update blocks
I am not a heavy user of AutoCAD or BCAD. However, I do miss some of the little things in AutoCAD. For example: when I change a block at its root, ie open the block and change it it updates to all the other dwg that reference that same block and it changes. There has got to be a way to change the address in the title block and not have to do that on all 15 sheets on every drawing every time!
Please help me figure out how to have these update.
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I am do not fully understand your situation. Are you attaching XREF's or inserting blocks? If blocks are you using REFEDIT to make the changes to the block? Is the address TEXT, MTEXT or an attribute?
If you have a drawing inserted as an XREF and open the source drawing from disk the changes will appear in all drawings that reference it. If you insert the same drawing as a block and subsequently make changes to the drawing file on the disk that changes will not appear the drawings that have had the file inserted.
Is this what you are describing?
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Sounds like a case where a block is used where an xref is wanted.
I don't know of a simple way to replace blocks with xrefs, it shouldn't be very difficult using lisp.
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best to type out the whole problem:
1.I open a new dwg it has blocks already in as a template, (my title block, north arrow, etc) inside this block(with text attributes) is a cad version of my logo and contact info as a block. I want to change some text and other items on the logo.
2. close dwg 1 and open the cad version of the logo, make the changes. save
3. open new dwg- old logo block remains, it does not ref the new block definition.
I have tried to xref, and get this ": _xattach A block already exists with that name."
Now the other real issue, I know how to find the blocks and clear them out purging the definitions, this would allow me to then xref, I can not xref because i need to change the sheet titles and numbers on each copy of the layout tab and I need the original to stay the same on each sheet, thus the use of blocks. I have been out of the game a while and as I got back in the saddle, I found that I am using old habits that I developed in Auto cad. One is that the blocks are referenced back to the original on the initial insertion much like an xref, the difference is that auto cad treated each instance like a block and not an xref allowing me to change each on on the drawing- but not all the way back to the original like an xref does. Hope that made sense, of course I maybe way off and my memory is fuzzy, but i find my self working on auto pilot and the program not acting like i am used to. Thanks for any ideas and help.
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Perhaps what you are referring to is the editable block feature relatively new to Acad, but not yet in Icad?
Can't remember what it is called, but it allows instances of one block to be different one from another.
To just replace a block with an xref you can change its name within the file before attaching, then perhaps salvage the bits from the old blocks after exploding, or Refedit out all the parts you don't want to keep.
Remember the xref needs to be a file of its own, not a file containing the block you want.
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Mack, once you edit the drawing with the logo you will need to insert it again to overwrite the definition in the file.
1./ Insert command or Insert Block menu item to open the insert block dialog,
2./ Browse to select the logo drawing,
3./ Turn on the check box to specify the insertion point on screen,
4./ Hit Ok
5./ You will see a message box warning the block will be redefined (unless you have the EXPERT variable set to dsable this warning), hit Yes.
This should work even for nested blocks.
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Oh yeah, Hit escape to cancel the command after the redefine message so you don't actually place a new insert of the block in your drawing.
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@ Mack:
If you want to change a template you should open the template and not work in a new drawing created from that template. The procedure you describe in post #4 will leave the template unchanged.0 -
Hi Mack,
Let me get this straigth. You have a template-drawing that contains "my title block, north arrow, etc". When you start a new drawing from scratch you are using this template to start with by way of the "new" command. Is that true so far?
When you write: "2. close dwg 1 and open the cad version of the logo, make the changes.", it sounds to me like "the cad version of the logo" is yet another drawing that you originally inserted into the template but still have existing next to it. Am I right? In this case you would have to insert the new logo into the template again.
And when you write: "3. open new dwg- old logo block remains, it does not ref the new block definition.", you mean that you again start a new drawing with the "new" command using the mentioned template. Correct?
Regards, Stephan
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Thanks for all the help. I think i can explain with more detail and see what we think.
I created title blocks in autocad that have attributes such as text and blocks within them. I save that dwg as "acad.dwg" and every time the auto cad opened a new drawing it would use this file so I would have all the layers and setting I like, including the title blocks on the multiple layout tabs (18x24, 24x36, etc) and when I start a project they are all in place. If I need more than one sheet (usually the case) I just copy the layout tab, click on the title block (which is an inserted block) change the title and sheet number. In auto cad if I were to need to change the address or shape of my logo (as far as I can remember) I would go to the title, double click and the refedit box opens to allow me to change the attributes. If I hover over the logo I want to change and double click that then I am now in the dwg that is that block and any changes I made were (i was asked this in dialog box) either saved to the file or just that instance I double click on. If i say the file than all the blocks in the drawing now accept and change to the new file. I guess to solve the problem for now until i can retest the process in autocad I will just change the logos in the acad.dwg file and go from there.
thank you all for trying to help, i think i am probably just too confused to ask the right questions.
Mack
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Mack, it sounds like acad.dwg is your template file. (The variable BASEFILE determines which template is used when you create a new drawing file. You can set it easily by pulling down Settings > Settings and typing "basefile" and then using the pop-out Explorer window to locate the template file.)
And it sounds like acad.dwg includes an external reference to a file that contains part of your title block. That external file (let's call it tb.dwg) should only contain information that's the same for all projects, such as your office address and your company logo. You can change that information once and the change shows automatically in all your drawing files the next time you open them.
You can edit tb.dwg as a separate file. Or you can edit it from within any drawing file that references it, by double-clicking on the xref to get the refedit window.
You should also have a Block that contains the rest of the title block information -- the project name and description, and sheet titles and numbers, for example. The sheet information is in the form of Attributes, which you can edit differently for each insertion of the Block without changing the Block definition.
But that Block is not part of tb.dwg, and it's not an external file. It's included in acad.dwg, along with the xref to tb.dwg, but it's a Block, not another xref. Each time you open a new file to start a new project, you edit the Block to fit that project. You can edit it again later, after creating several sheets in different layouts. All the layouts in that file will show the change but other project files won't be affected.0 -
thank you Anthony that maybe the information I needed. I am trying to pull together several office conventions and processes into one of my own. At some point I will have to just start over and begin my own conventions, this maybe a way to understand that and get set up thanks.
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@John - It's not "ICad" anymore
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Oh no, the nomenclature police!
It's alright for you young blokes, I'm losing my flexibility.
It was/is hard enough convincing Acadders I use a more than viable alternative, without them having to make a second mental leap to a more than viable... do I call Bcad an Icad variation or alternative?
Bcad is acceptable I assume.
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Now thats funny : )
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LOL, couldn't decide if I was going to let it slide or not. That was your third strike though
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