Precision difficulty

[silverfox]

I have Autocad 2007 on my laptop mostly for drawing items to be laser cut

The precision selection does not appear to activate as whatever  level i input it seems to default to 0.00 ( sometimes 0.000) 

I have ran through every posible configuration with  type  and insertion scale

 

i use format>units> Type ( any)>precision ( any)> insertion type ( any)

This also applies to the angle selection

 

Is there a glitch and is there a way of getting it to react correctly? I am quite happy with the programme otherwise

 

Any suggestions help?

 

Thanks

 

[eldon]

Whatever precision is displayed, AutoCAD should be working to maximum precision internally.

 

To see the precision on the screen, have you tried setting the system variables LUPREC for length unit precision and AUPREC for angle unit precision?

 

You should be able to set the precision from the units dialogue as you are doing, so I cannot image what gremlins are about!

[Dadgad]

Welcome to CadTutor silverfox. 

 

Try increasing the size of your commandline history display to about 10 lines, then run the    -DWGUNITS command.

Read the commandline prompts carefully and you should be able to sort it out.

 

Are you talking about while dimensioning?

If so those can be fixed by modifying your dimstyle.

 

Set your Linear Dimension Display to <8>.

For angular precision see the screenshot.

 

Dor a Dimension style do it on the Primary Units tab of OPTIONS.

 

Edited June 5, 2020 by Dadgad
screenshot added

[silverfox]

Dadgad and Eldon

 

Thanks for the replies, but i am a simple chap!! 

Taking it one step at a time, and i am a VERY slow walker...lol

Do i put these instructions in the Command line at the bottom?

Whilst i can zip around on a Mill and a lathe ( i can see what is happening) i am totally in the hands of the programme on the laptop. and programming is really a dark art to me. My knowledge goes as far as       oes it work correctly..yes.. carry on

Am i having problems ( like this one)  yes  . turn it off and go back into the workshop

 

My lathe has a DRO that reads to 6 places, the Mill DRO reads to 4 dec places

 

So four will be ok in autocad

If you can spare the time, a simple do this then do that would really assist

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[BIGAL]

Like Eldon, just type. If your running any lisp etc it may be resetting let us know.

 

LUPREC 4

AUNITS 0

AUPREC 4

[Dadgad]

silverfox please post a .dwg file so that we can help you troubleshoot your problem.

Are you trying to work in Imperial or Metric?

I am guessing Metric, but curious what Template is being used.

If you are in the States AutoCad, I believe, defaults to Imperial.

If you want to work in mms, like I do, then you will want to start with an appropriate Metric template.

Help us to help you in the most efficient and problem specific way possible.

[eldon]

As far as I know you cannot tell AutoCAD what precision to work to. It always works as accurately as it can. What you see on the screen is only a rounded display of the length to prevent too much clutter on the command line, so perhaps you are fretting unnecessarily.

[silverfox]

Eldon and others

 

I am not the greatest when explaining problems!

so will go back to square 1 if that is ok

 

I work on my metal lathe and miller to imperial dimensions, The lathe DRO is accurate to 0.00000 places, the mill to 0.0000 places, so i need 0.0000 accuracy on the drawings

The firm i deal with for laser cutting works on mm so all my drawing to them are in that 

On Autocad 2007 there is a drop down menu  

 

Format>Units  which gives options  Type...decimal, fractional ...engineering etc

 

under that i can select precision from  from 0.0  ...to.. 0,.00000000

 

under that is insertion scale mm inches feet mile kilo etc

On the RH side i can do the same with angles

 

It is the precision selection i have problems with. 

 

Irrespective of whatever level  i select the dimension comes out as 0.00  or if i want a hole 1.255  it will round up to 1.3  which is no bloody good at all when machining

That is the problem ,it is the same with the precision on angles, i have to rotate a piece so another part is at 90 degrees to the cutter. To get this exact i need ta specify a point  on an arc from the centre so i can insert a peg which locates it in this position  the the present situation just gives me either 13 or 14 degrees, one is over ,the other  under, again worse than useless to me

 

The original question was

 

Is there a glitch in the programme that i can amend. I have seen the answers on here ,and while it it no doubt  obvious to you, i t isn't to me

 

As an example  if you asked me for directions from say Southampton Docks from London and i said

Go down the M3

Turn right

carry on

Turn left

you have arrived 

 

you would have no idea where to turn, how long to drive, etc..the same with  enter XYZ and  change 123

IIf t can be corrected, after all what is the point of a programme offering such accuracy, when it will not show it when requested      ( dimension setting)

 

If it is FUBAR then at least i know that the old calculator will be needed every time, but i would rather have a drawing that tells me what i want to know and not what it thinks i need!!!

 

So if it  can be corrected to show 4 dec places of precision on both length and angle settings , what in the simplest terms possible do i need to do?

 

example

Enter xzz in  place a

type 123 in b a etc

 

Sorry for the length if this but i hope that i have explained it a bit better

 

I just need 4 places of accuracy..instead of 2  thats all

 

Thanks for your patience

 

Ron

 

 

Edited June 7, 2020 by silverfox
speeling

[eldon]

30 minutes ago, silverfox said:

........ i can select precision from  from 0.0  ...to.. 0,.00000000....

 

It is the precision selection i have problems with. 

 

 

 

Your problem is that the precision selection that you have explained is only about the precision that you see on the screen.

 

As I said before, you cannot determine what precision AutoCAD is working to. It automatically works to its maximum precision. YOU CANNOT CHANGE IT.

 

What you have is a display problem, that may be a glitch with your computer. Is your copy of AutoCAD a legal one? If you are using a cracked version, you may be having glitches.

[Dadgad]

 

silverfox LUPREC is a system variable which sets the DISPLAY (only) precision.

 

If you look at the DIMSTYLE modification screenshot in my earlier post you will see that all of the dimensions shown are to  8 decimal places, including angles.

 

In my earlier post you will see what the DIMADEC system variable controls...specifically the ANGLE DIMENSION DECIMAL display.

 

The DIMDEC system variable controls the number of decimal places displayed with a non-angular dimension.  If you want to, you can have all your dimensions display to 8 decimal places.

 

by using the OPTIONS command you can go to the PRIMARY UNITS tab, and set those values.

OR you can just enter the system variable name at the commandline and enter the value which you want to use.

 

 

 

silverfos

[Dadgad]

DIMDEC  system variable explanation.

 

[Dadgad]

Would dimensions like this be of any help?

two different style of alternate dims

 

 

 

silverfox Dim Options.dwg

Edited June 7, 2020 by Dadgad
.dwg changed

[eldon]

With your analogy of asking directions from Southampton Docks to London, you have missed the vital steps that you have to go to the M3 via the A33, A35, the M271 and the M27.

 

So in AutoCAD, suggestions to solve your problem might miss out various basic routine steps that are second nature to users. It is sometimes dangerous not to learn basic AutoCAD so that any suggestions fall upon stony ground.

[silverfox]

Eldon

 

Just as an aside i went to a school in Edmonton called Eldon road!!

 

Re the dimensions shown you said earlier

 

Posted in Precision difficulty   As far as I know you cannot tell AutoCAD what precision to work to. It always works as accurately as it can. What you see on the screen is only a rounded display of the length to prevent too much clutter on the command line, so perhaps you are fretting unnecessarily.     The rounded display is of no use whatsoever. An example  a piston of diameter of 1.25 units will not fit in a bore of 1.25 unit ( well it might with the ssistance of a 7lb hammer but it wont move!!) The piston or cylinder has to be =/- a few thou., now if i was to sent a drawing of a cylinder with a bore of 1.25 to one engineer to produce, and another drawing of the piston with a diameter of 1.245 ( to give   sliding fit) you tell me autcad will  round that up to 1.25 making it totally useless. Surely if i want to use a drawing with tese dims on i wpould like them to be seen on what i send out.   I did find this drawing that i did a few days ago that does show to 4 places . However  since then i have not been able to replicate the accuracy!!!   I have also amended to parameter of dimsec for tha angle to 4 . but it still shows whole degreess.    AS regards the Southampton analogy .It was  thet whilst you and Dandag know what you are doing, all i could understand was the you leave from here ,and get there but nothing in the middle to say what to do/ I will admit to knowing 5/8ths of bugger all on how the internals of a programme work, but can follow easy instructions ( sometime with an example of what should happen after i do it!!!) Witrh regards to the type used either mm or imp ( decimal) 1.2745 on a drawing could be either it is just the numbers i work to.   Thanks for all your patience, the prog was installed by the owner of the original for me. He was getting fed up with me pestering him to do stuff for  me!! Go to this Post

tender horn blocks.dwg

[Cad64]

If you want your dimensions to show 4 decimal places, like they do in the drawing you attached to your last post, then you need to set the precision in your dimension style.

 

Type DIMSTYLE at the command prompt.

If you have more than one dimension style in your drawing, click on the one you're using for your drawing and then click the "Modify" button.

Switch to the "Primary Units" tab and set the "Precision" for Linear Dimensions to 0.0000.

 

Also, on the "Primary Units" tab, you will need to set the precision for "Angular Dimensions" too.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

[Dadgad]

HELLO silverfox.

 

You may have missed that I attached a .DWG wherein you will find DIMSTYLES showing 8 decimal places.

I used all 8 decimal places so you don't need to worry about automatic rounding.  All dimensions are displayed to the full precision of the software, to do with as you choose.

With Alternate Dimension turned on in OPTIONS, they will display both Imperial and Metric dimensions, both to 8 decimal places.

Should you not care to see the Imperial dimension below the line, set whichever DIMSTYLE suits you to SET CURRENT in the DIMSTYLE dialog box.

Then click on MODIFY.

Click on the ALTERNATE UNITS tab.

UNCLICK DISPLAY ALTERNATE UNITS top left.

CLICK OK.

Click CLOSE on the DIMSTYLE dialog box and get back to work.  

 

The SYSTEM VARIABLE which controls Linear Dimension rounding is named   DIMRND, and can also be accessed as shown in Cad64s screenshot, right above Fraction Format.

The precision setting for Angular Dimensions can be set as shown on that screenshot, lower right in Angular dimensions dialog.

That system variable is    DIMADEC   (Dimension Angular Decimal)

 

Should one or more of those DIMSTYLES be one you'd like to take onboard, you can copy and paste them into a mm based drawing.

Or you can SAVE AS the drawing which I posted as a   .DWT (drawing template file).

Edited June 8, 2020 by Dadgad

[Dadgad]

HELLO silverfox,

I took the liberty of putting all those DIMSTYLES on an Imperial template for you.

You would likely enjoy checking out the TOLERANCES tab in the DIMSTYLE dialog,

after clicking on MODIFY.

In my structural steel work I never need to use the TOLERANCE options on my dimensions, but in your line of work you may choose to.

 

 

 

silverfox Dim Options.dwg

silverfox DIM Options on Imperial template.dwg

Edited June 10, 2020 by Dadgad
Saved back to 2007

[eldon]

There are about 30 Eldon Roads in the UK, and I live in one of them. It was not until I watched the series 'Swamp Loggers' that I realised that there were folk about with the given name of Eldon.

 

So to all the real life "Eldon"s out there, I do apologise for usurping your name, but do point out that I use it with a lower case first letter as my screen name.

[eldon]

I think you would have solved your initial problem by using Format>Dimension Style> modify

[steven-g]

Just a note AutoCAD is a lot more precise than the 8 digits you can ask it to show, and you cannot reduce or increase that precision. As a test set your 'display precision' to just 1 decimal place and then draw a circle with a diameter of one unit. Select the circle and look in the properties for the circumference (3.1) I think everyone knows that Pi (3.142) goes on for ever, there are web sites showing Pi to a million** decimal places (has anyone read that many, why does anyone care ). Anyway now scale up your circle by 100,000,000 and compare the properties of the circumference to the value of Pi. Keep scaling to the point where numbers in properties are reduced down to exponential values and turn up the display precision to 8 places and AutoCAD accurately shows Pi to 314159265.3589793

First 1000 decimal places
3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 8214808651 3282306647 0938446095 5058223172 5359408128 4811174502 8410270193 8521105559 6446229489 5493038196 4428810975 6659334461 2847564823 3786783165 2712019091 4564856692 3460348610 4543266482 1339360726 0249141273 7245870066 0631558817 4881520920 9628292540 9171536436 7892590360 0113305305 4882046652 1384146951 9415116094 3305727036 5759591953 0921861173 8193261179 3105118548 0744623799 6274956735 1885752724 8912279381 8301194912 9833673362 4406566430 8602139494 6395224737 1907021798 6094370277 0539217176 2931767523 8467481846 7669405132 0005681271 4526356082 7785771342 7577896091 7363717872 1468440901 2249534301 4654958537 1050792279 6892589235 4201995611 2129021960 8640344181 5981362977 4771309960 5187072113 4999999837 2978049951 0597317328 1609631859 5024459455 3469083026 4252230825 3344685035 2619311881 7101000313 7838752886 5875332083 8142061717 7669147303 5982534904 2875546873 1159562863 8823537875 9375195778 1857780532 1712268066 1300192787 6611195909 2164201989

**Actually there is a link on this site showing Pi to 200 million places. With 64 bit technology I think AutoCAD might fall short of keeping that level of accuracy but it certainly goes beyond what most mortals need.