Set the scale before you measure: scale systems, presets, custom scale, calibration, paper size, and showing measurements on the drawing.
7 articles
Why Set the Scale First
An overview of how ZeroCount turns lines and polygons on a drawing into real lengths and areas, the three header controls that govern it, and where the resulting measurements appear.
Updated 4 September 2026
The Scale System: Metric, Architectural and Both
How to choose between the Metric, Architectural and Both scale systems, what each one offers as presets, which units it displays, and what happens to existing measurements when you switch.
Setting the Drawing Scale
How to set a drawing's default scale from the preset list or by typing a custom ratio, what None does, and how to handle the Update Existing Groups prompt.
Calibrating a Drawing
How to set a drawing's scale by drawing a line along a known distance such as a scale bar, what the calibration factor does to existing measurements and coverage discs, and how to reset it.
Paper Size and Measurement Accuracy
How the paper size ZeroCount detects at upload makes lengths and areas accurate, what the paper size pill and its tooltip show, and what to do with a drawing that has no paper size.
Scale on Individual Linear and Area Groups
How to give one Linear or Area group a different scale from the drawing with Adjust Scale, and what the Select Scale for New Group and Notice prompts mean when you duplicate.
Showing Measurements on the Drawing
How to label every Linear and Area measurement on the drawing itself, the difference between the saved preference and the Show Measurements tick in the Actions menu, and what the badges look like.
