We always use mostly metric (mm), only on some threads we use the imperial dimensions.
I think a good setting could be allow user to set diferent named units system, and show always referenced dimensions (because atm, if you change from mm to “, you get 2 mm to 2” on default cube, same nominal value in all cases) So user could set a default unit system and could change in some dimensions, or settings.
About error another setting could be the admitted error, and also the dimension precision.
a video showing up a recent feature to apply dimensions over lathe parts.
This feature removes the previous “concentric 3 points angle”, making things more generic and usable.
Very nice progress. You are starting to gain precise on-screen control over the whole geometry.
Congratulations for your hard work!
Thanks 
Another video modifying dimensions, in this case aligned to transform orientation axis, really useful and needed
Hi Folks!
Very interesting topic! Finally i found the people who cares about CAD features in Blender! Thanks to RickyBlender for this. He gave me the link for this thread!
May i ask you guys for an expert vision?
I am thinking about creating an addon (i don’t know how yet, because i am a zero in programming) wich will be manage units.
Here is my post with concept for this addon.
I’ll be very appreciate for any expert estimation. Is it too hard to create this addon?
Is it possible to create it by noob (me) without coding experience, or it is better to find someone experienced or it’s a one way to wait for 2.8 and hope!
Thank you for attention!
My idea about units (focused in mechanical blender build) is to be able to define different units settings and be able to set it in diferent places, so they could override the default, scene units. This could apply to a on object, or a dimension, for eg.
is it done in C or could be done as a python addons ?
any idea on when this might come in your SVN
which would be a good improvement compared to what we have right now LOL
keep up the good work
happy bl
Agree with RickyBlender
It would be nice to achieve separate addon if it possible
Or is changes too deep on blender main code?
As most of you may know i’m not a big fan of addons (when talking about core features) because this represents lots of calls and subcalls for something that will be usually executed.
At this moment i’m working on step importer, and of course this is done in python
This is a video importing a bearing from ina.
The importer is not yet finished at all, started developing it reading basic stuff generated from freecad, and then moved to bearings.
step stores conceptual information (so vertices, and faces must be generated according), and some instances or values are not yet processed. Also it needs a more generic function apply outbound over a surface.
Will continue working on it It’s a must have to import data from 3rd parties.
so you import like different kind of curves or sufaces then convert to mesh
or try to keep as curves ?
is this able to also read the older IGES file too which is close to Steps I think?
happy bl
They are converted to mesh.
I do not know about iges file struct. I think that iges does not separate diferent objects.
IGES was the oldest std which has mostly been replaced by Steps now
but a lot of older earlier dwg have been kept as IGES file
happy bl
Here there is an implementation of object units.
got an SVN for Win 64
would like to test that one
any chance of getting this in official release!
nice work
thanks
happy cl
Thanks for your interest, please give feedback here or on github if you experience any problem 
Expected to finish the mechanicalblender.org as a way to share neededs and development.
About including on bf official master any of the additions imho now the blender developer are focused mainly in 2.8 and i do not know if they consider interesting adding any of this on it.
About a stable release of mechanical blender, it’s hard to got it because of limited the resources 
and affect lots of areas of blender directly or indirectly. Mi idea was to do a first mechanical work during the first half of this year, but other things has happened and was not possible.
Hiya,
I’m new to this thread and from what I’ve read, this all looks great 
I’ve recently used Blender to draw up a design for some kitchen cab and soon ran into the limitations of Blender…
For instance, Arch tools was useful for dimensions, but after seeing what Autodesk Fusion does with dimensions, I felt a bit peeved
I also had to re-build everything when I changed the size of the profiles for all the lengths of timber. Fusions ‘dimension variable’ feature would have saved me a ton of time.
I also like the ‘parametric’ nature of Fusion.
I’d like Blender to have some CAD features added as I still find Blenders rendering and animation features useful. e.g. I can animate the model to simulate the build process.
Just to add to the disscussoin, Youtube pointed me at this video and I liked the features this CAD program…
This guy is doing some interesting stuff with architectural modelling.
Could a CAD system not be integrated in Blender the same way?
Do you think it would be possible to add some of the CAD Curves tools
that we don’t have in Blender ?
and if possible the CAD Boolean which seems to be more poweful in CAD then Blender
I think Freecad use some of these python functions might be possible to import it in this SVN
which are CC if I remember well!
thanks
Happy bl