meter and millimeter units

[gloanx]

Hi!
I like to use millimeter units for linear measurements and squaremeter units for areas.
ACAD's drawing setup dialog box shows that this can be done but I do not know how to apply it.
Whenever I use the area command, I always get the area values in millimeter units.
Any input that may lead me to a solution will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Phil

[Anonymous]

type 'units' on the command line and fill in the units you want


wrote in message news:5237091@discussion.autodesk.com...
Hi!
I like to use millimeter units for linear measurements and squaremeter units
for areas.
ACAD's drawing setup dialog box shows that this can be done but I do not
know how to apply it.
Whenever I use the area command, I always get the area values in millimeter
units.
Any input that may lead me to a solution will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Phil

[Anonymous]

I'm not entirely sure that allows you to get the result back in mm
*AND* sq m. Isn't it either one or the other? Somebody please prove me
wrong in this, for years I've resorted to setting units to mm and then
mentally shifting the decimal point 6 places left to give me the sq m
result in area calcs. Not exactly slick but it works.
James

davo wrote:
> type 'units' on the command line and fill in the units you want
>
>
> wrote in message news:5237091@discussion.autodesk.com...
> Hi!
> I like to use millimeter units for linear measurements and squaremeter units
> for areas.
> ACAD's drawing setup dialog box shows that this can be done but I do not
> know how to apply it.
> Whenever I use the area command, I always get the area values in millimeter
> units.
> Any input that may lead me to a solution will be highly appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Phil

[Anonymous]

yes youre right.....I should have realised that cos I've become used to
doing the same shifting 6 places. You should post this in the ADT wishlist
group.
..it would be handy here in Oz ....we use mm to dimension but sq m for area
(as if dims in mm doesnt generate some very long numbers ....areas in mm are
ridiculous!)

[Anonymous]

Can you not do this in the ADT Drawing Setup dialog, on the Units tab. I can set inches as my base linear unit and square feet and cubic feet as my area and volume measurements. That may only affect ADT objects, however - where are you looking to see areas given in square meters?

--

David Koch
Autodesk Discussion Group Facilitator
Using ADT 2004 at work; access to 2005, 2006 & 2007 at home

[Anonymous]

David
nope its the same result as entering it under the 'units' cmd

set dim to mm, area to metres, use cmd 'area' on something and you get area
in millimetres when it should be metres

[Anonymous]

David,
I never realised that was possible. Although I've had ADT since Ver2 I'm
obliged to work on vanilla (I'm freelance, all my clients are on pre
2000/2002 vanilla and refuse to upgrade, so I work on the latest release
and save back to ship the drawings!).

When I load ADT 2006 *as* vanilla I get the 'standard' units facility.
I've just tried ADT as Architectural Desktop and the Drawing Setup-Units
works as you say, GREAT.
However if I load as Architectural Desktop then set Tools-Options-2006
to show the vanilla toolbars I still get the linear/square/cubic units
of ADT. Interesting.
My only worry now is if I work in ADT2006 (Options - 2006) and use the
obviously much better units facility when I save back to 2000/2002 will
my clients be able to open and use the drawings? (I do not intend to use
any ADT objects, just 2D drafting).

Just a side issue - I've got ADT2007 but I'm not even going there yet! I
know that's a potential minefield!

Thanks for any ideas/help/suggestions.
James


David_W._Koch wrote:
> Can you not do this in the ADT Drawing Setup dialog, on the Units tab. I can set inches as my base linear unit and square feet and cubic feet as my area and volume measurements. That may only affect ADT objects, however - where are you looking to see areas given in square meters?
>
> --
>
> David Koch
> Autodesk Discussion Group Facilitator
> Using ADT 2004 at work; access to 2005, 2006 & 2007 at home

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I jumped in a bit too quickly there. I just LOOKED at the command
in ADT and didn't TRY it.
Davo is right, regardless of what the units say about area in sq m it
gives it in mm .
I've got Drawing Units mm & 3 dec places. Area in sq m 2 dec places.
A 1000x1200 rectangle 'area' gives me the following -
Command: _area
Specify first corner point or [Object/Add/Subtract]: o

Select objects:
Area = 1200000.000, Perimeter = 4400.000

Any thoughts?
James

James-22 wrote:
> David,
> I never realised that was possible. Although I've had ADT since Ver2 I'm
> obliged to work on vanilla (I'm freelance, all my clients are on pre
> 2000/2002 vanilla and refuse to upgrade, so I work on the latest release
> and save back to ship the drawings!).
>
> When I load ADT 2006 *as* vanilla I get the 'standard' units facility.
> I've just tried ADT as Architectural Desktop and the Drawing Setup-Units
> works as you say, GREAT.
> However if I load as Architectural Desktop then set Tools-Options-2006
> to show the vanilla toolbars I still get the linear/square/cubic units
> of ADT. Interesting.
> My only worry now is if I work in ADT2006 (Options - 2006) and use the
> obviously much better units facility when I save back to 2000/2002 will
> my clients be able to open and use the drawings? (I do not intend to use
> any ADT objects, just 2D drafting).
>
> Just a side issue - I've got ADT2007 but I'm not even going there yet! I
> know that's a potential minefield!
>
> Thanks for any ideas/help/suggestions.
> James
>
>
> David_W._Koch wrote:
>> Can you not do this in the ADT Drawing Setup dialog, on the Units tab. I can set inches as my base linear unit and square feet and cubic feet as my area and volume measurements. That may only affect ADT objects, however - where are you looking to see areas given in square meters?
>>
>> --
>>
>> David Koch
>> Autodesk Discussion Group Facilitator
>> Using ADT 2004 at work; access to 2005, 2006 & 2007 at home

[Anonymous]

As I mentioned might be the case, the Drawing Setup units only affect values reported for ADT objects by ADT [in the Properties palette, for example]. The AutoCAD AREA command is the same in both ADT and AutoCAD.

When using Architectural units, AutoCAD reports both square inches and square feet [in parentheses], but even that does not respect the ADT Drawing Setup selection if you choose, for example, square yards instead of square feet for the area units.

--

David Koch
Autodesk Discussion Group Facilitator
Using ADT 2004 at work; access to 2005, 2006 & 2007 at home

[Anonymous]

This appears a bug for repair doesnt it?