Nested Blocks, or .... how?

[fostertom]

I have found Blocks invaluable for floor plans - in modelspace 4 copies of e.g. 1stFl plan rotated 4 ways to suit the 4 elevations - change plan in one copy and all change.

Now I want to do more - plans in 3 versions -
'Existing',
'Proposed Ph1' based on 'Existing' but with some existing bits removed and other new bits added,
and 'Proposed Ph2', based on 'Proposed Ph1' but yet more existing bits removed, and also some new Ph1 bits removed, and other new bits added.

When 'Existing' gets revised, I want that to update those existing bits that still remain in both 'Proposed Ph1' and 'Proposed Ph2', but of course not those existing bits already removed.

Similarly, when 'Proposed Ph1' gets revised, I want that to update those existing bits and Ph1 bits that still remain in 'Proposed Ph2', but of course not those bits already removed.

Is it possible to nest Blocks, so Block no.2 is same as Block no.1, except certain bits that remain in Block no.1 but have been deleted from Block no.2?

Or do it some other way?

[fostertom]

Maybe I found it - Wipeout. Any other ideas?

[smorales02]

Do you not use xrefs..?.or maybe Im just not understanding the situation....

[fostertom]

Thanks smorales. Put it another way - what ways are there of deleting, hiding or covering (as in Wipeout) selected bits of a 2nd copy of a Block, without altering the 1st or original Block?

I thought - maybe time to get to know about xrefs - but in fact doesn't help AFAIK. These 3 plan versions I'm talking about are all in the same .dwg file, all there in modelspace, so I don't need *external* refs - apart from the external bit, Blocks do same tricks as Xrefs?

The way I'm thinking now, e.g. 'Proposed Ph1' as plotted wd consist of:
the 'Existing' Block
(which is the whole 'as existing' floorplan of the building),
with the 'Proposed Ph1' Block drawn on top of it
(which is Wipeouts over the existing bits that are removed,
plus the new Ph1 bits).

[smorales02]

Could you use layer states and turn off the existing layers that you dont want to show...or maybe just screen them back so that they dont plot as dark as the proposed ....

If you are able to, I would recommend taking your existing floor plan and saving it as its own dwg than opening a new file and referencing that into the new file than using a xclip to just show what you want and than drawing your proposed floorplan on top of it...

[fostertom]

Great smorales - Xclip is new to me, but am I missing? - is it possible to Xclip small bits here and there out of the middle of a Block or Xref - i.e. hide the bits inside of several Xclip boundaries (like the bits inside of Wipeout boundaries are hidden), or can the hidden bits be only outside of an Xclip boundary?

[smorales02]

XCLIP will allow you to only clip the things outside of the boundary....seeing how you need several things removed from the existing file it wouldnt work for you...

Looking more and more like WIPEOUT is your best bet...could you post an example of what your doing, maybe by looking at it something will come to mind...

[fostertom]

Here's the file. In modelspace, the top 2 are Blocks 'Existing' 1stFl and GrdFl (2nd and 1st in American). The lower 2 are the same, but destined to plot as 'Proposed Ph1'. Note bottom centre, drawn on top is Block 'Proposed Ph1' comprising a) 2 Wipeouts (Frames 'ON') and b) new construction.

This seems to work - any better ideas?

[fostertom]

Just to wrap this up - the Wipeout method works a treat,