How to draw in centimetres?

[Helen269]

I am in the UK and I want to draw, say, a square that is 5cm on each side. How do I set AutoCAD so that 1 unit = 1cm?

 

When I draw a test square and each line is 5 units long and have the annotation scale set to 1:1 it prints out on paper at 5mm square. Do I have to remember to times every measurement by 10? That seems very awkward.

[Dana W]

The default units for the Acadiso.dwt (metric template) is millimeters. To change the units in your drawing, try this command, and follow the prompts.

 

-dwgunits

 

Notice the dash? The dash has to be there.

[Dadgad]

Welcome to CADTutor.

 

If you plan on working in centimeters, you should choose a Metric template.

Metric template names typically end with ISO.

if you open OPTIONS, on the FILES tab, in Template Settings, you can set your default template to be used with the QNEW command,

which is the icon at the extreme left of your menu bar at the top of your screen.

If you only need to do it for a specific drawing, as opposed to changing your default,

click on the big A in the upper left corner and select NEW, DRAWING and you will

be taken to the TEMPLATE DIALOG where you can choose a Metric template to use as a starting point.

 

If a drawing is already open, you can determine what the current drawing units are, and change them, should they

not be what you want, with the -dwgunits command. Be sure to include the hyphen, read the commandline

prompts carefully, and they will help you get sorted out.

 

Should you find that you are working on an Imperial base, you should also change the sytem variable MEASUREMENT,

which determines the linetypes, hatch patterns and default scale list definitions.

Enter MEASUREMENT at the commandline, to which you will likely get a response of ,

indicating those in use are Imperial, type 1 for Metric, and hit ENTER.

 

Looks like Dana took it at the wire!

Edited May 7, 2014 by Dadgad

[Dana W]

Welcome to CADTutor. :)Looks like Dana took it at the wire!

Sometimes the hammer, sometimes the nail. Now, all I have to do is work on getting my answers correct.

[Helen269]

That did it, thanks guys! :-)

 

(But you'd think such an important command would have am easy to use drop-down menu somewhere)

[dbroada]

(But you'd think such an important command would have am easy to use drop-down menu somewhere)

Its really only relevant if you keep changing your units. Once it is set in your template all future drawings will use the correct settings.

[Dana W]

That did it, thanks guys! :-)

 

(But you'd think such an important command would have am easy to use drop-down menu somewhere)

Like Dbroada says, you ain't gonna want to do this all the time. Now that you know how to set the units to cm, you can save a Centemeter Units.dwt (template drawing) and use it for a new drawing. It'll be ready to go.

 

-dwgunits is a set and forget sort of admin tool, made difficult to find on purpose. That's why they make default templates, so noobs don't have to sweat it. :lol:and then somebody wants a non default unit.

[dbroada]

:lol:and then somebody wants a non default unit.

fortunately "light years" is one of the defaults....

[Helen269]

Like Dbroada says, you ain't gonna want to do this all the time. Now that you know how to set the units to cm, you can save a Centemeter Units.dwt (template drawing) and use it for a new drawing. It'll be ready to go.

 

Already done. Thanks :-)

[JD Mather]

fortunately "light years" is one of the defaults....

 

I can't find light years in Autodesk Inventor. Has about everything else I need. Guess I need to add that unit to the wish list.

Hmmm, doesn't even have year, but I guess the unit "year" varies, so it can't really be called a unit.

 

Seems like some of the area and volume units are undocumented in this list, but I know I can retrieve those....

 

[Dana W]

fortunately "light years" is one of the defaults....

;)Well, I meant the units in the two default template dwt files, but yeah that list comes in handy all the time for me while I am working on my 3D model of the Universe. I work in par-secs.

 

Onlyest problem I have is I have to keep changing my drawing limits. The Universe seems to be expanding.

 

Hmmmm, actually I am working in 4D. The stuff we can see way out there happened billions and billions of billions ago, and the farther out I go, the more ago it is.

 

I just had a thought. Why don't we change the unit "billion" to "Carl", or "Sagan"? Either is easier to say, and one doesn't feel it necessary to wave ones arms while saying them.

 

Here's what I have so far.

[Dadgad]

Excellent Dana,

keep up the good work, and good humor!