Metric and Imperial settings getting confused.

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What is the expected output?      What do you see instead?
Drawing in Inches.(so it says)    Mixture of Inch and mm.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
0.12.0                                     Win7 Pro 32-bit

Please provide any additional information below.
http://bayimg.com/aAmLkAaCB
Seems like the program is defaulted to metric. There should be a 'system
setting' that you can select for the entire program to convert either way.
The attached photo will display a simple 2-item drawing which appears to be
created in inches, while the resultant zig-zag operation seems eerily close
to 25.4 times larger(which one is metric? which one is imperial? the ruler
says 'inches' on it but i don't believe it).

Please have something in the menu which will convert the entire software to
either Imperial or Metric.
Drawing a part then making a tool path should all use the same scale.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by leoafor...@gmail.com on 25 Apr 2010 at 2:30

Attachments:

• heeksCNC_inch-and-mm_issue.png

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I've noticed that if I set the view options preference to 'inch' and extrude a 
face
10 units, it still extrudes 10mm.

If everything is set to mm, it seems to work o.k. but working in imperial units 
is a
mess.

That said, when it's fixed, I'd like there to still be two options in the 
software as
there is now.  One to control the drawing units and the other to control the 
output
units in the nc code.  I occasionally would like to design in imperial units 
but I
always want my output in metric because of how my machine is set up.

Original comment by shopinth...@gmail.com on 25 Apr 2010 at 5:17

[GoogleCodeExporter]

When the 'nc output units' is changed, it automatically changes the 'view 
units' as
well.  If the 'view units' are changed then the 'nc output units' remains the 
same.

Do you want the system to prompt the user whenever one of these units settings 
is
changed to ask if they want the other setting changed as well?

I think I've fixed the other problem.  There were a few places in the code 
(extrude
face, chamfer distance, blend radius, offset-shape tool, pad sketch) that were 
using
the 'InputDouble' interface call to get a value.  I have duplicated the 
InputDouble
functionality so that we now also have an 'InputLength' function.  This, in 
turn,
calls the duplicated CLengthInput class.  The CLengthInput class is based on the
CDoubleInput class except that the GetProperties() routine uses the 
PropertyLength()
instead of PropertyDouble().  I believe this repairs the flaw whereby a value is
entered into the 'input options' window but is interpreted in mm rather than in 
the
current view units.

Where a module was asking for an angle or a scale factor, it still uses the
InputDouble() call.

Original comment by David.Ni...@gmail.com on 26 Apr 2010 at 12:35

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I know I've only just asked the question but I decided to answer it myself.  I 
have
added code that helps keep the 'view' and 'NC' units in synch.  Whenever one of 
these
values is changed, it asks the operator if they wish the other to change as 
well. 
The operator may respond 'NO' if they wish.  This way the values are kept in 
synch
(normally) but may be different if required.

Is this enough for this fault?

Original comment by David.Ni...@gmail.com on 26 Apr 2010 at 1:36

[GoogleCodeExporter]

When using other CAD programs they have a 'Settings>Parameters>System' selection
window that will pop-up and allow you to set all system wide parameters. Units 
is one
of them. It should be the most basic and easiest option to locate! I do not see
anything more important then the type of units one makes components out of. 
Having it
easy to locate (and only ONE selection, not separated for drawing then g-code) 
is
paramount to a good UI.
Now then, an issue will arise when you are importing multiple drawings. If one 
is
metric and the other imperial what happens? If your 'system wide' setting is 
imperial
and you import a metric part will it convert it? or just use the metric values 
and
transform them into inches? 

As for the notification of changing one setting and it asking, that is a good 
start. 

Original comment by leoafor...@gmail.com on 26 Apr 2010 at 12:31

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I know that, if a DXF file has a units definition included, the import will 
convert
the scale correctly.  Many DXF files that I've seen do not have a UNITS section
defined.  In this case it assumes millimeters.

I think the option of modifying one units setting and having the program ask if 
the
user wants to change the other is the only way we're going to make it both 
convenient
and retain the ability to draw in inches and generate gcode in mm.

The only addition I can think of is to add the NC units as an 'option' beneath 
the
'machining' options in addition to the 'property' of the Program object that it 
is
today.  This may make it more intuitive to find.  It's hard to say if this is 
right
or wrong.  We could add it so that both options are available and that they both
change the same value internally.

Original comment by David.Ni...@gmail.com on 26 Apr 2010 at 10:06

[GoogleCodeExporter]

There was a problem with zigzag operation in inches. I have fixed this now.
I will look at extrude next.

Original comment by danhe...@gmail.com on 27 Apr 2010 at 10:26

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I thought I had fixed the 'extrude face' problem by changing the InputDouble() 
to
InputLength() call.  I hope you find that it's repaired already.

Original comment by David.Ni...@gmail.com on 28 Apr 2010 at 3:34

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Can we close this one off now?  If there is still functionality missing then I 
have
not understood it properly.

Original comment by David.Ni...@gmail.com on 8 May 2010 at 11:10

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Right now I see a lot of "if inches, then * units".
Wouldn't this be a lot less messy if One simply set units to 1 ?
Or is this another one of those weak type issues where 1 is int while 1.00001 
is float and 2.54 is fine but 1 garbles everything ?

Original comment by tha_krea...@hotmail.com on 18 Feb 2011 at 9:36

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Great Program! But... I am importing a metric DXF (it was generated by 
DoubleCad3D which is set to metric units and in the DXF file the entry 
$DIMENSIONS 70 1 confirms that the file is metric) - i have imported these 
files into other programs which have correctly interpreted the co-ordinates. 
When i try to import them into HeeksCAD/CNC it multiplies the input values by 
25.4 creating huge structures. This is despite the fact that i have 'mm' set as 
Visual Options and G-Code options and i am using a metric DXF file. Any ideas? 

Original comment by mikeb1...@gmail.com on 9 May 2012 at 2:16

[GoogleCodeExporter]

ok i fixed this. The DXF import was ignoring the $MEASUREMENT variable.
I was having the same problem with my customer's dxf files.

Original comment by danhe...@gmail.com on 10 May 2012 at 2:03

• Changed state: Fixed

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I am having problems trying to get a DXF to import properly in heekscnc 0.27 I 
have verified that $INSUNITS is 1 (inches) and $MEASUREMENT is 0 (English 
units) using the website below.  I am using AutoCAD to generate the DXF files, 
do I need to add or change something else?

http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2013/ENU/index.html?url=files/GUID-A85E8E67-27CD-4C
59-BE61-4DC9FADBE74A.htm,topicNumber=d30e670187 

Original comment by cheez...@gmail.com on 4 Mar 2014 at 2:30