Dimension Scale Factors

[Anonymous]

Using AutoCAD 2015.

I click inside the viewport window and the scale at the bottom bar says it is 1:16.  There are several details, all dimensioned withing the model space.  There is a main view, when I click on a dimension and look at the properties, it tell me that it is using a Scale Factor of 1, so I assume it is true 1:16.  Other details have differnt dimension styles, clicking on one tells me the Scale Factor is 0.675675... Another is 0.344827586, another is 1.33836478.  Is there a mathematical formula I can use to determine what the Scale actually is?

Thanks in advance.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi MarkMarine,

I am not sure I understood completely what you mean. Can you please upload this drawing, so I can see where those scale factors are?

Thank you

[RobDraw]

In this case, multiply those numbers by 16.

[Anonymous]

Hello...

In the sample dwg, Plan 9-A, Section 12-C, & 12-B...if you click on the dimensions in each of those, then open the Style manager, then go to Modify, then Primary Units, you will see a Scale Factor of 1 (the name of this dimension style is ("STANDARD").  I am assuming from the scale of the viewport that this is 1:16.

Detail 11-A's Dimension Style is "STANDARD-1" and the Scale Factor is 0.675675...

Detail 12-A's Dimension Style is "STANDARD-2" and the Scale Factor is 0.344827586

Elevation 11-B's Dimension Style is "STNADARD-3" AND THE sCALE fACTOR IS 1.33836478

My question is, what would the scale be of each of these views?

[RobDraw · Accepted solution]

I'm fairly certain this is correct.

Detail 11-A: 0.675675*16 = 10.810, Scale 1:10.810

Detail 12-A: 0.344827586*16 = 5.51724, Scale 1:5.51724

Elevation 11-B: 1.33836478*16 = Scale 1:21.4138

[Anonymous]

Hmm...those are certainly not standard scales.  We've decided to go with the olde "N.T.S"

Thanks for your help.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi MarkMarine,

just to clarify: My guess is, that somebody just scaled randomly, and matched the scalefactor. If you look at my notes, you see that the two dimensions have nothing in common. For my understanding (in mechanical drawings) the original and the scaled detail must show the same size (dimension).

7 (standard-style) to 8 (standard-1-style) and 28(standard-style) to 25 (standard-1-style) just don't match. Correct me if I am wrong, maybe in architecture you have other rules... 

And for the forum's sake , if my guess was correct, please mark my post as accepted solution. If not please enlighten us (or just me, because I don't know) what N.T.S. is 

Thank you

[Anonymous]

"Not To Scale"

[RobDraw]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Hmm...those are certainly not standard scales.  We've decided to go with the olde "N.T.S"

Thanks for your help.

---

I would have suggested that without doing the math. If I knew you were asking about labeling the details, I would have suggested that from the start but you asked about scale factors and a formula.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Thank you  Now it makes sense...

MarkMarine, if you think one/more of the above post is worth to be marked as accepted solution, please do so. All other readers will see the solution immediately and can benefit from your experience. 

Thanks again

Regards

[Anonymous]

I understand.  Technically there really was no solution.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

In this case @Anonymous, no solution, is the solution 

This also help others to understand that there isn't always a bright and shiny solution. Sometimes, there is just something wrong and we have to deal with it. 

I'd suggest my post no 7 and your no 11 will give a complete picture of the situation here. If you agree, please mark these two post as accepted solution.

Thank you

[RobDraw]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Is there a mathematical formula I can use to determine what the Scale actually is?

Thanks in advance.

---

This was the original question and there is a solution.

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

You are absolutely right @RobDraw! When we are talking in general, yes:

Measure the original - measure the Detail with the same dimstyle : e.g Original 10 - Detail 20. 

Divide Detail with Original : 20/10 = 2/1

The scalefactor is 2:1

@Anonymous needed to know the factors on his drawing. For his case we cannot provide a solution because this drawing is somehow messed up. 

It is up to him which post worked out for him to get the desired answers. And it is not forbidden to mark two solutions, if those help other reader to understand the bigger picture 

If there was a misunderstanding, I didn't mean to offend anybody's answer.

Regards

[RobDraw]

Actually, if we are talking in general, the "Not To Scale" answer would be the solution.

I'm not disagreeing and don't care about which solutions are marked as such as long as they are the correct answer and marked as such by the OP.

My point is that it took a while to get to the actual question, which actually was never stated, "How should I label the scale of these details on the sheet?" and how important it is to ask the right question. My response answered the question stated to a "T" but it was not the answer to the unstated question, which the OP needed.

[Anonymous]

---

@RobDraw wrote:

Actually, if we are talking in general, the "Not To Scale" answer would be the solution.

I'm not disagreeing and don't care about which solutions are marked as such as long as they are the correct answer and marked as such by the OP.

My point is that it took a while to get to the actual question, which actually was never stated, "How should I label the scale of these details on the sheet?" and how important it is to ask the right question. My response answered the question stated to a "T" but it was not the answer to the unstated question, which the OP needed.

---

I think me asking what the mathematical formula was so I could determine what the scale actually is, is the same as "How should I label the scale..." Same thing.  We are nitpicking and spending way too much time on this.

[RobDraw]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I think me asking what the mathematical formula was so I could determine what the scale actually is, is the same as "How should I label the scale..." Same thing.  We are nitpicking and spending way too much time on this.

---

That's from your point of view and my comments were not to criticize you. I'm sure in your head it made sense but in my head, I gave you what you were asking for, a formula and the answers when that formula was applied.

You don't have to spend any more time on this if you don't want to. I wasn't pointing fingers as your question, as stated, was a challenge and I enjoy a challenge. If you had asked how to label the details, my answer would have been NTS, as we use that for all of our details, but you didn't mention labels, you mentioned formula and scale factors. So if you feel we are wasting your time, maybe you should consider that I wasted my time giving you the information that you asked for.

BTW, you're welcome.