how to change units from mm to inches?

[billfromnet]

I'm finding the same behavior in 0.16 from the Ubuntu 17.10 repos. Cannot set inches to appear consistently, and in some cases cannot set it at all. Are all versions like this or am I missing something?

[chrisb]

Hi Bill, welcome to the forum.
The official Ubuntu releases use an old version of FreeCAD. You should try the current stable 0.17 from the FreeCAD site. There have been made many improvements over 0.16: https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Download. There is a link on how to use the ppa.

[jediCurmudgeon]

I just installed FC 0.17 and saw in it how to change the units, but found that the selected units doesn't take effect until after FC is first shut down and restarted. Even then, the new units don't seem to apply in the grid spacing (Edit->Preferences->Draft button->Grid&Snapping Tab). It cannot be changed from mm, despite what the units is set to. Any advise?

[GeneFC]

Good luck!

I made a similar suggestion a few months ago and was told I was an idiot. I just muddle on with the hit-and-miss support for non-mm units.

Code: Select all

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=26766&start=50#p215006

Gene

[jmaustpc]

FreeCAD always works in mm, the units display system just translates it only in the gui. The code to implement this gui translation has not been implemented in all places in FreeCAD but is in most.


So if you create a file with a 1 inch item in your FreeCAD and then I view it in my FreeCAD I will see 25.4mm. The underlying file and data is always mm.

[jmaustpc]

Good luck!

I made a similar suggestion a few months ago and was told I was an idiot.

Code: Select all

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=26766&start=50#p215006

Gene

And now you post a url as code....

[jmaustpc]

Good luck!

I made a similar suggestion a few months ago and was told I was an idiot. I just muddle on with the hit-and-miss support for non-mm units.

Code: Select all

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=26766&start=50#p215006

Gene

Please don't post stupid lies in our forum. As anyone can plainly see you were not called an idiot, I replied at great length and politely, what you said was factually wrong.

There is no such thing as inches or mm these are just human constructs to allow us to explain how long something is. The thing is still exactly the same if it is 1 inch or 25.4mm. FreeCAD translates and displays whatever units you want to see, in some ways similar to what it also does with languages in the gui.

FreeCAD has to use something internally in its code so it uses mm.

[bejant]

I just installed FC 0.17 and saw in it how to change the units, but found that the selected units doesn't take effect until after FC is first shut down and restarted.

I don't have that problem and thought that was changed even before 0.17. Can you be more specific?
The Draft WB won't appear in Preferences until you load the Draft WB first, but for me the changes take effect immediately after closing Preferences.

OS: Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS
Word size of OS: 32-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 32-bit
Version: 0.17.13522 (Git)
Build type: None
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-17
Hash: 3bb5ff4e70c0c526f2d9dd69b1004155b2f527f2
Python version: 2.7.12
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.2.0
Locale: English/UnitedStates (en_US)

Even then, the new units don't seem to apply in the grid spacing (Edit->Preferences->Draft button->Grid&Snapping Tab). It cannot be changed from mm, despite what the units is set to. Any advise?

It looks like imperial units haven't been implemented there yet. Also, the Text and Dimensions tab is still all metric units too (I think it was just overlooked). You might want to file a ticket on the bug tracker so it isn't forgotten.

Tested on my newest daily build:

OS: Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS
Word size of OS: 32-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 32-bit
Version: 0.18.13983 (Git)
Build type: None
Branch: master
Hash: 8f1c6f77c090ae7d9c2bfd4f18811083b01a3eb2
Python version: 2.7.12
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.2.0
Locale: English/UnitedStates (en_US)

I made a similar suggestion a few months ago and was told I was an idiot. I just muddle on with the hit-and-miss support for non-mm units.
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... 50#p215006

I don't think I've ever had to click the f(x) button in order to input imperial units but will post about it in that topic later, unless you want to start a new topic. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you meant in that other topic.

[GeneFC]

I don't think I've ever had to click the f(x) button in order to input imperial units but will post about it in that topic later, unless you want to start a new topic. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you meant in that other topic.

I will work through some examples and create a new topic in a day or two.

My reaction to the brainstorming sessions back in February was that I was the only person singled out for making making a suggestion. There were many suggestions that were far-fetched or impossible; only one was severely criticized.

Gene

[bejant]

I will work through some examples and create a new topic in a day or two.

I made a discussion topic for one of your suggestions if I understood it correctly:
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=29783