General Factor and General Scale magically changing

I've used QCAD, and now LibreCAD, for a long time.  I recently updated my Linux version and that upgraded my version of LibreCAD (to version 2.0.7)

After that, I opened a DXF file and wanted to add a dimension line.  The dimension wasn't even close.  I Googled "wrong dimensions" and found the "General Factor" and "General Scale" settings.  I tried a few experiments and the Factor and Scale get updated (usually to 0.0393701 from other posts).

This voilates the "Principle of Least Astonishment" and needs to be changed.  I understand automatically updating some of the other parameters (arrow size, etc.), but this has tripped up a lot of people and the number of Google hits asking about the problem seem to prove it.

Please set the Geneal Factor, and General Scale, to 1 and don't automagically update this value.  I consider this a level 1 bug (blocking and product shouldn't have been released with it), but I'd be happy to submit this as an enhancement request.

agreed.

Those tiny factors seems to be a mistake anyway.

Even if user deliberately set tiny factors, a warning should be generated.
 

John Duffer wrote

I've used QCAD, and now LibreCAD, for a long time.  I recently updated my Linux version and that upgraded my version of LibreCAD (to version 2.0.7)

After that, I opened a DXF file and wanted to add a dimension line.  The dimension wasn't even close.  I Googled "wrong dimensions" and found the "General Factor" and "General Scale" settings.  I tried a few experiments and the Factor and Scale get updated (usually to 0.0393701 from other posts).

This voilates the "Principle of Least Astonishment" and needs to be changed.  I understand automatically updating some of the other parameters (arrow size, etc.), but this has tripped up a lot of people and the number of Google hits asking about the problem seem to prove it.

Please set the Geneal Factor, and General Scale, to 1 and don't automagically update this value.  I consider this a level 1 bug (blocking and product shouldn't have been released with it), but I'd be happy to submit this as an enhancement request.

By default, the dimension factors are set to 1.
I'm watching this already for a while. Infrequently, after start or open a new drawing, the current drawing dimension factors are ruined. I've sadly found no rule by now, nor can I reproduce this. But I've never seen, that the factors are changed on a valid opened drawing.

Maybe this is related to another phenomenon, I sometimes observe on Windows. After start, the LibreCAD main window appears, the tool bars are set up, but no new document is opened. Instead an exception rises and LibreCAD is closed. An immediate restart fire it up successfully. This happens randomly too.

Thus I'm waiting for a lucky pull to catch this bug.

Well, here is an other explanation for your post.

The factor you've referenced, is a conversion factor, 1mm = 0.0393701 Inch.

Thus the problem lies somewhere in unit conversion.
To see, if this is a LibreCAD issue, we should know, if the original file was created by LibreCAD or any other CAD software. Do you still have the original DXF file and can you share it for investigation?

This factor makes sense, if a drawing was created in 1mm per unit, but the dimension should be in Inch. Whether this makes sense or not, but it works.

I don't have any problems reproducing the problem.  All I have to do is create a new drawing and a dimension.

Here's my history:
1) Installed QCAD on OpenSuse Linux 7-8 years ago.
2) I'm from the USA and still use imperial measurements for everything.
3) After many upgrades to Linux (zypper dup of distros) I ended up with LibreCAD.  I setup my "application preferences" (inch, letter size paper, black on white, etc.) using QCAD and have inherited those setting through the different releases.

I'd be happy to submit a DXF sample file, but I don't really think it's necessary.  As I said above: I don't have any trouble reproducing this problem... I have trouble remembering to set the factor and scale to "1" so that it behaves properly.

I'd like to thank everyone that develops and supports LibreCAD.  I had used QCAD for years doing lots of simple layouts (fence in back yard, shelves in garage, etc.).  I started using LibreCAD when OpenSuse started including it with their releases.  OpenSource is great and I'm greatful that talented people volunteer their time to develop and support packages like LibreCAD.

Thanks again,
John

Thanks, that was the missing link.
By setting the application preferences to Inch I can reproduce this too. So let me see, what the default dimension settings for imperial systems are. We have to check, maybe there is a conversion in progress, which isn't necessary.