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Converting an Existing DWG from meters to feet

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Message 1 of 35
beh160
67069 Views, 34 Replies

Converting an Existing DWG from meters to feet

I have been sent a DWG floor plan from a firm in South America. The existing file is Type: Decimal  and Units to scale: Meters. We need to convert the file to a useable architectural and feet set up. I know that I will need to scale the existing dwg however I am not sure what the exact steps are or what I should scale it by. Should I cahnge the drawing units first and then scale? Or the other way around? Biggest thing I need is the scale factor.

 

Thank you.

34 REPLIES 34
Message 2 of 35
Alfred.NESWADBA
in reply to: beh160

Hi,

 

if you create a new drawing, set it's settings to your units and run then command _INSERT (to insert the meter-drawing) AutoCAD should scale the drawing by units-factor itself.

 

- alfred -

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Alfred NESWADBA
Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS ... www.hollaus.at ... blog.hollaus.at ... CDay 2024
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(not an Autodesk consultant)
Message 3 of 35
pendean
in reply to: Alfred.NESWADBA

OR... just use SCALE command in the actual file: you know the ratio between inches/feet and meters/cm/mm, right?
Message 4 of 35
beh160
in reply to: pendean

No I am sorry but I do not know the scale factor between feet and meters. We have never had this issue come up before. And I can not just scale using referance because the South American architect is going to need to scale this back to meters at some point.

Message 5 of 35
dgorsman
in reply to: beh160

Unless there is a technical requirement to do your work in Imperial, I would suggest designing in meters.  Converting from one to the other, doing work, and converting back again will cause no end of problems eg. commercial objects designed to Imperial values may have dimensional differences than those designed to Metric values.

----------------------------------
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.


Message 6 of 35
beh160
in reply to: dgorsman

Unfortunatly this project would be very hard to do with out converting to imperial. We are working with a great number of standard sizes that need to be used and because of who our client is the project needs to be prosented to them in feet and inches.

 

I know there will be complications however this is the position we are in so I need to figure put the best way to do this.

Message 7 of 35
tbennett
in reply to: pendean

Scaling drawings can be painful.  Text, dimensions, blocks, etc. can freak out.

 

Is everything in modelspace?

Did they use annotative in their text and attributes?

Did they use sheet sets?

 

Please mark "Accept as Solution" if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted.
Message 8 of 35
pendean
in reply to: beh160

If the file needs to go back, your best approach would be to XREF their files and do your work in your files only, leaving the originals intact.
Otherwise you will be sending back an even bigger mess for them to try to fix.

IMHO you both and your mutual client need to take about these procedures and processes: neither one of you is an island here. Work together, and XREF.
Message 9 of 35
JDMather
in reply to: beh160


@beh160 wrote:
 Biggest thing I need is the scale factor.

 

Thank you.


What does the command line return if you type -dwgunts (with the - sign)?

Are you familiar with HS Algebra?

Often when I see questions like this, the OP isn't certain of the true scale.

Can you attach part of the file here?  That would help to avoid a game of 20 questions.
Then I can supply the formula...


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Message 10 of 35
Bob_Zurunkle
in reply to: JDMather

Ummm y'all do know AutoCAD has a converter built in to its calculator, right?

If by some odd chance my nattering was useful -- that's great, glad to help. But if it actually solved your issue, then please mark my solution as accepted 🙂
Message 11 of 35
tbennett
in reply to: Bob_Zurunkle

True, there is a calculator built in, but that only takes care of the scale factor.  Unless I'm missing something.

 

I think JDMather is right, he probably needs to send the file because there are a lot of factors to consider.  The least of which is scale.

 

Please mark "Accept as Solution" if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted.
Message 12 of 35
steve216586
in reply to: beh160

See HELP - UNITS = Controls coordinate and angle display formats and precision.

The System Variable UNITS only controls what your Command Line input and Measure command output will be formatted to and what unit blocks are inserted to match. It does NOT magically change the drawing from metric to imperial. You will still have to scale all objects in the drawing by a factor.

 

You stated your drawing is in Meters and you need it to be in Architectural Feet. Scale your drawing using one of the following factors:

****1 meter = 3.28083989501312 foot.**** -  Inverse = 1 foot = 0.3048 meter

 

After you have scaled the drawing to feet, your dimensions may need to be adjusted to that scale. (Most times they may not) Do that in Dimension Style Manager under the tab Primary Units. You should change the format of your dimensions to Architectural in that same tab if you want a format of xx'-xx".

 

Without seeing the drawing, this is the easiest way to go. IMHO. If you have any more questions, please ask.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. "-Eleanor Roosevelt
Message 13 of 35
JDMather
in reply to: steve216586


@steve216586 wrote:

See HELP - UNITS = Controls coordinate and angle display formats and precision.

The System Variable UNITS only

 

Without seeing the drawing, this is the easiest way to go. IMHO. If you have any more questions, please ask.


What information does the command  -dwgunits (sorry I left out a letter in earlier post) return on the command line?
Note - this is not the command Units.  -dwgunits with the minus sign


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Message 14 of 35
dbroad
in reply to: beh160

If you decide to upgrade to AutoCAD Architecture, the units command will offer to automatically scale model and paperspace objects when the units are changed. It also will automatically scale drawings inserted that have different units These, however, are not base AutoCAD functionalities(yet).

Architect, Registered NC, VA, SC, & GA.
Message 15 of 35
steve216586
in reply to: JDMather

AutoCAD is a Cartesian coordinate system program. It doesn't care if you draw in Meters, Feet or Lightyears. But when converting a drawing from one unit system to another the proper conversion factor must be used. To enable the user to input his drawing data in the units of his choice the system variables set by UNITS will allow this. But that dialog does not change the scale of the drawing. Only as described the data input and measurement output and block insertion unit scale.

I don't and have never used the command -dwgunits so I can't tell you what it does. Maybe I'm old school but I never had problems converting metric to imperial and back or from feet to inches for that matter, when dealing with other users' drawings.

I explained my procedure and I'll let it stand on its own merit.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. "-Eleanor Roosevelt
Message 16 of 35
JDMather
in reply to: steve216586


@steve216586 wrote:
It doesn't care if you draw in Meters, Feet or Lightyears. But when converting a drawing from one unit system to another the proper conversion factor must be used.
I don't and have never used the command -dwgunits so I can't tell you what it does. Maybe I'm old school ...


So it does "care"?

The templates are set up such that dimension styles and other considerations are important regarding units.

 

I think the -dwgunits command is fairly new (added within the last three releases, but I could be wrong). 
In any case, when there is a command you are not familiar with you can experiment with changes following the prompts on the command line and experimentally observe what the command does (I haven't checked the Help system to see what information it has.)

Whether any of this is any use to the OP or not, I have no way of knowing since the OP apparently solved their problem or abandoned their problem. 

 

dwgunits.png

 

AFAIK, only one poster in this thread brought up the Units command, but I could have missed something.


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Message 17 of 35
steve216586
in reply to: JDMather

"Should I cahnge (sic) the drawing units first and then scale?"

 

Considering it to be the OP who brought up a question about "drawing units", I'd say that person 

is pretty important enought to receive a comment about what that would do or not do, to his drawing.

 

JD, I would appreciate it in the future you keep you comments to yourself and stop trolling me. It makes no difference in a cartesian system what units you are using. A line one unit long is just that. Starting at (0,0) and ending at (1,0) could mean anything: m, in, ft, cm, pc, ly, hand, cubit etc. Until you apply a dimension to the line, it is still one "unit" long. I think you understand this but want to troll my answer about scaling.

 

In the mean time, by being a smart aleck, you are misguiding others. Not very mature. You must think you are "cool" to your students. Do you share these "quirky" comments in class?

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. "-Eleanor Roosevelt
Message 18 of 35
dbroad
in reply to: steve216586

Steve,

Calm down.  JD is not trying to be a smart aleck but trying to point the OP and you to the -dwgunits command which can be used to automatically do the conversion.  IOW, with the -dwgunits command, AutoCAD will automatically scale objects in the drawing if requested.

 

He was trying to keep you from misleading the OP into thinking that the objects must be scaled manually.  The units are significant. 

 

JD wasn't sure whether the OP had the -dwgunits command.  It is in 2012 but may not be in earlier versions.

Architect, Registered NC, VA, SC, & GA.
Message 19 of 35
JDMather
in reply to: steve216586


@steve216586 wrote:
.... It makes no difference in a cartesian system what units you are using. A line one unit long is just that. Starting at (0,0) and ending at (1,0) could mean anything: m, in, ft, cm, pc, ly, hand, cubit etc. Until you apply a dimension to the line, it is still one "unit" long....
....

Start a new file using an AutoCAD metric template.
Create a rectangle 10x10 units.

Dimension the rectangle.

 

Start a new file using an AutoCAD imperial template.

Create a rectangle 10x10 units.

Dimension the rectangle.

 

View the two files side-by-side.

What observations can be made about the views?

 

Extrude the rectangle in the first file 10 units.

Extrude the rectangle in the second file 10 units.

 

Save each file as dwg.

Export each file as ACIS *.sat

Export each file in neutral format IGES *.igs

 

Open each file in Inventor and measure.
Open each file in SolidWorks and measure.

 

What observations can be made about the unit conversions?

Did AutoCAD attach units to the geometry?


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Message 20 of 35
tbennett
in reply to: JDMather

OK.  I think you maybe you are reading too much into things in regard to motive.  Everything is 1 to 1... sort of.

 

If you draw a line 1 unit long it will be 1 unit long.  However, if you draw a line 1 unit long because it is 1 inch long but now you want it to be in millimeters the physical line must either become 25.4 units long, or your dimensions will have to adjust.  So, in effect, somethings gotta give in respect to scale.

Please mark "Accept as Solution" if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted.

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