Convertunits with own values?

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Mike4444
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Convertunits with own values?

Post by Mike4444 » Thu Aug 18, 2022 1:33 pm

I'm would need this option as we get drawings in US feet (wrong settings during a land survey) and we need it in meters. The convertunits command woud be very useful but the integrated values do not match with our needs.
I would need US feet to meters scale factor: 3.28083333
The Feet to Meter option is using 3.280839
Is it possible to add own scale factors? If yes, where can I find this option?

Many thanks in advance
Mike

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andrew
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by andrew » Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:32 pm

You can just use the regular Modify > Scale tool to scale your drawing accordingly. That's essentially what the unit conversion tool does.

Mike4444
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by Mike4444 » Thu Aug 18, 2022 3:11 pm

Oh, that is surprising to me. If you use a scale factor based to a refernce point than you will never ever have a "unit" converting.
You will get a drawing where the distances between the points are ok, but the coordinates are stil far away from reality.
I'm looking for a function which calculate the coordinates/scalefactor.

Mike

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andrew
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by andrew » Thu Aug 18, 2022 3:18 pm

If you use the reference point 0,0 you should be fine.

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Husky
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by Husky » Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:21 pm

@Andrew
andrew wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 3:18 pm
If you use the reference point 0,0 you should be fine.
No, I don't think that will work for him/her. It looks to me that he/she needs to convert metric mapping coordinates to U.S. Survey Feet. That is indeed a different converting factor (1 meter equals 3.28083333 feet) and it is currently not covered by QCAD.

I assume that is useful for many QCAD user. I'll file a feature request for this unit.
https://www.qcad.org/bugtracker/index.p ... sk_id=2390
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CVH
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by CVH » Thu Aug 18, 2022 9:50 pm

Husky wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:21 pm
It looks to me that he/she needs to convert metric mapping coordinates to U.S. Survey Feet.
As I read it, the file comes as U.S. survey feet and they need it in meters.

Still,
- Scale (down) all in reference with the origin by factor 3.28083333.
- Change the drawing units to meter. (Not converting)
- Adapt paper units and measurement system as you please.
That is what Andrew means by what Convert Drawing Unit does.

The only catch is to scale by selecting really everything. :wink:

IMHO from U.S. survey foot to meters one should multiply by factor 0.30480061...
Or divide by 3.280833329...
The exact factors would be 1200/3937 meter per foot or 3937/1200 foot per meter. e_geek

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CVH

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Husky
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by Husky » Fri Aug 19, 2022 6:22 am

CVH wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 9:50 pm
As I read it, it is in US feet and they need it in meters.
Yep, you are right. I mixed that up. Anyway - that is not the point of my comment! The point is using the conversion tool ...
andrew wrote:
Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:32 pm
You can just use the regular Modify > Scale tool to scale your drawing accordingly. That's essentially what the unit conversion tool does.
... instead of doing this "scale workaround" is in my opinion the more professional and in the end convenient way to do. Not to forgot that the U.S. survey foot has by the end of 2022 to be discontinuing in drawings what makes the need of this unit conversion pretty important for survey drawings.
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CVH
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by CVH » Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:45 am

Husky wrote:
Fri Aug 19, 2022 6:22 am
... instead of doing this "scale workaround" is in my opinion the more professional and in the end convenient way to do. Not to forgot that the U.S. survey foot has by the end of 2022 to be discontinuing in drawings what makes the need of this unit conversion pretty important for survey drawings.
I did/do agree, the workaround is valid up to a point ...
Reading in ConvertUnit.js, what is open source, there is more to it than only scaling.
E.g. scaling would scale a Block Reference, convert would scale the entities that make up the Block ...
... Viewports ... Dimensions ...

We can't use Convert for now until unit 21 or even units 21-24 are supported by QCAD.
A feature request was already entered in sept 2021.
In the mean time one could tweak some code aka ConvertUnit.js to really convert with a given factor. e_geek

Regards,
CVH

CVH
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Re: Convertunits with own values?

Post by CVH » Fri Sep 23, 2022 7:25 am


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