Revit can measure an object or line down to the the nearest 256th of an inch why can't we draw lines under 1/32" This may seam ridiculous to some but it does come into play when developing window, curtain wall and storefront details. This also would help when converting CAD Details to Revit families. 

[dplumb_BWBR]

The "too short" restriction makes sense for modeled elements, as this can cause performance problems.

But there's no need to worry about short lines in Drafting Views, or any strictly 2D elements

[nr]

When converting especially CAD details to Revit families and such, it is very annoying problem, that is isnt possible to make line smaller than 0,6mm, theres alot of window detaling and such where lines like that is normal. So we would like that either it would be possible to make smaller lines, or a function like Acad where the lines tied together. 

[Anonymous]

This has been requested many times, usually along with element too small on screen when moving items, which has been fixed. Hopefully the next part of the job will get completed, especially for 2D elements, Façade installation details that we produce are at a scale of 1:2 on most of our project (Building Envelope Contractor) these small lines are required, we end up using nested dwg's in our detail components, which is very bad practice and can cause it's own issues. but does display the small lines.

[ahmadfiroozi000]

In Revit, line length less than 0.8 millimeters doesn't show as well as some ingredients have less than this, for example in the false ceiling U channel has 0.5 millimeters

 so Revit should review in line length.

[kimberly_fuhrman-jones]

Hi, @ahmadfiroozi000 ,

There are several existing similar Ideas...feel free to add your vote, and if you like, I can combine your post with these.

LINE LENGTH - Minimum line length limitation of 0.8mm really NEEDS to be solved - Autodesk Community

Lines of 0 length for families - Autodesk Community

Allow us to Draw Small Detail and Model Lines - Autodesk Community

Thank you for your submission!

-Kimberly

[jeroen.van.halderen]

I totally agree, a minimum line length is kinda dumb. If a minimum line length is necessary a minimum of 0.1 mm would be better.

[Maltezc]

Hi there, I see you guys are working with getting AutoCAD .dwgs into Revit. I have a tool that might help.

A lot of the "line too small to be drawn" warnings can come from hatches being exploded. There's also the occasional line. Anyways, I built a tool that brings AutoCAD into Revit as actual Revit elements. 

Anyways, hope this helps. 

It requires 2 plugs, 1 for AutoCAD, 1 for Revit. 

For AutoCAD:

https://apps.autodesk.com/ACD/en/Detail/Index?id=6324856477692547&appLang=en&os=Win64

For revit:

https://apps.autodesk.com/RVT/en/Detail/Index?id=8999696501418574871&appLang=en&os=Win64

[michellevankolck4401]

Dear Autodesk Dev team,

We have some high profile Revit experts agreeing that this is essential. Please see what can be done to assist us with this fundamental functionality. 

August 2021: CAN WE GET AN UPDATE PLEASE?

[jeroen.van.halderen]

I don't understand why this minimum line length is even there, AutoCAD doesn't impose such a limitation upon the user. It's also really annoying when debugging a Revit plugin that generates dimensions because you don't get to see that a measurement in the model is really small, it just says 0.

I would greatly appreciate it if this minimum line length could be either removed or set to something smaller, 0.01 mm for instance.

Many thanks in advance!

[jeroen.van.halderen]

What's really weird is that you can move an element by less than 0.8 mm, I don't understand why this limitation doesn't apply here.

[tnaung]

We are unable to explode or convert many construction details in DWG format since line segments are deleted in the process of conversion to Revit. Revit's Model and documentation integration functionality is severely compromised by this limitation (to draw line work that is smaller than 0.8mm functionality not be passed on to our family categories and especially to detail items and detail views). We are also limited in most of the profiles or detail items that deleted in this process too because of line segments being too small and filled region sketches break, thus compromising the integrity of the BIM model and it's details. It is an important error that should be addressed.

It seems very frustrating and we don't want to be forced to document in AutoCAD simply because Revit can't do it properly. We need this issue fixed please Autodesk.

[jbrr27]

The "element is too small" error, resulting in deletion of the element, happens all the time when importing CAD files, which is some projects is unavoidable, and many CAD files must be brought in.  Editing the CAD file then results in loss of data and precision.  It seems this should be fixable.

[aaronstudionine]

My experience and frustration with this minimum line length limitation (error in my opinion) is long standing.

This issue is most apparent while creating detail families and accurate profile families of items like aluminium glazing profiles or complex metal profiles (as details or as profiles)

Typically I would import at pre-existing AutoCAD file and trace linework or explode simple geometric AutoCAD files within the revit family and change the linework sub-category. As many AutoCAD files contain linework of less than 0.8mm length, these operations fail in the first instance.  We are forced to build in geometrical inaccuracies in to our models as a work around so we can close profile loops, masking regions, etc. 

Forcing users down this path of inaccuracy is not an acceptable solution. 

Forcing users to rebuild items due to a puzzling software limitation is also unacceptable, as a family creator this limitation directly results in huge amounts of lost productivity on a continual basis. 

We would appreciate Autodesk addressing this limitation. 

Aaron Schintler 

[michellevankolck4401]

Thanks @aaronstudionine for adding your comments too. It can cause so many disruptions when we can't easily convert dwgs without endless line length errors.

I always laugh and think to myself that the development team would understand our frustration if they had to create 300 people silhouette masking regions (like I had to, a few years ago). When we have to constantly redraw and repair a sketch loop because of hundreds of line length errors it can become easy to feel quite passionate about minimum line lengths. 

The other content project that really consumed way more time because of line length issues was converting structural section profiles into Revit detail components. This became really tricky because multiple parts were designed to connect together to form a complete detail. In that case it became risky to tweak structural curved profiles.

I assume it might be complicated for Autodesk to fix, otherwise the Dev team would have done it already. But, it definitely would make it easier to convert and collaborate with AutoCAD details if we could get this limitation removed. 

Hope you have a good festive season.

I reckon many companies would be very pleased if this request is ever accepted into the development cue.

[Jason_Peckovitch]

To avoid that, I would scale the detail by 8 and bring it into Revit as a 1 1/2" = 1'-0" scale.

[kimberly_fuhrman-jones]

Hi, @tnaung ,

This Idea has been requested several times. I will combine these posts with yours.

Thank you for your Idea submission!

-Kimberly

[Steve_Th]

Please find a way to make this work. How is Revit ever expected to compete with Catia if it can't even do this? How are we to work towards LOD 400 effectively? 

[badi.hamid]

That's the real weakness of Revit...

Some people claim that Revit must not be a CAD modeler (like Catia/Solidworks/Inventor...) and BIM is not supposed to contain details (LOD 450 is enough). Back to ten years, it was true..., these are excuses from Autodesk cause :

- 1/32" is a key value inside the geometry core kernel and Autodesk can't garantee reliable CSG with good precision. So, let's move to Parasolid or ACIS (not ShapeManager) or C3D or OpenCascade which garantee at least 0.01mm! 

- each Revit user is able to know what must be or not modeled with detailed under 0.8mm, let's the users be free ! 

Wake up Autodesk, it would be a question of moving on to the twenty-first century otherwise users will switch to an other software...

[ahmadfiroozi000]

When importing or linking DWG in Revit drafting when lines are less than 0.2 mm it can not draw it, for example for details, so it is better length lines less than this number

[macbouw]

Yes when importing dwg details its annoying that programmers cant fix the linelength. All the other BIM software out there is able too, even the open source software. The only primitive sollution to get to 0.4mm is to scale up your DWG in autocad import in Detail Item family and scale down and hope you stay within the 0.4mm with your lines.