Units

VectorWorks provides a wide range of measurement systems to select from and also provides the flexibility to create a customized measurement system. VectorWorks applies the selected measurement system globally throughout the drawing, from the measurements that display on the rulers to those used in dimensions and worksheets.

The Units command opens the Units dialog box, which organizes units settings on three tabbed panes:

The General Display tab settings affect the units throughout the drawing.

The Dimension Objects (Primary) tab contains rounding settings for primary dimensions.

The Dimension Objects (Secondary) tab contains units and rounding settings for secondary dimensions. If dual dimensions are not being used, these settings have no effect. For more information on dual dimensioning, Dual Dimensioning.

Selecting a Unit System

To select or change the current measurement system:

1.	Select File > Document Settings > Units.

The Units dialog box opens.

2.	Specify the units display parameters, and then click OK.

 

Parameter	Description
Length
Units	Select the desired length measurement system from the list
Custom	If the Custom unit is selected, click Custom to create a custom length measurement system; see Creating a Custom Unit System
Show Unit Mark	Select to display the unit mark along with the unit value; if the Feet & Inches unit is selected, VectorWorks automatically displays unit marks and therefore, Show Unit Mark appears dimmed
Rounding Style	Rounding only affects how numbers are displayed; if the number 1.23456 is entered with a rounding of .00, the value is recognized as 1.23456 but displays as 1.23
Fractional	Select for fractional rounding
Decimal	Select for decimal rounding
Exact as Fractions / Non-Exact as Decimals	Select for a combination of fractional and decimal rounding
Rounding Precision	For fractional rounding, select the fractional precision value; for decimal rounding, select up to ten digits of decimal precision; for a combination of fractional and decimal rounding, select both a fractional and decimal precision value
Decimal rounding base	Select whether decimal rounding is performed using multiples of tenths, quarters, or halves; the option selected is reflected in the Decimal precision field
Decimal Options
Leading Zero	If one of the decimal rounding options is chosen, select to display a leading zero
Trailing Zeros	If one of the decimal rounding options is chosen, select to display trailing zero(s)
Area / Volume / Angle
Units	Select the area, volume, and angular measurement system from the list
Custom	If the Custom area or volume unit is selected, click Custom to create a custom area or volume measurement system; see Creating a Custom Unit System
Precision	For area and volume measurement systems, select up to ten digits of decimal precision. For angular measurement systems, select to display angular units in degrees (there are 360 degrees in a circle, and the angle mark is °), radians (there are 2pi radians in a circle, and the angle mark is r), or gradians (there are 400 gradians in a circle, and the angle mark is g); also, select up to eight digits of angular precision or specify degrees, minutes, and/or seconds.

Creating a Custom Unit System

To create a customized measurement system:

1.	Select File > Document Settings > Units.

The Units dialog box opens.

2.	Select Custom from the length, area, or volume Units list, or if editing an existing custom measurement system, select the custom name from the Units list.

3.	Click Custom.

The Custom Units:Length, Custom Units:Area, or Custom Units:Volume dialog box opens, depending on the type of custom unit being created or edited. The available values in each field vary based on the custom unit type.

 

Parameter	Description
Unit Name	Name given to the custom measurement system—for example, “Cubit”
Unit Mark	Mark (abbreviation) used to represent a unit in the custom measurement system—for example, “cbt”
Smaller from Larger	Set the number of custom units that occur per selected unit—for example, “There Are 2 Units Per Inch”
Square Unit Mark	Set the number of selected units that occur per custom unit—for example, “There Are 2 Inches Per Unit”

4.	Click OK to exit the Custom Units dialog box.

5.	Enter the remaining criteria as described in Units.

6.

Click OK.