> Work with it Nate. It's just another unit of measure ...
Switching to metric is no big deal. Switching to metric for one job is a giant PIA and courting disaster.
It all depends on what you are doing with the supplied drawing file. I like the idea of using the drawing file as a scaled xref. Quick and easy. If you convert the whole drawing don't forget to scale the elevations, too. I'm not a current Carlson user, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't have a conversion function.
Jud
Here in the UK we 'went metric' - but we didn't, not in a total way. I'd say most people over 50 or so still visualise in feet and inches. Road distances are still in miles, speed is mph and beer is still sold by the pint.
I used to do work for Occidental Inc and Bechtel, all their drawings even the new ones done in the UK were in feet and inches. We did survey and set out with metric kit, when setting out in gas plant areas we couldn't use calculators so we got pretty quick at converting mentally, say 22'-4" just add up 6096+610+102 in stages.
> Here in the UK we 'went metric' - but we didn't...
I began my survey career in British Columbia, Canada. Largely laying out houses for construction. The boundary data was mostly in metric (except pre-1975 records), the architects plans all in feet and inches. I too got very good at converting feet and inch dimensions in my head.
> Here in the UK we 'went metric' - but we didn't, not in a total way. I'd say most people over 50 or so still visualise in feet and inches. Road distances are still in miles, speed is mph and beer is still sold by the pint.
"Barkeep, I'll have 568ml of your finest bitter" has no poetry to the language what so ever 😉
:good:
For a long period of time in the Austro-Hungarian Army the pace (1 pace = 0.75 meters) was used as the unit of length measurement. The range of the cannons and rifles was determined in paces. This was the main reason that the 1:75,000 scale was adopted in 1872.
So, ... just re-calibrate your chain in paces.
> For a long period of time in the Austro-Hungarian Army the pace (1 pace = 0.75 meters) was used as the unit of length measurement. The range of the cannons and rifles was determined in paces. This was the main reason that the 1:75,000 scale was adopted in 1872.
>
> So, ... just re-calibrate your chain in paces.
Sir I fear you are about to reignite the discussion of meter vs feet vs smoot. As I remember that horse was well and truly beaten previously.
I like the fact that you 'Merkins threw off the yoke of English imperialism
But are now the only country in the world still using Imperial measure
Go figure
(FWIW: NZ is metric, but our old surveys are in chains & links - conversion becomes second nature)
If god had meant for us to use the metric system he would have given us 10 fingers and 10 toes......
Seriously, I do everything metric and convert coordinates at the end if that is what the client wants (at least for control surveys). I also use grads rather than DMS for angles, much easier to deal with computationally.
Back in the early to mid 90's I was asked to rewrite the survey manual for a DOT to reflect the "mandated" metric system. Turned out nice, but, as with most (if not all) other states it never stuck. So here we are, the only developed country in the world not using the metric system. In my opinion, it makes us look stupid, like we can't make the switch.
