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Devices Come in Too Big or Too Small

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

If devices appear too big or too small when inserted on your drawing, the most likely cause is that the To Scale setting for the block being used is set wrong.

To fix this, use the <Device Type> Blocks command.

Ribbon: DME: Customization-> Project Customization-><Device Type> Blocks

Pulldown Menu: DM Electrical->Customization-><Device Type> Blocks->Edit Project List

Find the block in the table. In the To Scale column, toggle the checkbox, then try inserting the device again to see if it comes in correctly.

If the block is too big, To Scale is probably checked but it should not be.

If the block is too small, To Scale is probably not checked but it should be.

What “To Scale” Does

The To Scale setting controls the scale factor of the block when it is inserted on the drawing.

  • Checked: The scale factor for the block is 1.
  • Unchecked: The scale factor for the block is equal to the DIMSCALE system variable in the drawing.

An example of a to-scale block is a 2×4 light fixture. That block should be created so that it is a 24×48 unit rectangle. When inserted with a scale factor of 1, it appears in your drawing as a 24×48 unit rectangle. Your base unit is inches, so it appears as a 24″x48″ rectangle. It should be this size on all drawings. The size of the fixture does not depend upon the scale factor of the drawing. (However, when you plot the drawing, the light fixture size will depend upon the scale factor.)

An example of a not-to-scale block is a receptacle. Drawn to scale, it would be a little line no one could see. Instead, you create a circle with some lines that you want to be 1/10″ when printed on paper. You create the circle so that it is a 0.1 unit diameter circle. It will be inserted with a scale factor equal to DIMSCALE on your drawing. If your drawing is 1/8″=1′, set DIMSCALE to 96, and the circle will be 9.6 units in diameter. The size of the receptacle will change when you change the scale factor of the drawing. (However, when you plot the drawing, the receptacle will always appear 1/10″ in diameter.)

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