block editing

Hey everyone, ive been having a problem editing blocks. IM a structural draftsman, and when we get architectural plans we use them as a light background to draw over. With one set of architecturals however, all the apartments are blocks. My problem is what we would usually do is convert all lines to layer 0, and change them to a light colour. But because these are blocks, i have to explode them so i can change their colour. The problem is, when i explode the blocks alot of other superfluous information comes up, which isnt their before you explode it. For example, exploding a kitchen sink might bring up other kitchen sinks to the side, or virtually over the top of the one which is already there. I cant have this happen considering i need to know where wall locations are, and sometimes when im exploding the block, a wall is being shown in other positions as well. Is there anyway around this? IE. to explode a block but have autocad only show the information that was there in the first place?

Thanks for your help

My problem is what we would usually do is convert all lines to layer 0, and change them to a light colour. But because these are blocks, i have to explode them so i can change their colour.

Don't need to explode.

REFEDIT or BEDIT

Hmmm i do need to explode Totzky, the plan itself lets say is a square building. The square building is a block. Inside that square block i have 4 apartments, which are each blocks. Inside each of those 4 blocks i have about 15 other blocks (tables, chairs, sinks etc) so if i was to not use the explode command, i would need to go into at least 20 blocks and change the colour inside each block. As im sure you are aware this is very time consuming, so i was hoping there would be a way to just select all the 20 blocks, and change their colour by doing it once, not for each block. Thanks

For example, exploding a kitchen sink might bring up other kitchen sinks to the side, or virtually over the top of the one which is already there. I cant have this happen considering i need to know where wall locations are, and sometimes when im exploding the block, a wall is being shown in other positions as well. Is there anyway around this?

Your version of Autocad has Block Editing capabilities that's why your drawing behave that way. If you do a BEDIT these can be eliminated (most probably?).

No matter what i do in the block editor, i cant figure out how to get all the blocks onto layer 0 with a certain colour, without going into each block and doing it that way (without exploding as this brings up all the other superfluous info as i said)

How about a refedit and ATTSYNC after?

If that won't work, try to find color change LISPs in cadtutor's archives.

Or call attention of the moderator to move this thread in Lisp sub-forum.

What is the attsync meant to do? ive never heard of it, i tried it but it said the selected block has no attributes

What is the attsync meant to do? ive never heard of it, i tried it but it said the selected block has no attributes

Oh! I was thinking that you have blocks with attributes. Simple regen will do the trick then.

Hmmm i dont think the line colour lisp will work, i have that as part of another macro, but im pretty sure even with a lisp that changes colour, it will need to explode the block for it to be fully functional, which just brings me back to square one.

And I'm running out of ideas too!

yeah its definately not an easy one to crack, thanks anyway

Perhaps a silly question but instead of bringing them in as blocks, exploding them, deleting unwanting entities and changing the wanted ones to a layer with altered colour why don't you use xref's? Wouldn't that be a lot easier and less time consuming plus if the architect makes a revised version, easier to see where you have to possibly make adjustments yourself?

If you HAVE to work in your prescribed manner then you might want to check out the FIXBLOCK.lsp routine that sets all entities within a block on layer 0 and byblock. see on http://www.manusoft.com/Software/Freebies/Index.stm

we do bring in architecturals as xrefs. The thing is to draw over the top of them we need them to be a light colour (ie 211). To get them to be a light colour, they first have to be saved on a certain layer, with a certain colour. We are not bringing them in as blocks, we are xreffing the architects drawings into our plan. Then drawing over the top of the xrefs. However if we dont modify the architects drawings they will xref in to be all the architects colours and layers, which means it wont be a light pen that our structural lines will overpower.

It's been awhile that I used 2007 version so if what I mention isn't available don't be surprised.

If you bring them in as xref (without binding them) you should be able to change the colours of the xref'ed drawings layers in the layermanager. You should even be able to change the colours depending on the viewport. All this without changing the actual architectural files.

Alternately did you look into the laylockfadectl variable? Won't help when printing but will while drawing.

I'm with totzgy here, they sound like dynamic blocks with visibility states. I would BEDIT the block and check these. You can't just redefine these as you will change all instances of that particular block irrespective of its visibility state. You should be able to put all its lines on layer 0 though.