Copying to original coordinates problems

Hi, I am trying to copy objects between 2 x files.

Both files have the same UNITS, UCS (World, although I have also tried an identical user-defined UCS on each file) and INSBASE (when I'm using world).

However, when I copy objects from one file and paste with original coordinates to the other, the objects are kilometres apart.

Does anyone know what other settings I can try here?? Many thanks in advance, Kim

are they actually drawn in the same Units? You say the setting UNITS is the same, but that doesn't autmatically mean that whoever did the drawing in the first place drew everything at that unit. if you use DIST to measure a piece of road or a house or a bolt, are they both the same unit then?

Yes, both distances are 19.80 for the same object.

Kimba - Gutten Tag! Willkommen im Forum!

When you are copying from one and pasting in the other...are you using 'copy with a base point' (CTRL-SHFT-C) or just copy-paste? You must use copy with base to maintain common base points. I prefer to use 0,0 as my base point because it is common in both drawings. You can also use a TBM or survey point.

It is also possible that someone else has/had moved one of the drawings...there was a long discussion on this forum about why someone would do that.

Hope this helps.

Use COPY WITH BASEPOINT, specify 0,0,0 and try pasting with those coords. Let us know what happened.

OK, that worked! thanks for the help. My question now is - why on earth does paste with original coordinates not work?? Is there an additional UCS setting which I should alter for this to work? Or is this a simple CAD quirk?

I usually use paste to original for speed.

...reason being that I wish to copy layouts between the two files (layout from copy - I think, I only have German language CAD) to enable plotting of various layers of different files with the exact same position. If everything were equal, then I would see the exact same area within my layout windows - but at the moment I do not.

Copy with Base Point gives an exact reference point whereas with copy-paste the computer seems to simply pick a point to use as the base point, usually close to the objects you have selected. I am not aware of any other settings that you could use to 'encourage' the computer to read your mind and pick the base point you want. The computer is still a dumb box - GIGO.

If I understand you correctly -

the layout tab has a default viewport that may not be the same as one that has been modified.

Usually when i copy with base - then paste into a new drawing - the view port copied in is 'OFF' and when turned on the view IS the same between files because the viewport window is coordinate and scale based.

Try that?

Again, sometimes people move base files (I am still baffled by WHY someone would move a base file!) and that would explain why you see something different.

If this doesn't help please rephrase or include some screen shots.

Good Luck!

sorry, it's been a long day

What I mean is that in one file (say 'Landscape') I have a couple of layouts already set up with viewports etc. In my second file (say 'Survey), I can right click on the layout tab and in the popup menu are various options. The second option would translate to something like 'new layout from existing format' (sorry, it's been a couple of years since I used EN language CAD). Usually, I click on that, I get a pop up prompting me to select a file, and then a list of the layouts within that file. I click on the desired layout and magically, it appears in my second file. If the base data between the two files is in the same location, then what I see is the information from the 'Survey' file in exactly the same viewport window, same scale, same location on the page, everything. To clarify, I don't see anything from the original file, nor are they linked. It is just the parameters, location of plot windows and the page size and plot settings etc which are copied.

While I also have the 'Survey' file (or a copy thereof) in my Landscape file as an xref of course, I use this method occasionally to isolate and export particular layers to photoshop which is a bit trickier when everything is xref'd.

I too am baffled by why someone would feel the need to move a base file! That's why I'm trying to work out why in this particular case why my files are being so obstinate! Aargh, AutoCAD. So much pleasure...so much pain.

The problem might be on of your files is on WORLD UCS, and the other Unnamed UCS. Just make sure both of your files that you need to copy from and paste to are on the same WORLD UCS.