Measure Directly From Your CAD Screen … Literally!

WARNING: This will only work if any other screen sizing variable has been disabled!
E.g. CATForceVideoSize

In order to calibrate our display, you will need to set two windows environment variables; CATWidthMMOfScreen and CATHeightMMOfScreen. The variables that you will need to measure are the screen width in millimetres and the screen height in millimetres. e.g. My monitor screen has a width of 595mm and a height of 345mm.

1) Set the Environment Variables in windows:

a) Select the START button on the taskbar and right click on COMPUTER and select PROPERTIES:

b) Select ADVANCED SYSTEM SETTINGS

c) In the SYSTEM PROPERTIES dialog box, ADVANCED tab, select ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES:

d) Select NEW… in the ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES dialog box:

e) Enter two new variables; CATWidthMMOfScreen and CATHeightMMOfScreen with values corresponding to your monitor screen width and height:

f) Press OK and close all dialog boxes.

2) Launch CATIA V5

a) Either open an existing component (Part/Product) or create a new component:

b) Run command “C: SCALE PLANES”:

c) The SCALE PLANES PROPERTIES dialog box will inherit the WIDTH and HEIGHT from the environment variable set in 1). These can be left as default then press OK.

d) Set a standard view e.g. Front/Top/Etc and using a ruler directly measure from your monitor screen for exact measurements.

e) To turn off the screen scaling, simply run the same command from step 2b) again.