Hi, I use AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Solidworks Draftsight on various projects, having my units set to ENGINEERING units; that is feet and inches with a decimal point (no fractions) as in: 127’-2.4000”.
Draftsight has the same units settings as AutoCAD, which makes it easy to use either software. I feel that if Rhino would have the same units settings as AutoCAD, then it would be more compatible with it and would be more adaptable to different industries, allowing more people to switch to it 100%.
ANSI Y14.5 sanctions decimal inches or millimeters for engineering drawings. The US National CAD Standard for architecture, construction and landscape makes little reference to units but refers to fractional inches and not to decimal.
Is there any autoritative standard requiring feet and decimal inches, or is this just local custom and practice?
Hi Jeremy, The feet and inches with a decimal point instead of fractions is an industry specific preference where the precision is paramount. In AutoCAD you can enter your distances that way and AutoCAD will display it the same way. The same goes for the degree unit settings. Whatever the degree units are set to, you enter it that way and AutoCAD will display it the same way. It is a breeze to check things. The lack of this AutoCAD style unit setting is what keeps me from using Rhino full time. They are making Rhino more compatible with AutoCAD, but somehow don’t bother to address this issue.
Thanks for taking the time to explain. May I as what industry you are in?
Reason being: there are many more things we users would like McNeel to do with Rhino than there is time to do them. So there’s competition for new features. If you want your feature, you need to sell the concept to get it into the queue earlier rather than later.
Hi Martin, I looked into the Annotation style options, but I felt it was “basic” and with a lot less option settings than in AutoCAD. In case you’re not familiar, in AutoCAD, the units and annotation styles are very well developed. Autocad will let you enter your distance as per whatever your units are set to and will also display it back the same way. The lack of this flexibility limits my use of Rhino.
I am an industrial designer with almost 40 years of combined experience in mining, power plant, rail, aerospace, automotive, heavy industry, machine, and architectural design.
I didn’t know you have to “sell” your feature. AutoCAD in this regard is well developed, dating back to 1987. So is DraftSight, which is produced by the Solidworks people. I think for Rhino to be more competitive with AutoCAD, they should expend the units menu.
Feet and decimal inches work as an input format.
Feet and decimal inches is not available as the distance display format. The only mixed display format available is feet and decimal inches. (Decimal feet is available.)
There is an open issue for this: RH-58537
Although the issue is categorized as Annotation, the requests seem to be for the global display of foot-decimal inch.
For Rhino not being able to display feet with decimal inches makes for a very awkward working environment. The same applies to the degree settings. In AutCAD, whatever the units and angle settings are active, AutoCAD will display the distance and angles in those settings, which make very easy to check things.
That won’t happen. There were rumors back in the 80’s that we would switch to metric, but that didn’t happen then, so I don’‘t think it will ever happen. The feet and inches are too well rooted in construction and carpentry.
In case there is any confusion, I’m just a Rhino user who has been active on the forum and it’s predecessor for a while. I’m not associated with McNeel in any way and don’t have any influence on Rhino development beyond what I post here.
