Scale Calculator

 

Scale 1:
SCALE DOWN

  • Enter the scaling factor
  • In the box marked "input", enter the measurement of a real-world object in either inches or centimeters (see *below for entering fractions)
  • Press the button labeled "in" (inches) or "cm" (centimeter)
  • The scaled down size of that object is displayed in the box marked "output"
  • Pressing the "in" or "cm" output button will cause the results to be recalculated and displayed in the unit of measure you've selected.
input
output

Scale :1
SCALE UP

While the "Scale Down" version converts linear measurements of real-world objects to a smaller scale, this one lets you check the real-world size of a scale replica. It can also be used in scale-to-scale conversions (see below).

input
output

CONVERTING MODEL DIMENSIONS: You can convert measurements from scale models (like Tamiya's 1/35th stuff) to another scale (like GI Joe- 1/6th scale). To do this:
  • Put the model's scale in the LOWER calculator's "Scale" box (i.e. "35" for a 1/35th scale model)
  • Put the output scale in the UPPER calculator's "Scale" box (i.e. "6" for a 1/6th scale figure)
  • Put the model's measurement in the LOWER calculator's "Input" box (metric is recommended for accuracy)
  • Click on the "Scaleupdown" button
  • The result is shown in the UPPER calculator's "Output" box
All this does is scale up the model measurements to 1:1 scale and transfer the result (and unit) to the scale down calculator. It saves you a few keystrokes and button presses, and is probably useful if you're converting a lot of measurements across scales.

These calculators are pretty simple since all they do is multiply and divide. The "Scale Down" calculator is useful for modeling from 1:1 objects since you can put in the actual 1:1 size measurement of an object in inches (as they're frequently provided), and it will output the scaled size in metric, which is easier to work with. You'll still have to do any preliminary feet-to-inches conversions yourself unless you enter the numbers in the spreadsheet-like syntax, shown below.

*ENTERING FRACTIONS: Expressions entered in the boxes are evaluated before being further processed. Interestingly, if you input a mixed measure like "12-1/2" instead of "12.5", it evaluates the expression as "12 minus 1 divided by 2", the result of which is "11.5". Therefore, you can enter fractional inches if you input the value as "12+1/2" (using "plus" instead of "minus"). The expression will be evaluated as a decimal value. However, if you input the measure as "12 1/2" (without the "plus" or "minus" operator) you will cause a Javascript error because that doesn't evaluate to anything (The "space" character is not a valid mathematical operator).

Because it evaluates the expression you enter, you can enter something like (5*12)+4+(3/4), which is like saying "five feet four and three-quarter inches" (5 feet times 12 inches plus 4 inches plus 3/4 of an inch).