Author Topic: Nesting Blocks, err.. blocks with dropdowns  (Read 4156 times)

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DIW_CADtech

  • Bull Frog
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  • Push limits, embrace success, & discard failure.
Nesting Blocks, err.. blocks with dropdowns
« on: November 20, 2013, 04:46:15 PM »
At my prev employ, we produced residential solar plans and we had a limited number of blocks...  on one of our tool pallets I would click on the block, and drop it in the dwg.  Once there I could pick from a drop down and it would change the block..    then I'd burst/explode .. and have yet another drop-down to choose from.  So there was this hierarchy of blocks.  But it was very quick to locate what you needed.  And file cleanup was quick as well, purge unused blocks.. bam.. done.

I would like to try to do this with a set of about 25 to 30 standard structural blocks that I have. 

I have never done more than a standard block or blocks with annotations.. so I'm a little fresh...  and wet behind the ears on this.

I'm assuming that I need to make all of the individual blocks first.  Then I can start "Nesting" them like a Russian doll.

Has anyone done this before?  Would like some pointers. 


I would like to eventually add this to our tool pallet to speed adding details to drawings.
I am very  trainable....   (forgive my spelling)

DIW_CADtech

  • Bull Frog
  • Posts: 368
  • Push limits, embrace success, & discard failure.
Re: Nesting Blocks, err.. blocks with dropdowns
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2013, 08:12:18 PM »
FYI, I figured it out.

Make all your details into blocks,

then you make a new block.  In the block editor insert all your details in at 0,0

then add a visibility peram

Then you create each visibility state with the manager

Then one at a time you go through each visibility state and set the visibility of your objects/blocks. 

save changes.. presto..  very cool

as I have several sheets of details I will do this for each sheet, ...  then I will nest the sheet details..   It's going to be sweet!
I am very  trainable....   (forgive my spelling)

JNieman

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Re: Nesting Blocks, err.. blocks with dropdowns
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2013, 08:30:20 PM »
I didn't catch this thread in time, but that's exactly how I did it before.  I had some foundation details and oft-used sections that I condensed.  You'd insert which one you wanted, pick the visibility state for a couple detail types, explode it, use the now-appearing stretch grips to set the size from select incremental widths/lengths, and done.  Exploding it would allow modifying of annotations.