Changing unitless input scales (not Dimension styles)

[budakk]

I am trying to set up AutoCAD to read all unitless inputs as Feet (1 unit=12 units) instead ot 1unit=1unit: INSTEAD having to change around dimension styles and how those read.

I'm currently working with Civil drawings that are drawn at 1/12 scale in Model Space where 1unit is used as 1Foot and DIm style is created to make that 1unit read as 1'-0" (not 0'-1" or 0.08333'). this winds up causing issues with Architectural drawings I work with which 1unit=1" (See attached image)

I understand AutoCAD reads units (not inches/feet/mm/m, etc...) and that the dimensions are what define that BUT i would like to do the following with how AutoCAD reads keyboard inputs.

E.g. - If i type in 6 (as a unitless number) and hit ENTER i want that to come up as 72 units (6 Feet) rather than 6 units (6 inches), INSTEAD adding the ' mark everytime.

I think it involves changing around a few AutoCAD system settings, or possibly even CUI, and how the ' symbol is read by AutoCAD. As of right now ' =12 units (when set by the Unit Style). That setting is somwhere in autocad but I'm not sure where.

The only options I am finding right now are to change the scale factor of the Dimension Style, which doesn't solve my problem, or the scale of the drawings itself (Not what I'm looking for).

-Thanks

[nestly2 · Accepted solution]

Even if you could get this to work,  if "6" = 72 how (as an Architecural guy) would you expect to enter  6' 0 1/2"?

I think the typical solution is to xref the Civil drawing into the Arch drawing, or vice-versa, and each discipline continues to use their own units.

[budakk]

I see what your're saying, but at that point I was thinking that " would then act as 1 unit,. Reciprical of what ' is now (1:12).

So as of now its: I type in 1' and get 12 units - Type 1 (unitless) and I get 1 unit.

What I would like to do is: Type in 1 (unitless) and get 12 units - type in 1" and get 1 unit.

Its basically switching around how ' and " are read, and which one AutoCAD sees as the default when no units are entered. (1.5 unitless being 1.5' vs 1.5") I figured this would be a system setting, dependent on which computer its set up on. That way Architectural is Unitless= "  and Civil is Unitless='

I'm just trying to make it so that when the Civil drawings are done, the method of not having to type in ' for feet is still allowed to happen and the drawings would all be at the same scale.

I'm guessing (hoping) that's why it's done this way (drawn @ 1/12) as opposed to actually drawing it to scale....

[budakk]

Thinking about it further, at this point it'll be more of a headache to try and make the whole Civil side change drawing scale. Its just the tip of the iceburg as far as coordiantion between Architectural and CIvil goes on standards.

-Thanks again

[nestly2]

It's not a anything as simple as changing a system setting or variable, I believe it's hard coded.  Also, did you ever notice that ' & " are only available for distance entry when using Architectural or Engineering UNITS.   I'm afraid the Civil guys would dig a hole, and put you in it.

[budakk]

Haha, ya but its only a few that use this system. The other Civil people never used this system, they always used 1 unit:1". Like I said, it just the tip of the iceburg. There is almost no consistency in Civil's methods here, everything is scaled & printed in model space which, when dealing with different scales, is just a collosal clusterf*ck in itself.

[jggerth1]

In several decades of doing CAD - civil and process -, I've never seen a civil drawing worked on in 1 unit = 1".   1 unit.

(at least Stateside) is always treated as 1 ft.  Trying to convince any of the civil designers & engineers to change and start thinking in 'inches' would be a waste of time - not to mention all the calculations that would have to be reworked with a unit change as well as the permitting agencies that would reject them.

[budakk]

I see...I'm, not disputing that the system of 1:12 is wrong or anything but there seems to be no understanding of it here beyond "That's how its always been." Which is just compiling the problem.

The thing is the current system for Civil (1:12) & the new system (1:1) create the same drawings and all the calcs are done the same, as far as I am aware its all in decimal units like 8.75'. No inches involved for Civil.

Current (1unit: 1 FOOT)

Units: Decimal

Dimension Style: Decimal w/ a Measurement Scale Factor of 1

- Which results in dimensions of a 1.5 unit lin CIVIL: 1.5' & ARCHITECTURAL: 0'-1 1/2"

VS

Other (1unit:1 INCH)

Units: Engineering

Dimension Style: Decimal w/ Measurement Scale Factor of 1/12

-Which results in dimesions of an 18 unit line  inCIVIL: 1.5' & ARCHITECURAL: 1'-6")

Its just a matter of consistency, or for this matter incosistency, in terms or drawing styles and coordination between a firm that works with more then one profession.

Again, the whole issue is consistency between the two "departments" which sometimes has people jump from Civil to help Architectural out and vice versa. Drawing styles between the two dont match and considering we didn't/don't have a reason for why the 1/12 scale is in place besides "That's how it's always been" were trying to bring them to the same page. From the looks of it, it's going to stay that way and the other inconsistences are going to have to be addressed.

[nestly2]

Based on your last post, (Arch scale = 1/12)  it appears that you're trying to merge Architectural and Civil objects in the same drawing file?  It becomes a lot less convoluted if you keep the drawings separate and xref them together.  Everyone draws at 1:1 and everyone uses the same dim measurement factor (1)

[budakk]

We're not necessarily trying to merge Arch & Civil elements together or even into the same file, but more trying to get all the drawing standard on the same page throughout the office. The use of different scales is fine, but like I said, the only explanation that we had for this was "That's how it's always been." which doesm't really fly, especially with the folliowing.

The issue with Xrefing is... Civil, here, doesn't use it. They prefer to copy & paste & scale it (old habits die hard... real hard).

They (1unit:1foot) use Layer States, which is fine but no one, especially the newer people, in Arch has ever used here along with half the Civil (the ones that drew 1unit: 1inch). They also, like I said before, use model space to scale everything and plot it, so a detail drawn @ 1unit:1foot needs to be scaled at 1":10 up from w.e scale it was at before, the ACTUAL drawing gets scaled, rather then using a viewport.  Architectural uses Xrefs, Sheet Sets & Paper Space to manage evetything architectural.

I have no problem with drawing at a differnt scale (1:1foot) but it just adds to the confusion when there is no real explanation as to why other than "always been" when there are people IN Civil who have used 1unit:1inch. From the looks of it, at this point it doesn't matter.

If it were managed properly this wouldnt be an issue, we could easily Xref and scale but that's not happening here, lack of control is what the underlying issue is. There is no way to do what i was originally looking to do, which is fine. Thank you anyways.