Unit Conversion; Block Scaling when Inserting or X-refing

[tdcrlh]

I am new to 2006 and have run into a problem recently. I have found that when I insert a block or attach and xref ACAD scales the drawing up 12 times the original size even though I set the scale factor to 1.

After spending a hour yesterday trying to see what I did wrong, I saw a box called Block Unit in the insert DB that was set to 12. Even after I found out how to change this to 1 it still inserts the drawing 12x the original size.

What do I change or what am I doing wrong?

Thank you.

[jm.pearson]

I am new to 2006 and have run into a problem recently. I have found that when I insert a block or attach and xref ACAD scales the drawing up 12 times the original size even though I set the scale factor to 1.

After spending a hour yesterday trying to see what I did wrong, I saw a box called Block Unit in the insert DB that was set to 12. Even after I found out how to change this to 1 it still inserts the drawing 12x the original size.

What do I change or what am I doing wrong?

Thank you.

I just had this problem. Go into the block, and check out the drawing UNITS. Make sure that the units in both the drawing that you are inserting to, and the drawing that you are inserting are the same (e.g. feet to feet, inches to inches). Sounds like one is using feet (probably the inserted), and the other (the working file) is in inches. Give that a try.

[tdcrlh]

That seemed to do the trick.

Thanks a million, it was about to give me a headache!

What is the point of that feature anyway?

[jm.pearson]

I think it just has to do with the line of work that different users use. Without getting way into it, it just attaches some sort of tag to the numbers. AutoCAD has always run "unitless", meaning that what we perceive as 3 inches, is defined by AutoCAD as 3 units. I don't know all the specifics, but I think they changed that, or at least masked it for 2006.

[tdcrlh]

I see what you are saying. Its basically ACAD's attemp to convert what ever drawing you are inserting to the units that you are currently using. So instead inserting a file with no units or just accepting 12 inches as 12 feet. It tries to intellegently convert the drawing by saying the 12 inches is actually 1 ft.

[Wanderer]

I see what you are saying. Its basically ACAD's attemp to convert what ever drawing you are inserting to the units that you are currently using. So instead inserting a file with no units or just accepting 12 inches as 12 feet. It tries to intellegently convert the drawing by saying the 12 inches is actually 1 ft.I'd imagined this would have many other uses as well... I have plenty of drawings in my archives (that I use frequently) that wen't drawn 1:1, but, rather at a scale... and when reusing those old drawings, I'll choose to insert them so that they come in at the proper size.

[Mike.Perry]

I see what you are saying. Its basically ACAD's attemp to convert what ever drawing you are inserting to the units that you are currently using. So instead inserting a file with no units or just accepting 12 inches as 12 feet. It tries to intellegently convert the drawing by saying the 12 inches is actually 1 ft.Hi

You might want to read up on...

InsUnits
InsUnitsDefSource
InsUnitsDefTarget

Have a good one, Mike

[Chris Matira]

I'd imagined this would have many other uses as well... I have plenty of drawings in my archives (that I use frequently) that wen't drawn 1:1, but, rather at a scale... and when reusing those old drawings, I'll choose to insert them so that they come in at the proper size.

you could actually insert drawings with dimensions... when you try to explode the inserted block, dimensions will adjust accordingly to the scale it was inserted to...

[sinc]

Does anyone know how Autocad deals with "Unitless"? It's got me a bit puzzled...

If a block is created as "Unitless", and inserted into a drawing set to "Feet", the block is scaled by 12. Why? It makes sense when a block is defined as "Inches", but why does Autocad seem to assume "Unitless" = "Inches"?

[jaberwok]

Does anyone know how Autocad deals with "Unitless"? It's got me a bit puzzled...

If a block is created as "Unitless", and inserted into a drawing set to "Feet", the block is scaled by 12. Why? It makes sense when a block is defined as "Inches", but why does Autocad seem to assume "Unitless" = "Inches"?

I think it assumes that unitless = inches in an imperial host drawing and millimetres in a metric drawing. They probably decided that those were the most common usage.

[sinc]

OK, I think I figured out why it's so confusing. Autocad follows a procedure for determining INSUNITS.

In all cases, Autocad uses the setting in your current drawing as the "Destination" INSUNITS. If that setting is set to "Unitless", then Autocad uses the setting for Destination in Options->User Preferences->Insertion Scale.

When inserting a source drawing, the source units are used (as set in the source drawing). If the source drawing is set to "Unitless", it uses whatever is specified for Source in Options->User Preferences->Insertion Scale.

So far so good. Here's the confusing part:

When inserting a block from another drawing (such as when using a Block Tool in a Tool Palette), Autocad uses the source units, as specified in the block definition. If the block definition is set to "Unitless", Autocad uses the setting of the source drawing. If the source drawing is also set to "Unitless", then Autocad uses the setting for Source in Options->User Preferences->Insertion Scale.

That one part, where source drawing scale overriding the "Unitless" setting in the block definition, seems to be the part that is causing everyone problems. By all indications, it looks to the user like the block is "Unitless", but Autocad is getting an INSUNITS setting (and possibly the wrong one) from the source's container. I think it is a programming error in Tool Palettes. Either that, or it should be clearly explained in the documentation, because it sure isn't intuitive.