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How to change decimals and units in the reports?

Updated on 14 September 2026 tcpMDT Leer en español

Summary

The number of decimals and the display of units (metres, m²) in MDT reports, texts and labels is controlled from the program configuration, not in each report separately. Most of the settings are in MDT > Utilities > Configuration, in the General and Points sections. This article brings together the most common cases: decimals that stop being shown or differ between computers, reports that stop stating the units, decimals in the alignment dimensioning (radii and stations), decimals in the text over elevations, and the case of the slope labelling, which cannot be configured from the interface.

Applies to

MDT. The documented cases correspond to MDT 25, MDT 9 and version 8.5.75 (on AutoCAD 2016/2014); the remaining enquiries do not indicate a specific version. The Utilities > Configuration path, the General Parameters window and the Points section are the same in MDT 25 and MDT 26.
Utilities > Configuration functions (General and Points sections), measurement reports, alignment dimensioning and labelling.

Symptoms

Earthwork volume reports stop showing the decimals.
Reports are displayed differently on screen on two computers with the same version, even though exports to Excel or Word do show the decimals correctly.
In the reports of areas measured by cross sections, the final summary stops showing the units (metres or m²).
It is not clear where to change the decimals of the alignment dimensioning texts (radii and stations), which appear with unwanted decimals or end up crowded together on the drawing.
No option can be found to set the number of decimals of the slope labelling.
When modifying text values over elevations, the value is shown with 3 decimals instead of the 2 required.

Cause

The number of decimals and the presence of units in the reports depend on the general program configuration, which may differ between installations. That is why two computers with the same version may show different formats on screen.
The number of decimals of the text over elevations depends on the program's points configuration.
The decimals of the radii in the alignment dimensioning cannot be changed; the station format can.
The decimals of the slope labelling are not exposed in the interface: the value lives in an internal file.

Solution

Case: reports do not show decimals or the format differs between computers

Set the number of decimals in MDT > Utilities > Configuration > General, in the section where the number of decimals is established.
If two computers show the reports with different formats and you want to make them match: on the computer where it is displayed correctly, go into Utilities > Configuration and click the Export button.
On the computer with the problem, go into Utilities > Configuration, click the Import button and select the file generated in the previous step. Both computers then have the same configuration of decimals and reports.

Case: measurement reports do not show the units (metres / m²)

Go to MDT > Utilities > Configuration > General.
Tick the box that shows the units in the reports.

In a documented case on MDT 25, the Volume by Cross Sections report did not show the totals. It was a one-off error, corrected in a later update of that same version: uninstalling and installing the most recent version again was enough. If you see the same thing, update before reviewing the configuration.

Case: decimals in the alignment dimensioning (radii and stations)

To improve the legibility of the dimensioning when the texts are crowded together, the quickest thing is to change the scale of the texts.
The number of decimals of the radii cannot be changed.
The station format can be changed: go to MDT > Utilities > Configuration, click the General button to open the General Parameters window and, in the Measurement section, enable the station format you want.

Case: the text over elevations shows more decimals than configured

If, when modifying text values over elevations (converted into text), the value appears with more decimals than required (3 instead of 2, for instance):

Adjust the number of decimals in MDT > Utilities > Configuration > Points.
If what you want to change is the number of decimals used to represent the elevation of the points, use Points > Modify Points > Change Format: in the Attributes frame, the elevation allows the number of decimals to be specified.

Case: changing the number of decimals of the slope labelling

This parameter cannot be configured from the program interface; an internal file has to be edited.

Find the util.msg file in the support subfolder for your language (support\en, support\es, and so on) inside the software installation folder.
Replace it with a modified version or edit it: at index 6.3 of the file, change the number to the number of decimals you want (2 for two decimals, for example).
Save the file. The slope will then be labelled with the number of decimals indicated.

Before replacing or editing util.msg, keep a copy of the original file.

If the problem persists

If, besides the decimals, a warning about a missing file (a .dll, for instance) appears when drawing a quick profile or during another operation, check your antivirus quarantine list: the file may have been blocked.
If the computers still show different formats after exporting and importing the configuration, or you cannot find the box or section indicated, contact APLITOP technical support.

Category: Interface and customisation · Level: Basic