Slightly off axis

“Element is slightly off axis and may cause inaccuracies.”

How often do you get the above warning? So what exactly is it!

From the help file:

Problem: This warning is triggered by elements based on lines that are misaligned —by 1x(10^-9) to .2 degrees— with either the horizontal or vertical directions, or with a line at 45 degrees to the horizontal/vertical direction.

The problem can be caused by sketching or rotating elements when angle snaps are turned off, or it can result from pre-existing elements when you do any of the following:

• Create an element by picking a slightly off-axis face or line.
• Align an element to a slightly off-axis reference.
• Explode an AutoCAD import that contains slightly off-axis lines.
• Create floor area faces on a mass that has slightly off-axis geometry.
• Snap defining line ends to references that are slightly off-axis (such as imported drawings or 2 columns that are not properly aligned).
• Snap defining line ends to references that are positioned correctly in their respective contexts but the line between them is slightly off-axis (such as snapping to 2 different ceiling grids).

Off-axis problems need to be resolved, because Revit Architecture cannot create dimensions between lines that are not exactly parallel, and cannot join or cut geometry if faces are slightly off-parallel or have very small gaps due to off-axis elements.

Solution: Depending on the cause of the problem, do one of the following:

• Drag the end of the off-axis element a short distance and let it snap to the axis.
• Repeat the rotation operation with angle snaps turned on.
• If the inaccuracy is derived from pre-existing elements, correct them and repeat the operation.
• If the problem is caused by imported data, consider correcting it in the original software and re-importing it into Revit Architecture.