topic Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file in Documentation

Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

moovme — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:22:50 GMT

Hi,

Does anyone have experience with or know how to fix a Save As issue from PLN to DWG where the export process is changing metric dimensions made with the 'Radial Dimension Tool' to unwanted imperial dimensions?

I have gone into the DWG save as settings and changed the export dimensions to metric (1 meter) to match the PLN file it is being saved out from, but the radial dimensions are always saved out as imperial for some reason. Really quite annoying.

Any ideas?..

Operating system used: Windows 11

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:26:29 GMT

I don't think this has anything to do with saving as DWG.

What I see on your two screenshots is that the Dimensioning settings are different (as seen in the Option Bar at the bottom). One is "3 | Dimensions....", the other is "Plain Meter". This is why dimensions are displayed differently.

You should save Views and define the Dimension settings used in them. Then by activating the Views, you will see the dimensions the way you want them.

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

Mahmoud Qenawi — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:20:42 GMT

Hi all,

I think you’re exporting to DWG from the project map view point.

Rather, as @Laszlo Nagy mentioned above you’ve to create/save view in the view map then you can jump directly to the publisher set without creating layout & publish as a DWG.

I’m not sure if saving as DWG from the saved view in the view map will be the correct way but I think it worth trying it.

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

moovme — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:21:46 GMT

The original PLN file is in meters as shown on the screenshot. When saved out as a DWG and then reopened in Archicad (as a DWG file), that is when the '3 dimensions' appear in the bottom right corner as you have noted. Sadly it does exactly the same thing irrespective of it being a saved view or not 😞 Essentially this tells me there is a translation issue going on somewhere in there, even when meters are specified as the default units in the DWG export settings..

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

moovme — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:34:32 GMT

That brings up a good point. Let's say you have a huge development file you want to send to your engineer. Archicad in theory allows you to export (save as) to DWG in the save as menu, which is what I did. This way the engineer gets the complete file, not just zoomed-in parts of it. Are you saying that the only way to get an 'accurate' DWG export is go and mess about with the Publisher Set to get what you should be able to get by default by using the 'save as' DWG from the file menu?

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

Mahmoud Qenawi — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:43:00 GMT

I guess this is the correct way to export to DWG & I use it always as it dominates the view settings in AutoCAD also.

But you also bring it to Archicad via File + Open which is the reason behind different attributes so better open your normal Archicad file then bring DWG file by:

1) File + Merge or

2) File + Attach Xref.

Hope that helps.

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

moovme — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 02:11:43 GMT

That's interesting, albeit a little annoying. I attached the exported DWG as an XREF into a new blank file and it comes in with the correct radial dimensions in meters like it should. But when simply 'opened' as a DWG the radial dimensions specifically are always in imperial and not metric. Very odd and quite annoying as the only way to verify you have exported the file correctly is to attach the DWG file as an xref. Shouldn't Archicad be able to read DWG files correctly and directly via the file open menu without having to do that?

I'm guessing that because DWG is not Archicad's native file format it has certain 'issues' with opening non native file formats. That said, DWG is an industry standard file transfer format so you'd expect it to both export AND read DWG files correctly.. Especially by using the default options Archicad has provided for us to do so.

...It's interesting how the issue only seems to be occurring with Radial Dimensions...

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

Barry Kelly — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 02:26:58 GMT

When you open a file in Archicad, you must set up all of the preferences (working units, dimension units, scale, pen set, etc), as none of this is specifically set yet.

When you open a template, all of these settings have been made and saved with the template - so they are remembered.

Then when you merge the DWG into the template (or another file), the settings are already there and don't change.

If you open a new file through the Archicad File menu, and you do not open from a template, you will have the option to 'Use Latest project Settings'.

So it should remember the settings of the last fie you had open.

If you just open a dwg file, I don't think you get this option and must set the preferences yourself.

Barry.

Re: Unwanted unit change from metric to imperial with DWG save-as from PLN file

moovme — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 02:44:55 GMT

Thanks for explaining this Barry. Very helpful. I opened the exported DWG file in question (made from File > Save As DWG) via both options you suggested and it worked. However, opening it from File > Open required that I go into the 'settings' first and change the units from inches to meters. After that it imported perfectly. Thankyou!