When generating a Quick Section, you enter Horizontal and Vertical Scales as a ratio of consistent units. For example, a 1:100 scale would mean that 1 m on the Section would represent 100 m in real life (or similarly, 1 ft on the Section would represent 100 ft in real life).

Similarly, when printed on a Quick Section template using the Horizontal Scale object and Vertical Scale object, the scale is represented as a ratio:

However, when working with Imperial units, it is common to express scales as a ratio where one inch on the drawing represents a specific number of feet in real life, such as 1”=20’ or 1”=100’.

This article provides guidance on how you can use Imperial scales on Quick Sections.

Entering Imperial Scales

When working with Imperial scales, you will still need to enter your scale as a ratio of consistent units. You will want to use a scale factor that is a multiple of 12.

The table below lists the ratio you would need to use for some common Imperial scales:

Imperial Scale	Scale Ratio
1”=10’	1:120
1”=20’	1:240
1”=30’	1:360
1”=40’	1:480
1”=50’	1:600
1”=60’	1:720
1”=70’	1:840
1”=80’	1:960
1”=90’	1:1080
1”=100’	1:1200
1”=150’	1:1800
1”=200’	1:2400
1”=300’	1:3600
1”=400’	1:4800
1”=500’	1:6000

Printing Imperial Scales on Quick Section Templates

To print an Imperial scale on a Quick Section template, you will need to use a Data Label Text object instead of a Horizontal Scale object or Vertical Scale object.

You can then use Expressions, along with the [Section.HorizontalScale] and [Section.VericalScale] Section Functions, to generate the Imperial Scale, as described below.

Basic Expression

These expressions will print the horizontal and vertical scales in 1”=XX’ Imperial scale format:

Horizontal Scale

'1" = ' + text([Section.HorizontalScale]/12,'0') + '\''

Vertical Scale

'1" = ' + text([Section.VerticalScale]/12,'0') + '\''

Expression with Imperial Scale Check

These are slightly more complex expressions for printing the scales. They use an if() expression to decide if the scale should be printed in Imperial scale format or as a ratio.

The expressions use the % modulus operator to check if the denominator of the Horizontal Scale is a multiple of 12. If it is, it uses the Imperial scale format. If it is not, it prints the scale as a ratio.

Horizontal Scale

if(
  [Section.HorizontalScale] % 12 = 0,
  '1" = ' + text([Section.HorizontalScale]/12,'0') + '\'',
  '1:'+ text([Section.HorizontalScale],'0')
)

Vertical Scale

if(
  [Section.VerticalScale] % 12 = 0,
  '1" = ' + text([Section.VerticalScale]/12,'0') + '\'',
  '1:'+ text([Section.VerticalScale],'0')
)

1-inch Strip Area Intervals

Another thing you might want to do when working with Imperial scales is use Grid and Axis Tick Intervals within the Strip Area that are equal to 1 inch so that they conveniently align with the scale.

Note – When a Quick Section is generated, OpenGround ensures that nice whole numbers are used for the Grid and Axis Intervals. Accordingly, the approach below only works when using a denominator for the scale that is a multiple of 12. If that is not the case, the intervals will not be a nice whole number and the program will round to a more suitable interval, which will not be 1 inch.

Horizontal Grid & Vertical Axis Tick Intervals

This expression can be used to generate 1-inch Horizontal Grid Intervals and Vertical Axis Tick Intervals when an Imperial scale is used:

[Section.VerticalScale]/12

Vertical Grid & Horizontal Axis Tick Intervals

This expression can be used to generate 1-inch Vertical Grid Intervals and Horizontal Axis Tick Intervals when an Imperial scale is used:

[Section.HorizontalScale]/12