Topic: Tool palettes/menu buttons for blocks.

[hyposmurf]

How do you go about inserting blocks?

Do you use menu buttons
Use the insert block option
Insert them from your tool palettes?

Also do you have each block set to a certain scale and layer in your tool palettes/menu buttons?Or do you just have all you blocks set to use the current layer and scake factor of 1?Ive been toying with the idea of presetting all my blocks to predifined layers/scales,but the problem I have is that some of my blocks can be on a number of duifferent layers.For instance a isolation valve can be on the water or heating layer.Id also end uyp with a huge collection of tool palettes/menu buttons which may slow CAD down.

[nivuahc]

The way I have our blocks setup (architectural electrical) is each block is constructed on layer 0 as it should appear in a 1 = 1 drawing. The color and the linetype are both set to BYBLOCK.

Then when a user inserts a block (via a toolbar button) it is inserted on the current layer and scaled up by the value of LTSCALE.

If the user changes the layer, the block changes in color and linetype, to the settings of that layer.

As an example; the same block is used to show a standard 2 x 4 fluorescent fixture that is new (CONTINUOUS linetype, blue) and one that is existing (DASHED2 linetype, green) simply by changing the layer it is on. This makes it simple when, for instance, an engineer asks to get a print of new fixtures only. Simply freezing the EX-LIGHT layer hides all of the existing fixtures.

In the past, the way people at my company did things, they would explode the block and change the color and the linetype of the various objects. You can imagine what a mess that would cause.

[hyposmurf]

We currently have our blocks set just like yours.I was just wondering would this be a quicker way to have the block on a predefined layer and scale when inserting.You wouldnt have to create the layer name/colour and scale for that block as the tool palette would have it already set.The original block however would have been created on layer 0 so that it can be modified easily at a further time.Yeh exploding blocks,lovely! The amount of times I have heard some one who is just having a go at CAD, explode the titleblock just to change a few attributes  

[CADaver]

What kind of blockas are you talking about?  There are two different kinds of blocks out there.

One type is annotation type blocks that (in MS anyway) scale up or down with the drawing scale. We access these a number of ways, primarily from a pull-down.  A layer set routine and a dimscale read macro are included in the pull-down selection to insure the proper scale and layer for the block.

The other type are real-unit blocks, like a valve or a beam.  These are built to real-unit sizes and inserted at a scale of 1.  Usually the ayer is controlled manually prior to placing the block, (except for 3D steel blocks, I have a little utility that creates a layer based on the insertion elevation of the member).

ALL our blocks are on layer 0, color and linetype BYLAYER.  That way as they moveor copy from layer to layer, they take on the layer parameters of the new layer.  A major draw-back to "hard-coding" the layers into the blocks is that fact that the block will still reside on whatever layer was current ast the time of placement, Freezing that layer will cause the block to disappear.

[hyposmurf]

Thanks CADaver youve cleared that up I was wondering whether having blocks with preset layers would pose any problems.