Topic: How to add Dynamic Blocks to Tool Palettes

[ELOQUINTET]

Hey guys,

I'm having a brain freeze here and need some help. In the past we created individual drawings which did not contain blocks but the linework that would make up the block then we copied that to a a palette which when clicked on would insert the block. Now with Dynamic blocks the source drawing must contain a block to contain the custom properties. I am having some trouble with my blocks referencing themselves and the blocks not being found when I know the drawing exists in the path. Basically I have all of our palettes on our network and everyone is using the same profile but I am having these problems on other users machines. How should I add Dynamic Blocks to my palettes to insure they will not have problems?

[whdjr]

With Dynamic Blocks I insert them into the same blank dwg.  Then I add them to my palette from there.

[Mr Cory]

Same here but you need to watch that the dwg doesnt get too overloaded and starts slowing the insertion time. Atm i takes a good 5 sec's to insert from our TP's (which is along time when you waiting lol)

[Birdy]

With Dynamic Blocks I insert them into the same blank dwg.  Then I add them to my palette from there.

After you save.

Same strategy here.  One "dblocks.dwg" file with many blocks in it.  (ok, only about 20 or 30).
I think it's easier to manage them in one file as well.  YMMV

[Josh Nieman]

Same here but you need to watch that the dwg doesnt get too overloaded and starts slowing the insertion time. Atm i takes a good 5 sec's to insert from our TP's (which is along time when you waiting lol)

Thanks for the heads up.  I'm currently putting together a block library for everyone to use, and have only separated my source drawings by basic categories (Foundation, Structural Steel, Structural Wood, Architectural, Masonry, and UL Wall Designs) so it sounds like maybe I'm going to want to break it down a bit...

[Josh Nieman]

With Dynamic Blocks I insert them into the same blank dwg.  Then I add them to my palette from there.

After you save.

Same strategy here.  One "dblocks.dwg" file with many blocks in it.  (ok, only about 20 or 30).
I think it's easier to manage them in one file as well.  YMMV

Do you experience any lags that Mr Cory mentioned?  I don't foresee having any more than 20 dynamic blocks in a single block library file, so if not, maybe I'll continue as I am.

[Birdy]

Not that I've noticed.  There may be a lag, but it would be slight.
I'll have to watch for it closer now.

[Birdy]

...you need to watch that the dwg doesnt get too overloaded ...

That's news.
can you quantify how much is "overloaded"?

[ELOQUINTET]

You guys aren't scared having all of your dynamic blocks in a single drawing. What if someone erases it or it becomes corrupt or some unforeseen thing happens. I'm not sure I'm comfortable keeping all my eggs in one basket as I have put a lot of work into these. I was getting a message saying the block references itself and my boss was telling me that it's because the block name and the filename can't be the same. I named them differently and it worked but then I was looking at some other blocks and both the block and file have exactly the same name with no problems so where is this message coming from. Another thing I've noticed while making changes to my palettes and exporting them is the creation of a gazillion folders in my palettes main folder. Why is it creating all of these folders I hate not knowing why I have 20 folders with the same name exact for a _1, _2 etc at the end?

[Josh Nieman]

You guys aren't scared having all of your dynamic blocks in a single drawing. What if someone erases it or it becomes corrupt or some unforeseen thing happens. I'm not sure I'm comfortable keeping all my eggs in one basket as I have put a lot of work into these. I was getting a message saying the block references itself and my boss was telling me that it's because the block name and the filename can't be the same. I named them differently and it worked but then I was looking at some other blocks and both the block and file have exactly the same name with no problems so where is this message coming from. Another thing I've noticed while making changes to my palettes and exporting them is the creation of a gazillion folders in my palettes main folder. Why is it creating all of these folders I hate not knowing why I have 20 folders with the same name exact for a _1, _2 etc at the end?

You don't backup your files?

The boss has made it so that the original files are set read-only on the server, so you'd have to very deliberately go out of your way to delete the file.  We've set up a couple flags, but deletion could still happen... but then we'd just go to the backup tape and copy it from the backup to replace it.

[Mr Cory]

I have more than 20 or 30 though   100 or so at a guess lol (i went DB crazy awhile ago) Plus most of the blocks had an instance in the drawing aswell which wouldnt have helped. You have to make sure the the dwg is fully purged apart from what has to be in there.

Backups  sounds like we have the same setup as Josh just not read only files.

[daron]

Overload is when you're waiting so long for a block to insert that you forget what you were inserting it for. I've been there.

[ELOQUINTET]

The way I had set ours up is I have us all using a common profile and the same tool palettes so when I update them everyone is supposed to get updated. In order to do this I have created a button which essentially switches to another profile delete the old company profile and reimports the new one. I created the new palettes and exported them and exported the profile. Then I went to someoones machine and used the button and am getting different palette content and layouts on almost every machine. I may just go back to the way of importing the new palettes on each machine which was working but was a pain. We have a backup of our blocks so I have decided to compile my blocks into a few drawings by category. What do you think could be going wrong with how I'm trying to share them? I even tried updating the profile manually and it still didn't work right???

[Mr Cory]

Im not sure why that would happen but can you not get the other epoples computers to look at the same directory that yours are created in? ATM i have all our company files in one networked location and both computers are looking at that folder for their tool palettes i assume you can to the same for Vanilla?

[ELOQUINTET]

cory i have ours setup exactly as you say. we are all looking at the same palettes but for some reason i am getting different results on different computers. i have been having alot of problems with our palettes lately. one of the real strange ones is all of our palette names in the blue part are prefixed by a single palette name which changes. there is a post in general cad with a screenshot of what i mean. anyway things are buggin out over here.