Units Used to Measure

Lots of options regarding how measurements appear

To reveal the units controls, select Settings from the menu.

It may seem bewilderingly complex at first, but let's break it down

The measurement units are divided into three measuring system:

• American
• Metric
• Other (including obscure and outdated units)

For example, if you typically use Metric, then check that system and uncheck the other two. By choosing one or more of these, the Units popup menu is populated with choices of which Unit you prefer. You then have the choice of including the next-larger units wherever measurements are presented in Design Intuition (eg, Feet + Inches) and whether you want to display numbers as decimals or fractions. Finally, you can change the drawing's scale within the range available for that measuring unit, using the Scaling slider.

NOTE: When you change measurement units, scaling changes.

Unit Scaling Slider -- aka Super Zoom

WARNING: Your units will change when you use slide this slider.

The Unit Scaling slider is the one marked as going from "miles" on the left, to "microns" on the right. It allows you to change your drawing's scale through the range of available measurement units (determined by the measuring system or systems you have selected). As you move the slider:

• All the normal scale slider side effects happen.
• The normal scale slider moves, sometimes in large leaps.
• The measurement units can change.
• The numerical entry field's value changes.

Will you ever use this? Perhaps not, but it's one helluva lot of fun to create teeny tiny objects the size of atoms and microscopic objects and small object and large objects and house-sized objects and city-sized objects and county sized objects. Then color them all kinds of colors and transparency, and then move the slider back and forth. Then switch to 3D! NOW try moving the slider back and forth. That's some kind of fun!

It's also a unit conversion calculator

Admittedly this feature is a bit tweaky, but you can use Design Intuition to do unit conversions. Check the Enable This Popup checkbox, at the far right. When you select a different unit from this popup menu, the value in the numerical text field is recomputed. For example, the picture above shows 9 inches in the text field. By changing the Inches to Feet in the popup, the numerical text field changes to 0.75 (or 3/4 of a foot). So, indeed, 9 inches equals 3/4 foot. Cute? Tweaky? Useful?

"Entering Numbers Won't Affect Current Units," Whazzat?

Entering numbers into the numerical text field tells Design Intuition to reconsider the current choice of measurement units, and to change it to something more suitable. By checking this checkbox, you are asking Design Intuition to leave the current choice in place while you enter numbers.

Try this

1. Draw an object.
2. Turn on the coarse and resolution grid.
3. Open the object inspector.
4. From the measuring units, check "Other" and uncheck "American" and "Metric."
5. Slide the Unit Scaling slider back and forth and watch the dimensions change in the Object inspector.

 

 

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