Some nagging issues...

[TCad]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums, been enjoying lurking in the dark and reading what everyone has to say, but decided to eventually step out into the light and cast my voice.

Appologies if these have been answered else where or if they are answered in the help on AutoCAD but havnn't had any success in finding answers.

I'm currently using AutoCAD 2010 and using it mainly on civil engineering projects 2D and 3D.

So a few nagging issues I'm having with AutoCAD and was hoping somebody may help me.

1) When I insert objects (not so much 2D, but mainly 3D) they usually end up somewhere miles away from the model I'm inserting them into in model space. Then I have to go hunting around for where the hell they've gone which wastes a good couple of minutes. Very frustrating.
I always try and start a new block or drawing referenced from 0,0 co-ordinate. E.g. For 3D I'll create a drawing and convert into block (all started from reference point 0,0). I'll then insert 3D blocks/objects (like a table or chair) from other drawings (for objects like these I usually do one object in one drawing and bring them in individually, to try make things nice and simple). All the 3D blocks I bring in will have had their starting point and insertion point from 0,0 on that drawing.
I hope that makes sense.

So is it something obvious I'm missing or being dumb or is AutoCAD just being a pain?!

2) Got this strange one where in this one model I went (accidentally) and created a new object (a toilet to be precise) in this 3D floor plan I was making. I messed it up and deleted it and then created another one from scratch. All cushty right.

But then as soon as I move around the model and the toilet dissapears off the screen it suddenly redraws back to the original toilet I scraped whenever I go back to it. It sounds like I'm kinda hallucinating or something, but it's..wierd....never had this before and it hasn't happened with anything else.

Can't find any explational reason for this. It's on it's own layer and the new one just completly dissapears off of the model.

Any thoughts?

Unfortunately can't post any current work as the work is confidential but more than happy create examples if it helps.

I'm probably doing things very wrong, but I'm used to Catia and Solidworks and still trying to get my head around AutoCAD (AutoCAD does things very differently to how they do things).

Any help would be appreciated and hope my ramblings make sense.

Cheers in advance

Tom

[JPlanera]

Lets see what we got here... You are creating your blocks in a separate drawing, and defining an edge or point on that block at 0,0? When inserting, they appear out in no mans land? 1 reason for this, is that you may have the Insertion Point specified as a arbitrary coordinate in the insert dialog box. Set it to a known location or check the "Specify On Screen" option.

As for the toilet, if you have turned the original toilet into a block, erased it, and made a new block of the same name, you will inevitably run into situations like the one you describe if you did not redefine the block reference. Before making the new block, do a purge on that block and try again...

[ReMark]

On put my 2D and 3D block insertion points right on the block itself. When I go to insert the block I can see it. I don't have to wonder if it is going to end up in "no man's land".

[JPlanera]

Right. Im guessing his block base point is 0,0, but the block is not drawn at 0,0

[TCad]

No, no the base point and the creation of the block are all on 0,0 (so the insertion point is on the block itself and the block is drawn from 0,0).

But when I insert them the base point also ends up no where near the actual block itself...also very frustrating. Bear in mind this isn't all 3D objects I insert, only some...and I can't seem to find a correlation.

And 'Specify On Screen' is selected as well.

As for the toilet...problem solved....embarrisingly stupid reason for it.

Appreciated for the help guys.

[ReMark]

In the drawings where you have problems inserting a block could it be that you have changed the origin of your UCS?

[TCad]

Is that a bad thing to do?
(that's a yes btw)

Edit: Right just figured that's going to mess up the co-ordinate system then?

So I'm guessing either I send the UCS back to its point of origin when inserting blocks, or I plan ahead and insert at the beginning before I start fiddling and creating?

[JPlanera]

Generaly no, but what ReMark is suggesting, is that as you may have created your block correctly, it is being inserted into a drawing whos current UCS is not in World position. When you insert your blocks, before you specify a basepoint, can you "see" the block? Meaning is it "attached" to your crosshairs? THen, does it jump to a different location when you click the mouse?

[TCad]

Ah ok, right I get yah!

Now you come to mention it when I insert the physical 3D block isn't attached to the cross hairs...well some are and some arn't and they still end up else where.

I just thought the ones which don't appear on the cross hair where when AutoCAD was being a bit slow and not showing the block.

So is this directly related to the issue of the basepoint of the block not being attached to the block?

[JPlanera]

I would definitely check your blocks to ensure that the base point is infact attached to the block.