9

Units Setup Dialog 849
file.Donotchangethesystemunitinanexisting
scene.
You can also set the lig hting units using this dialog.
System v s. Display Units
It is important to note t he distinction between
System and Display units. Display units only
affect how geometry is displayed in the viewports.
System units determine the actual scale of
geometry. For example, if you import a DXF file
(unitless) cont aining a 1 x 1 x 1 Box, 3ds Max
couldimportthebox’sdimensionsininchesor
miles, depending on the System unit. This can
have a significant impact on your scene, which
is w hy you should always set up the system un it
before you import or create geometry.
Pr ocedur es
To change units to feet and inches:
1.
On the Units Setup dialog , choose US Standard.
2. Choose from among the display options on the
drop-down list.
• If you want to display measurements as
feet with inches, choose how inches should
appear: frac tional or decimal. Also choose,
for Default Units, Feet or Inches
• If you choose one of the Fractional display
options, choose the fraction on the
drop-down list to the right.
To enter fr actions in numeric f ields:
• When you enter fractions in numeric fields,
they are converted to the correct units. For
example, if units are set to Feet w/ Decimal
Inches,andDefaultUnitsissettoFeet,type
37/45 and press
Enter for the result 0’9.867",
or 37/45’.
To enter a fraction and a units specifier, place the
specifier after the divisor. For example, type 17/5’,
but not 17’/5.
To conver t bet ween unit t y pes:
• You can convert between unit types by entering
any valid unit specifier, along with the number,
and then pressing
Enter .
Thenumberisconvertedtothecurrentunit
display type. For example, if units are set
to Meters, type 1/2 to get the result 0.5M.
However, if you type 1/2’ or 6" the result is
0.152M.
Interfa ce
System Unit Setup—Click to display the System
Unit Setup dialog (page 3–850) and change the
system unit scale.
Wa rn in g : Change the system unit value only before
impor ting or creating geometry. Do not chang e the
system unit in an existing scene.