Work with Units and Formats

You can use the Job Preferences dialog to set up units and formats for your project.

To access the Units and Formats panel from the Job Preferences dialog, click Tools Job Preferences Units and Formats.

To change the measurement system

1. Click Units and Formats in the Job Preferences dialog.
2. Select Metric or Imperial as the default measurement system for the project.

To change the zero format

1. Click Units and Formats in the Job Preferences dialog.
2. In the Zero Format box, specify how zero must be expressed.
   Note: You can use values such as "zero", "0.00", or "0" for example.

To change measurement units

1. Click + to expand the Units and Formats section from the Job Preferences dialog.
2. Click Dimensions.
3. Specify a measurement unit for all the available types of dimensions.
4. Use the arrows to specify the number of decimal places for each unit of measurement.
   Note: Click E to switch between decimal and exponential formatting.
Tip: Click Other in the Units and Formats section to modify other measurement units.

To create a new Length, Force, or Mass unit

Note: Default units cannot be modified or deleted.

1. Click + to expand the Units and Formats section from the Job Preferences dialog.
2. Click Unit Edition.
3. Enter a new unit name in the relevant unit box.
4. Enter a coefficient value for this new value.
   Note: Depending on the type of unit created, the coefficient value is expressed in meters, Newtons, or kilograms.
5. Click Add to save the new unit.

To delete a user-defined unit, select it and click Delete.

To change the force parameters

1. Click + to expand the Units and Formats section from the Job Preferences dialog.
2. Click Forces.
3. Select a unit from the Force list.
4. Click ... to open the Moment Unit dialog.
5. Select a Force unit and a Length unit for the specified moment, and then click OK.
6. Click ... to open the Stress Unit dialog.
7. Select a Force unit and an Area unit for the specified stress, and then click OK.
8. Use the arrows to specify the number of decimal places for each unit of measurement.
   Note: Click E to switch between decimal and exponential formatting.