Units

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

Specifying units

The Units command opens the Units dialog box, which organizes units settings on several panes.

Some areas of the program, such as irrigation (Vectorworks Landmark required) have separate unit specifications that are set elsewhere.

Units settings: Saved settings options

Parameter	Description
Saved Settings Options	See Using saved sets to save and apply saved settings

Units settings: Dimensions pane

The Dimensions pane settings affect the units throughout the drawing and the rounding settings for primary dimensions.

Parameter	Description
Length
Units	Select the desired length measurement system from the list. If this setting is changed from one metric unit to a different metric unit, the Decimal precision and Dimension object precision values are automatically scaled by the same ratio, to maintain the same inherent precision the document had before. If the setting is changed from a non-metric unit to a metric unit, the precision values are automatically set to new default values suitable for the selected metric unit.
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	Displays 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 is grayed
Show thousands separators in Dimension text	Displays a thousands separator in the values of dimension objects; the separator used (a period or comma) depends on the current regional setting in the operating system. Separators are for display only; they are not used in the Object Info palette, or in the dimension text as it is being edited.
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
Fractional display for Dimensions	If a fractional Rounding style is selected, select a style for the fractions that appear in dimensions: ● Standard: $fraction_standard.png$ ● Diagonally stacked: $fraction_diagonal.png$ ● Vertically stacked: $fraction_vertical.png$
Rounding precision
Fraction precision	If a fractional or combination Rounding style is selected, select the fractional precision value, up to 1/64
Decimal precision	If a decimal or combination Rounding style is selected, select up to ten digits of decimal precision
Dimension object precision	Select a precision value for dimension objects; to link the dimension value to the fraction or decimal precision value, click the link button to the right of the precision fields
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
Dimension rounding base	Select whether dimension rounding is performed using multiples of tenths, quarters, or halves; to link the dimension value to the decimal base value, click the link button to the right of the rounding base fields
Decimal Options
Leading zero	For decimal rounding, displays a leading zero
Trailing zero	For decimal rounding, displays trailing zero
Area/Volume/Angle
Units	Select the area, volume, and angular measurement systems from the lists. If this setting is changed from one metric unit to a different metric unit, the Precision value is automatically scaled by the same ratio, to maintain the same inherent precision the document had before. If the setting is changed from a non-metric unit to a metric unit, the precision value is automatically set to a new default value suitable for the selected metric unit.
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.

Units settings: Dual Dimensions pane

The Dual Dimensions pane contains many of the same parameters found on the Dimensions pane, but its settings apply only to secondary dimensions. If dual dimensions are not being used, these settings have no effect. For more information on dual dimensioning, see Dual dimensioning.

Parameter	Description
Dual Dimension Length
Units	Select the desired length measurement system from the list. If this setting is changed from one metric unit to a different metric unit, the Decimal precision and Dimension object precision values are automatically scaled by the same ratio, to maintain the same inherent precision the document had before. If the setting is changed from a non-metric unit to a metric unit, the precision values are automatically set to new default values suitable for the selected metric unit.
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	Displays 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 is grayed
Show thousands separators in Dimension text	Displays a thousands separator in the values of dimension objects; the separator used (a period or comma) depends on the current regional setting in the operating system. Separators are for display only; they are not used in the Object Info palette, or in the dimension text as it is being edited.
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
Rounding precision
Fraction precision	If a fractional or combination Rounding style is selected, select the fractional precision value, up to 1/64
Decimal precision	If a decimal or combination Rounding style is selected, select up to ten digits of decimal precision
Decimal rounding base	Select whether dimension rounding is performed using multiples of tenths, quarters, or halves; to link the dimension value to the decimal base value, click the link button to the right of the rounding base fields
Decimal Options
Leading zero	For decimal rounding, displays a leading zero
Trailing zero	For decimal rounding, displays trailing zero

Units settings: Energos pane

The Energos pane settings affect energy analysis calculations and displays. See Energos energy analysis module for more information.

Parameter	Description
Energos (Architect required)
Units	Select Imperial (US) or metric units for all energy analysis parameters and calculations
Display	Select whether to display R-Value or U-Value for all energy analysis parameters and calculations
Precision	All units used for energy analysis are listed, in addition to three special categories that group the units for convenience. Select the item from the list, and then set its precision value. ● All Units: Sets all energy analysis units to the specified precision ● Thermal Conductivity: Sets the precision of W/m K or Btu/h ft F units ● Other Units: Sets the precision of all units except for the thermal conductivity ● Specific Units: Sets the precision of the selected unit of measurement

Units settings: Structural pane

Parameter	Description
Mass/Distributed Mass/Force	The same parameters are available for each category.
Units	Select the measurement system from the list
Custom	If the Custom unit is selected, click Custom to create a custom measurement system; see Creating a custom unit system
Precision	Select up to ten digits of decimal precision
Show unit mark	Displays the unit mark along with the unit value

Units settings: Materials pane

The Materials pane sets the units for the calculation and display of material resources, independently from the document settings. Select the desired measurement system.

Creating a custom unit system

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

The Custom Units dialog box opens. The available values in each field vary based on the custom unit type.

Command	Path
Units	File > Document Settings

Command	Path
Units	File > Document Settings

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”
Mass for Length units (Distributed Mass only)	Select the mass units to be distributed across the selected length units
Smaller from Larger	Set the number of custom units that occur per selected unit; for example, “There Are 2 Units Per Inch”
Larger from Smaller	Set the number of selected units that occur per custom unit; for example, “There Are 2 Inches Per Unit”