Working in Metric
Design Intuition is intended for designing in Metric, too
In this tutorial, we will cover everything there is to know about working with Metric units -- where they are located and how they alter the way numerical information is displayed.
Begin with a new design document
Because Design Intuition is very flexible, you rarely need to start out any particular place. However, to make things easy and assure that all of the instructions below are described accurately, let's begin with a specific Template. Please complete the Getting Started tutorial before going on, or do the following:
In the File menu, click on the Templates menu item (about in the middle). This opens the Templates preferences. Near the top of this preferences window, check the checkbox labeled Enable Create New Design Dialog, if it isn't already checked. In the File menu, click the New menu item.
A window will appear which contains a list. Near the top of this list, under the section called "landscape," check the checkbox labeled "cabinet-sized design." Click on the button at the bottom labeled Create. A new design window will appear.
Create an object or two (if you don't yet know how, doing the Getting Started tutorial will be very helpful).
Working with the Units and Grid controls
Perhaps by now you have noticed that, at the top of the Controls window is a toolbar which contains half a dozen or so icons. Two of them, appearing at right, are important to us because they hide and reveal the controls that will be of interest to us here. Click on each of them to reveal their controls.
Switch from American to Metric
At the right edge of the Units controls, you'll see three buttons, labeled American, Metric and Other, with the button next to American checked. Check the button next to Metric, and both will be checked. Now uncheck the button next to American. The buttons should now look like the picture at left.
Notice that the popup menu (above and to the right of this button) now displays metric units. It used to say Inches, and now says Meters. It's called the Units menu. Several other changes have also taken place. Wherever dimensions are displayed in your design, they're now presented in Meters. All of these changes took place when you unchecked the button next to American.
Switch off Compound Units
In the Units controls, immediately below the Units popup that we used earlier, you will see a checkbox labeled "Kilometers + Meters." It is checked. Uncheck it.
Notice now that all the numbers in your design are now specified in just Meters.
Typical usage practices in Metric
I haven't built cabinets in Europe, but I hear that, as a rule, European works in Centimeters with three decimals, while Britons work in Millimeters with no decimals or fractions. We will setup for each. If your practice is different, please let me know by filling out our contact form.
Work with Centimeters
Let's first switch to Centimeters. The Units popup menu (the one mentioned above, immediately to the right and slightly up from the word American) shows that Meters are the current measurement unit. Click on this menu and an assortment of units appears, all in metric and sorted by size, largest at the top. Move the cursor over the word Centimeters and click on it.
Notice that the design drawing changed. If you had any objects in it (and would, if you began with the Getting Started tutorial before beginning this one), they have grown much larger than the design window.
Adjusting the Scale
Let's move the Scaling slider so that your objects and your design is shrunk to a more appropriate size. The blue knob on the Scaling slider is near the right, under the words "zoom in (expand)" -- move it to abput a third of the way from the left end, under the word "In," at the beginning of "In scale of..." Play with the position until you can see all your objects.
Adding decimals
Immediately below the Units popup menu is the checkbox labeled Meters + Centimeters, and below that is another checkbox labeled Use Decimals. Check this latter checkbox. Then, next to the little box to it's right, click on the down arrow twice, until the number in the box reads "1."
Work with Millimeters
Now, let's switch to Millimeters. The Units popup menu shows Centimeters (from what you did above). Click on this popup and choose Millimeters.
Notice that the design drawing changed, again, growing larger again, though not by as much. Move the Scaling slider, as you did above, this time almost all the way to the left end. Play with the position until you can see all your objects.
Removing the decimals
Notice that the dimensions of your objects have too much precision, such as "622.9 cm." Let's spend a few moments cleaning this up.
First, let's restore fractions, because otherwise, what we do below won't have much observable effect. Immediately below the Units popup menu, uncheck the checkbox labeled Use Decimals. Your dimensions will again have fractions in them, such as "622 7/8 mm."
Removing the fractions
On the right hand side of the Grid controls (about midway down the right side of the Controls window), you should see a slider with the words "numerical resolution grid lines per millimeter" and a text box containing the number "8" immediately above it. Slide the slider all the way to the left. The number should now be a "1."
Notice now, that all the fractions in your drawing have disappeared. Your object's dimensions should now look like the one illustrated at right. NOTE: your version of Design Intuition may have a bug where the design isn't updated directly, even though it should be, in which case click on one of your objects and then tap first the up arrow and then the down arrow on your keyboard.
Please contact us if your usage practices are in any way different
Design Intuition is intended to be as user-friendly as possible. We can't possibly guess at all the different ways and methods of designing, particularly in a measurement system not in use here. Your feedback is an essential and welcome ingredient.
