Cad Annoyances: empty blocks, persistant layers, block with far away basepoint

Hi,

I wonder if there have been any solutions to the following annoyances. They have been there for too long and they keep bugging us each time.

1. Empty blocks. They do not figure in quick select but they do appear in block edit (alias: be). Is there a way to quickly delete them? Mine solution is to open the block in block edit and create long zigzag lines so that they are seen on the screen so I can delete them? Are there any other solutions?

2. Persistant Layers. There are layers that are so persistant. They can't be seen with quick select, turn off all layers except that particular layer and the screen is blank, layer walk does not work. They are most of the time blocks within blocks within blocks.

3. Blocks with far away base points. I edit the block, insert base point parameters and all the blocks have move elsewhere. This is problematic especially when using strech. All the objects are stretch except for some blocks accessoires who remain in their place. One solution is save as in block editor and the far from mastered replacing a block with another one.

4. The overall scale properties of a newly created multileader style does not work on existing multileaders. When applied, you will see the style being applied and verified in properties but the scale used (for example if 5) remained as is. You got to change it via properties manually through you have already specified the scale in the style.

5. Block - changes not saved dialog box. It is like the peditaccept issue for me. Good for pedit that a variable exists to turn the prompt off. How to save and exit from the Block editor in one go?

6. Is there a way to use osnap (i.e mid between two points, from) as well as having a combination of osnap automatically set using momentary shortcut keys or simply attached to edit commands like move/mirror/copy selection. The m2p,mtp alias through 3 letters seemed too far away from my point of view. One big issue is with perpendicular osnap with xlines (xlines cannot create vertical lines) and having all osnaps turned off each time I work with mvsetups.

7. Having to locate a directory amidst the tree structure of a network when plotting in pdfs is a real nightmare. There is no "Places" in saved/plot dialog box as it sure does in open dialog box.

8. You add attributes to a blocks and nothing happens. You have to set temporary location marks, delete the blocks and inserting the block back. Now the prompts sometimes does in the command prompt area instead of a dialog box.

Those annoyances sometimes kill productivity/output as one works with autocad. There are many mores but should there be solutions, I will be glad to hear them.

Regards,

Nicolas.

Well, for the stuff you are trying to delete, have you tried Purge and Audit ?

The problem is that for persistant layers and empty blocks, you can't easily select them. You have to spend countless time looking for them. They appear here but not there. If you can't delete them first, you can't purge them. Layerwalk which is a tremendous tool does not work all the times. You turn off all the layers except that nasty layer you want to delete and the screen is blank. Nothing. Quick Select: same thing, nothing. The next step is to delete one block at a time, do purge and check the layer list and it happens to be not there and you know it is in that particular block. This is annoyance. Sometimes, I used laymrg but this sounds like cheating. I never tried Audit? What does it do?

Try this....http://www.manusoft.com/software/superpurge.html

You may be able to find some free programs.

For Faraway Basepoint of Blocks, I just came over a powerful lisp

The url is http://lee-mac.com/changeblockinsertion.html

This is powerful stuff.

The descrition found in the website is:

This program allows the user to quickly change the insertion point (base point) of a block definition in a drawing.

The user is prompted to select a block to use as a reference, then select a new base point relative to the selected block. The block definition will subsequently be modified to reflect the new base point.

Should the selected block be attributed, an ATTSYNC operation will also be performed to ensure attributes are in the correct positions relative to the new base point.

Finally, the active viewport is regenerated to reflect the changes throughout all references of the block.

Note also that the program will work in all UCS/Views, and on rotated/scaled blocks.

There are two modes of operation depending upon whether the user wishes to retain the block position, or the coordinates of the block reference insertion point. CBI will retain insertion point coordinates, hence visually, the block components will move around this point; whereas CBIR will retain the positions of the block components themselves, therefore shifting the position of the block reference insertion point to suit.

CBIR would certainly be a useful tool.

The problem is that for persistant layers and empty blocks, you can't easily select them. You have to spend countless time looking for them. They appear here but not there. If you can't delete them first, you can't purge them. Layerwalk which is a tremendous tool does not work all the times. You turn off all the layers except that nasty layer you want to delete and the screen is blank. Nothing. Quick Select: same thing, nothing. The next step is to delete one block at a time, do purge and check the layer list and it happens to be not there and you know it is in that particular block. This is annoyance. Sometimes, I used laymrg but this sounds like cheating. I never tried Audit? What does it do?

That's a little more info. I didn't know these empty blocks were still inserted in the drawing. I figured that if you cannot select them they are not there except for the block definition. The persistant layers probably have some of this stuff still in them too.

Audit checks for errors in the file data. and it will try to correct them. Running it will not damage the drawing. There's nothing to lose.

Is it possible these blocks have visibility state problems.

Here's one possibility for the persistent layers. When you create a block, there is an End Block entity that finishes the block definition, and it goes on the current layer. Even if everything else on that layer is removed, the layer persists because of the End Block entity. That is why I always create blocks with layer 0 current.

You can access the Between 2 Points snap by using Ctrl-RightClick and picking it off the menu.

Some of the others are simply bugs. There's no excuse for them.

Just downloaded the shareware superpurge. I also came accross superflatten. I will start working on them tomorrow at work. It seemed there is a lots of super programs but lack of documentations and access make annoyances agelong problems. However, I do believe there are better, simple ways (more really techniques) that effectively prevent and solve problems yet out of reach. One thing that's really missing in Autocad are techniques tutorials.

Cyber Angel. Thank you for the information. I use SHIFT+Right Click to access that same shortcut context menu. At first view shift+right click and ctrl+right click seemed to yield the exact same response through I do remember reading that CTRL is a better combination key for some unknown reason or I misread the thing totally. Someone pointed m2p or mtp. I also know that shortcut keys can be created or edit commands be modified to give them super abilities like having temporary osnaps on, temporary shortcuts and layers on and all those ends as soon as the edit commands (move, rotate, align, mirror) are no more in use.

I have found the quickest way to cleanup old files is to select what I want and WBLOCK them into a new drawing.

Hi,

WBLOCK is sometimes no easy go especially when you have layouts and file dependencies to recopy to the same location.

Persistant or Stubborn Layers can be very annoying.

Few steps that have been taken yet all failed:

1. Using Quick Select - o items selected

2. turn all layers off except the persistant layers .. blank screen

3. isolate selected layer in layer dialog box

4. no empty blocks in block editor (be)

5. check in styles - no use of such persistant layers

6. check in user arrows in dimension styles - not there.

Finally use laydel and it inform me that it is found in the following blocks that can't be found anywhere:

*u96

Of couse, it won't be found in block edit list as * is an unsupported character for a block name.

Laydel does work but it a tedious task to check all those areas.

Regards,

Nicolas

Hi,

 

WBLOCK is sometimes no easy go especially when you have layouts and file dependencies to recopy to the same location.

 

Persistant or Stubborn Layers can be very annoying.

 

Few steps that have been taken yet all failed:

 

1. Using Quick Select - o items selected

2. turn all layers off except the persistant layers .. blank screen

3. isolate selected layer in layer dialog box

4. no empty blocks in block editor (be)

5. check in styles - no use of such persistant layers

6. check in user arrows in dimension styles - not there.

 

Finally use laydel and it inform me that it is found in the following blocks that can't be found anywhere:

 

*u96

 

Of couse, it won't be found in block edit list as * is an unsupported character for a block name.

 

Laydel does work but it a tedious task to check all those areas.

 

Regards,

 

Nicolas

*U96 is an anonymous block. These are not easily removed. See this thread Methods-to-explode-MInsert-Block

Search the CADTutor, Autodesk and the Google for removing Anonymous blocks and/or MInsert blocks.

The "persistant layers" you refer to are probably contained in unexploded blocks. Even though the block may be inserted on a particular layer, all of the layers and other elements that make up that block are retained. If have nested blocks (a block in a block in a block) it just stacks up. The only way to get rid of them is to either explode everything down to the atoms (not always a good idea) and purge or to dig through every drawing that has this problem and change the layers with the block editor, then purge. This will be frustrating and very time consuming.

Even if you have "purge all" checked, it doesn't always get everything. You may have to run it several times.

To stop this from spreading further, your office should make it a rule that your drafters make any drawings from outside sources (or in house for that matter) conform to a certain layer structure. In other words, before you insert portions of a customer or vendor drawing, you create a temporary drawing where you fix all the layers and linetypes and what-have-you before you insert it into a permanent drawing. That way if you create a drawing, and Bill uses something from it to make another, and then Tom inserts Bill's drawing and so on these things don't perpetuate. By the time it gets used 5 or 6 times the problem is huge.

It's always easier to prevent these things than to fix them.

The "persistant layers" you refer to are probably contained in unexploded blocks. Even though the block may be inserted on a particular layer' date=' all of the layers and other elements that make up that block are retained. If have nested blocks (a block in a block in a block) it just stacks up. The only way to get rid of them is to either explode everything down to the atoms (not always a good idea) and purge or to dig through every drawing that has this problem and change the layers with the block editor, then purge. This will be frustrating and very time consuming.

 

Even if you have "purge all" checked, it doesn't always get everything. You may have to run it several times.

 

To stop this from spreading further, your office should make it a rule that your drafters make any drawings from outside sources (or in house for that matter) conform to a certain layer structure. In other words, before you insert portions of a customer or vendor drawing, you create a temporary drawing where you fix all the layers and linetypes and what-have-you before you insert it into a permanent drawing. That way if you create a drawing, and Bill uses something from it to make another, and then Tom inserts Bill's drawing and so on these things don't perpetuate. By the time it gets used 5 or 6 times the problem is huge.

 

It's always easier to prevent these things than to fix them.[/quote']

 

That wouldn't apply here, MInsert and anonymous blocks are a different creature and cannot be exploded easily.

 

It is a nice write-up for others searching for solutions and prevention.

That wouldn't apply here, MInsert and anonymous blocks are a different creature and cannot be exploded easily.

 

It is a nice write-up for others searching for solutions and prevention.

Thanks. I wasn't very clear on that, your right, it won't help on the anonymous blocks, should have said so. Fingers outran my brain I guess. I have a customer that sends me this kind of stuff all the time. His drawings may have 75 layers in them, when 5 or 6 would do.

Thanks. I wasn't very clear on that' date=' your right, it won't help on the anonymous blocks, should have said so. Fingers outran my brain I guess. I have a customer that sends me this kind of stuff all the time. [b']His drawings may have 75 layers in them, when 5 or 6 would do[/b].

That's better than drawings with 5 or 6 layers and needs 75 layers.

That's better than drawings with 5 or 6 layers and needs 75 layers.

LOL...you got that right. I know a guy that draws everything on layer zero. Gets mad if he has to work on a drawing done any other way.

Hi,

Thanks you for such informations. You mention a difference between anonymous blocks and MInsert Blocks. I have also followed the links and found two lisp namely:

• REName_AnonBLocK.lsp‎ (1.2 KB, 3 views)
  
• BLKBUSTexplode minserts.LSP‎ (1.6 KB, 6 views)
  

Those seemed interesting to follow and I hope it will be able to help deal with those difficult issues. I also read about the use of burst and flatten with MInsert block. I wonder whether this can be used safely in a 2d and very bulky drawings...

Thanks.

Regards,

Nicolas.

I used superpurge but I think there are a number of issues with that lisp as autocad crashes suddenly a number of times, some minutes after using superpurge all. Are there any equivant? I wanted to see the *u96 listed somewhere and hence know I am somewhat progressing. So far, I saw it only in laydel. The use of Lee's autolisp to change a block basepoint without changing the block location is very powerful. I greatly recommend it.

There is some more info on MInsert blocks and anonymous blocks at Autodesk Discussion Group/Knowledge Base, I think there may be a method to list them, not sure. If I get a chance I will check into it, if not please report back here if you figure something out.