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Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Create a block from the Block Definition dialog.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
5 min.
Transcript
00:04
Now it's time to create our new block.
00:06
You should already be in the home tab of the ribbon
00:08
within the block panel. Click on the icon labeled, create.
00:12
If you prefer to use the keyboard, you can also just type in block.
00:16
The block definition dialogue will be displayed.
00:19
You'll see the cursor blinking in the name field.
00:22
This is where you would type in your unique name for the block
00:25
but notice it's also a pull down.
00:27
If you choose an existing block name,
00:29
you'll be redefining its definition,
00:32
but we're creating a new block. So let's type in high back chair into the name field.
00:39
There are five separate sections to the block definition dialogue.
00:42
We'll go through them here.
00:44
The first is basepoint,
00:46
its default is 000.
00:49
Sometimes during the creation of block libraries,
00:52
the designer finds it easier to draw its elements around 00.
00:56
Using that as its base point,
00:58
we just drew the new chair within the drawing somewhere. So we won't use that.
01:02
The other choices are to specify on screen or pick point, specify on screen.
01:08
But wait until you dismiss the dialogue to prompt you to pick the base point,
01:12
pick point will prompt you the same way
01:14
will temporarily close the dialogue to allow you to pick the point.
01:18
Let's click the pick point option
01:20
and
01:21
using a midpoint object snap,
01:23
select the midpoint of the front edge of the chair that we just added
01:27
the block definition dialogue will reappear
01:30
this time with the selected coordinates in the XY and Z fields.
01:34
Let's move on to the next group over where
01:37
you'll define what objects will make up your block.
01:39
The first two items are similar to the basepoint options.
01:43
You can wait until you've clicked, OK,
01:44
to select them or use select objects to do them.
01:47
Now,
01:48
there is another icon there too.
01:50
It calls up the quick select dialogue.
01:52
I'll dismiss it here as we're going to use, select objects,
01:56
click on the select objects icon and again, the dialogue goes away,
02:00
use a crossing or inclusive window to select all
02:03
of the objects that make up our chair,
02:05
including the attribute definition.
02:07
Once selected press enter on your keyboard,
02:11
the dialogue will reappear
02:12
and at the bottom of the object selection,
02:14
you'll see that you have selected 40 objects.
02:17
There are three other options in the section.
02:20
Once completed, you can retain the arcs and lines as they are,
02:23
convert them to your newly defined block or delete them.
02:27
We'll keep the default of converting them into a block.
02:31
Next is the behavior section
02:33
here. You can make a new block annotative.
02:35
You can force it to be scaled uniformly and specify whether it can be exploded or not
02:41
by default. Only allow exploding is checked.
02:44
Let's also select annotative.
02:46
When you do its subtopic lights up, clicking,
02:49
it will ensure that the inserted block matches the orientation of the layout.
02:53
It's within.
02:54
We'll leave that off here
02:56
in the lower left. There is a setting section
02:59
here. You can set the insertion units to use for your block.
03:02
You can choose from the really small like inches or millimeters
03:05
or from the really large like light years or parsecs.
03:09
We'll leave this at inches
03:10
below. That is a button to add a hyperlink.
03:13
This can be really handy if you have
03:15
an equipment cut sheet within your project folder
03:17
or maybe a vendor's website will have the specs regarding your block.
03:21
This is where you can define a hyperlink to take someone to that information.
03:25
Finally,
03:26
you can add a description to your block. This is purely optional, very handy.
03:30
If your block library has cryptic names or something again,
03:34
I'll just leave it blank.
03:36
There's one more option in the lower left corner. It's called open and block editor.
03:40
If you check that box, once you click, OK.
03:43
Instead of returning
03:44
to the drawing editor, your new block will open in the block editor,
03:48
perhaps you have other things to add to it
03:50
or you want to use it as a starting point to create a dynamic block.
03:54
You'd want to have that option checked. But we don't,
03:58
we are all done with our block settings though.
03:60
So let's click. OK? To have Autocad created for us,
04:04
the definition dialogue will dismiss and the edit attributes,
04:07
dialogue will appear.
04:08
We only have the one attribute
04:10
and we gave it a default value. This chair is black. So let's click. OK.
04:15
When you do,
04:15
you'll now have the newly created block as you specified.
Video transcript
00:04
Now it's time to create our new block.
00:06
You should already be in the home tab of the ribbon
00:08
within the block panel. Click on the icon labeled, create.
00:12
If you prefer to use the keyboard, you can also just type in block.
00:16
The block definition dialogue will be displayed.
00:19
You'll see the cursor blinking in the name field.
00:22
This is where you would type in your unique name for the block
00:25
but notice it's also a pull down.
00:27
If you choose an existing block name,
00:29
you'll be redefining its definition,
00:32
but we're creating a new block. So let's type in high back chair into the name field.
00:39
There are five separate sections to the block definition dialogue.
00:42
We'll go through them here.
00:44
The first is basepoint,
00:46
its default is 000.
00:49
Sometimes during the creation of block libraries,
00:52
the designer finds it easier to draw its elements around 00.
00:56
Using that as its base point,
00:58
we just drew the new chair within the drawing somewhere. So we won't use that.
01:02
The other choices are to specify on screen or pick point, specify on screen.
01:08
But wait until you dismiss the dialogue to prompt you to pick the base point,
01:12
pick point will prompt you the same way
01:14
will temporarily close the dialogue to allow you to pick the point.
01:18
Let's click the pick point option
01:20
and
01:21
using a midpoint object snap,
01:23
select the midpoint of the front edge of the chair that we just added
01:27
the block definition dialogue will reappear
01:30
this time with the selected coordinates in the XY and Z fields.
01:34
Let's move on to the next group over where
01:37
you'll define what objects will make up your block.
01:39
The first two items are similar to the basepoint options.
01:43
You can wait until you've clicked, OK,
01:44
to select them or use select objects to do them.
01:47
Now,
01:48
there is another icon there too.
01:50
It calls up the quick select dialogue.
01:52
I'll dismiss it here as we're going to use, select objects,
01:56
click on the select objects icon and again, the dialogue goes away,
02:00
use a crossing or inclusive window to select all
02:03
of the objects that make up our chair,
02:05
including the attribute definition.
02:07
Once selected press enter on your keyboard,
02:11
the dialogue will reappear
02:12
and at the bottom of the object selection,
02:14
you'll see that you have selected 40 objects.
02:17
There are three other options in the section.
02:20
Once completed, you can retain the arcs and lines as they are,
02:23
convert them to your newly defined block or delete them.
02:27
We'll keep the default of converting them into a block.
02:31
Next is the behavior section
02:33
here. You can make a new block annotative.
02:35
You can force it to be scaled uniformly and specify whether it can be exploded or not
02:41
by default. Only allow exploding is checked.
02:44
Let's also select annotative.
02:46
When you do its subtopic lights up, clicking,
02:49
it will ensure that the inserted block matches the orientation of the layout.
02:53
It's within.
02:54
We'll leave that off here
02:56
in the lower left. There is a setting section
02:59
here. You can set the insertion units to use for your block.
03:02
You can choose from the really small like inches or millimeters
03:05
or from the really large like light years or parsecs.
03:09
We'll leave this at inches
03:10
below. That is a button to add a hyperlink.
03:13
This can be really handy if you have
03:15
an equipment cut sheet within your project folder
03:17
or maybe a vendor's website will have the specs regarding your block.
03:21
This is where you can define a hyperlink to take someone to that information.
03:25
Finally,
03:26
you can add a description to your block. This is purely optional, very handy.
03:30
If your block library has cryptic names or something again,
03:34
I'll just leave it blank.
03:36
There's one more option in the lower left corner. It's called open and block editor.
03:40
If you check that box, once you click, OK.
03:43
Instead of returning
03:44
to the drawing editor, your new block will open in the block editor,
03:48
perhaps you have other things to add to it
03:50
or you want to use it as a starting point to create a dynamic block.
03:54
You'd want to have that option checked. But we don't,
03:58
we are all done with our block settings though.
03:60
So let's click. OK? To have Autocad created for us,
04:04
the definition dialogue will dismiss and the edit attributes,
04:07
dialogue will appear.
04:08
We only have the one attribute
04:10
and we gave it a default value. This chair is black. So let's click. OK.
04:15
When you do,
04:15
you'll now have the newly created block as you specified.
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