4 replies to this topic

[John Jones]

If the deck is pulling off the house you are probably selecting the wrong arrow when editing the dimension.  When editing a dimension the arrow you press is to indicate what item will move not what direction it will move.

[Keith Almond]

Your deck is a certain size, and your dimensions are probably from the wall to the outside of the deck, not from the deck edge to deck edge. Typically the deck will stay the size you drew it, and the dimensions will position it.

 

The deck joists will follow the reference edge, so if you slope a reference edge the joists will slope.

 

You can make sure you dimension the actual deck edges by clicking an extension on the deck not the wall and work from there, OR you can use set distance between to edit the size of the deck (again, make sure you click on the deck, not the wall, OR you can use ADJUST to stretch the deck edges to where you want them. There are multiple ways of doing what you need - Softplan ONLY does what you ask it to, the problem is, sometimes you haven't asked what you think you asked.

 

I've been working on CAD systems since 1983, and used many systems. Softplan is without a doubt the most intuitive I've ever worked with, but then intuition is different in everyone.

[Steve Haarmann]

If you use a dimension from the wall to the end of he deck it assumes the deck is an entity and that you want to move the whole thing.

It then moves the deck away from the wall.

 

Pull an extension line off the outside end of the deck and dimension from the wall to the outside end.

It will move the end of the deck not the whole deck.

[Sam Morgan]

If the deck moved, you have dimension-ed to the house, not the deck ledger.  Not sure what other programs you've used and thought were easier, but I've found softplan to be one of the easiest design programs to learn....and we have a great group here willing to help!