Datum Dimensions go haywire when scaling entire drawing

[The_Count]

Hi -

Newbie here. We are in the midst of converting hundreds of thousands of CADRA files to AutoCAD (currently using 2002 - have 2004 available). Doing some pre-processing and post-processing of DXF files to do so.

Call up the DXF file in ACAD and all seems well - Datum Dimensions look great. Run through a script to do some clean-up and Datum Dimensions are no longer Datum Dimension (both dim lines exist, no short dim line to Datum, etc.). Can remove a dim line from the dimstyle, but why should they change? Pinpointed the problem to when the drawing is scaled to match the original scale (scale; all; ;0,0; value). The dimensions flip-out.

Thanks for any ideas, thoughts, help.

Pulling what's left of my hair out in Michigan...

[csiarch]

Pulling hair.....

You mentioned script messes up dimensions? Find out why.

You didn't mention WHY you're scaling these drawing -or what is the starting scale and ending scale. Are they being scaled to full size (1:1)? Might be a lot simpler if everything is full size after processing.....

Can you redefine dimstyles to the final scale BEFORE scaling? Can you redefine dimstyles at all?

[hendie]

sounds like a problem with associativity.

I've never heard of CADRA. but you mention that you have to scale things up to get them the correct size so it looks like cadra draws at a scale factor.

I once worked with a piece of crap called RADAN ~ you had to set a scale for each layer ! ~ if there was more than one scale on the drawing, when you output to DXF, it only chose one scale, so you'd end up with weird dimensions when imported to Acad.
I reckon you're problem is similar.

[The_Count]

csiarch -- Thanks for the response. I've narrowed the AutoCAD script to just scale the entire drawing (basically just (scale; all; ;0,0; 8) eight (8) being an example if the original CADRA drawing was drawn 1/8 scale) and the dimensions (particularly Datum Dims) freak. I attached before and after images.

I will check if I can do anything with dimstyles in CADRA, but it didn't look like it.

hendie -- thanks too. CADRA is like CADAM, but it sounds like it had similarities to your POC RADAN experience. I too have multiple scales that need dealing with -- just trying to get one right for now! When you mention associativity, were you talking in AutoCAD? Can I change something (sys var, option, ?) that might help?

Thanks again!