Dimensions/Tolerances

Click the Options menu > Dimensions/Tolerances command to access the Dimensions/Tolerances Preferences form. The following items can be specified:

• Auto Merge Tolerance. This item is used as a basic tolerance check in the model. It is entered in length units. The SAP2000 default for this item is 0.1 inch in English units and 1 mm in metric units. Following are some typical uses of the tolerance.

• • When a joint is drawn or generated within this distance from another joint, the drawn/generated joint is merged into the original joint.

  • If a joint is within this distance from a frame, the joint is assumed to be supported by the frame. When the analysis is run, the frame is broken up at the joint and connected to the joint. Note that this might put a small kink in the frame if the joint is not exactly on the frame.

  • If a joint is within this distance from being in a plane, it is assumed to be in the plane.

• 2D View Cutting Planes, +/-.   All objects within this specified distance from a 2D planar view will be included in the 2D view.

• Plan Fine Grid Spacing. This is the spacing of invisible grid points that are used by the Draw menu > Snap to > Fine Grid command and the associated Snap to Invisible Grid button. This item is entered in length units. The SAP2000 default for this item is 12 inches in English units or 304.8 mm in metric units.

Note:  The Change Plan Fine Grid Spacing form is a shortcut that can be used to adjust the fine grid spacing. Choose to apply the change relative to the origin or the last click. Access the Change Plan Fine Grid Spacing form by right clicking on a grid line and selecting the Plan Fine Grid Spacing option from the resulting drop-down list.

• Plan Nudge Value. This is the distance that a nudged object moves after you have pressed the appropriate key on the keyboard. This item is entered in length units. The SAP2000 default for this item is 12 inches in English units or 304.8 mm in metric units.

Note:  The Change Plan Nudge Value form is a shortcut that can be used to adjust the nudge value. Access the Change Plan Nudge Value form by right clicking on a grid line and selecting the Plan Nudge Value option from the resulting drop-down list.

• Screen Selection Tolerance. When clicking on an object to select it, the mouse pointer must be within this distance of the object to select it. This item is entered in pixels. The screen selection tolerance has no effect on selection by windowing. The SAP2000 default for this item is 3 pixels.

• Screen Snap to Tolerance. When using the snap features in SAP2000, the mouse pointer must be within this distance of a snap location to snap to it. This item is entered in pixels. The SAP2000 default for this item is 12 pixels.

• Screen Line Thickness. This parameter controls the thickness of lines on the screen. All lines are affected except for the bounding plane line. The thickness is entered in pixels. This item has no effect on text fonts. It also does not affect the aerial view. The SAP2000 default for this item is 1 pixel.

• Printer Line Thickness. This parameter controls the thickness of lines and fonts that are output to the printer. All lines are affected. The thickness is entered in pixels. The SAP2000 default for this item is 4 pixels.

• Maximum Graphic Font Size. When the zoom in feature is used, the font size becomes proportionately larger. However the font size is never made larger than the specified maximum graphic font size. The maximum graphic font size is entered in points. The SAP2000 default for this item is 8 points. This font size does not apply to the grid line identification labels whose size is determined by the specified size of the bubble.

• Minimum Graphic Font Size. When the zoom out feature is used, the font size becomes proportionately smaller. However the font size is never made smaller than the specified minimum graphic font size. The minimum graphic font size is entered in points. The SAP2000 default for this item is 3 points. Changing the minimum graphic font size can be helpful to increase the minimum font size to make it easier to read the on-screen display. This font size does not apply to the grid line identification labels whose size is determined by the specified size of the bubble.

• Auto Zoom Step. This is the size of the step used for the View menu > Zoom In One Step command and the View menu > Zoom Out One Step command as well as their associated toolbar buttons. This parameter is entered in percentage. The magnification of all objects in a view is increased or decreased by this percentage. The SAP2000 default for this item is 10%.

• Shrink Factor. When you shrink the objects in a view using the Shrink Object Toggle button, , all line objects are shrunk by this specified percentage. The SAP2000 default for this item is 70%. Note that you can also shrink objects by selecting the View menu > Set Display Options command, or its associated button , and checking the Object Shrink Objects check box in the General area of the Display Options for Active Window form. Typically area objects are not shrunk by this percentage. Instead they are shrunk by a set number of pixels that is built into the program. In the unusual case where shrinking the area object by the set number of pixels causes it to become an illegal object (because an edge has zero length), the area object reverts to using the percentage specified here.

• Max Line Length in Text File. This factor is the number of characters SAP2000 will use in a line of text before wrapping the text to another line when a .S2k or .$2k file is created.

Use the Reset to Default button to restore all items on the form to default values.

Example:  Use of this command is demonstrated in Problem C, Problem G, Problem J, and Problem N.