david n
Diamond
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
- Location
- Pillager, MN
I'm sure it's simple. But a customer sent over dxf files in metric, how do I change them to standard in MX5? TIA
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Metric DXF Files
- Thread starter david n
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- Replies 9
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SchneiderMachine
Stainless
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2007
- Location
- Hamburg, Minnesota, USA
Check your settings in settings, config, converters, and check the button in unit conversion that says to over ride units.
Dave
Dave
david n
Diamond
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
- Location
- Pillager, MN
Thanks. I'll give 'er a try.
SeymourDumore
Diamond
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2005
- Location
- CT
If you want things exact divide by 25.4
You can then decide how many decimals you want to make use of
Gordon
Yes, while divide by 25.4 is exact, CAD programs need a scale factor.
For metric to imperial, that is 1/25.4 = .03937007874, close enough for any government work.
AutoCAD needs an actual value for scale factor and a formula is not allowed ( kinda strange but ... ) Guessing most others need the same as well.
SeymourDumore
Diamond
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2005
- Location
- CT
Seymour, seeing as how you correctly showed the extra decimals then you did make my point that multiplication wasn't what would give the most accurate result
By using a multiplication factor then it's up to each individual to decide how accurate the result needs to be. Multiplying by 0.4 would with some things maybe be accurate enough.
Gordon
My point was that most CAD programs do not use division for scaling. They use multiplication.
IOW when you scale, it asks where is the center point of the scaling, and then the scale factor. It then multiplies the drawing values by the scale factor. It has no way of dividing the dims by a value ( in this case 25.4 )
Nonetheless, you're correct that your accuracy depends on the rounding of the scale factor. In an ideal world, you could tell your CAD program to use the formula of 1/25.4 as the scale factor.
Seymore Happy New Year.....
guess SoldWorks is Ideal.....lets you do 1/25.4 in the scale feature.
all kidding aside...it just converts it to to the decimal like a calculator would do to around 10 places, it's nice to be able to do math in the spin boxes though.
guess SoldWorks is Ideal.....lets you do 1/25.4 in the scale feature.
all kidding aside...it just converts it to to the decimal like a calculator would do to around 10 places, it's nice to be able to do math in the spin boxes though.
SeymourDumore
Diamond
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2005
- Location
- CT
Seymore Happy New Year.....
guess SoldWorks is Ideal.....lets you do 1/25.4 in the scale feature.
all kidding aside...it just converts it to to the decimal like a calculator would do to around 10 places, it's nice to be able to do math in the spin boxes though.
Back at ya' Len!
Apparently Inventor is ideal too because it also can scale with a formula.
With that said, neither of them needs to anymore ( including ACAD ) as you can define the base units of measurement and just simply change them from metric to imperial on the fly.
No you would still have to scale if the IGES\DWG\DXF comes in the wrong size, when you change the units the line is still the same length 1" or 25.4mm, just as if you were measuring with a caliper and change it from inch to millimeters.
