minserted blocks, changing colors, exploding....

Ok, here is the deal. I'm in architetual design and when I go to create our drawings, I use the architect's files to create mine from.

So basically I get their title block and floor plans etc...

My problems arise because, when I edit their floor plan, I remove all the junk I don't need. Extra text, lines, exterior stuff, hatches, and all kinds of stuff. Once all this is removed, I explode the entire thing and change it ALL to color 15 so it will plot in light ink. And our stuff gets dark ink.

I then attach this edited floor plan as an xref to our drawings.

That being said, I am having problems here with certain architects who have certain CAD practices that upset me

This particular document, from what I can figure out, has blocks that have been "minserted" and so they can't be exploded. This prevents me from being able to "clean up" the floor plan for our use. For example, he has a wall, which I'm guessing is a metal structure, due to his hatches and design. If I click anywhere on this wall, the entire wall is selected. If I explode at this point, I loose all the window and door locations, it just becomes one long wall, plus it grows twice as long and extends way beyond the edge of the floor plan. Even at this point I can't scale the wall back down, or do a break on it, or explode again, because it says it was "minserted".

Regardless, I lost all the windows and doors, so that's no good anyway.

Ok so I found a LISP program that can explode blocks made with minsert. But when I use it, the block alltogether dissapears! So that's no good.

Without being able to explode, I can't clean up the plan, nor can I change the colors.

So my question is, how to edit parts of these blocks that I don't need, and/or how can I FORCE the entire document to be one color?

Thanks a ton if you can point me in the right direction. I've already been reading help files galore and not getting anywhere fast.

Ok, here is the deal. I'm in architetual design and when I go to create our drawings, I use the architect's files to create mine from.

So basically I get their title block and floor plans etc...

 

My problems arise because, when I edit their floor plan, I remove all the junk I don't need. Extra text, lines, exterior stuff, hatches, and all kinds of stuff. Once all this is removed, I explode the entire thing and change it ALL to color 15 so it will plot in light ink. And our stuff gets dark ink.

I then attach this edited floor plan as an xref to our drawings.

 

That being said, I am having problems here with certain architects who have certain CAD practices that upset me

 

This particular document, from what I can figure out, has blocks that have been "minserted" and so they can't be exploded. This prevents me from being able to "clean up" the floor plan for our use. For example, he has a wall, which I'm guessing is a metal structure, due to his hatches and design. If I click anywhere on this wall, the entire wall is selected. If I explode at this point, I loose all the window and door locations, it just becomes one long wall, plus it grows twice as long and extends way beyond the edge of the floor plan. Even at this point I can't scale the wall back down, or do a break on it, or explode again, because it says it was "minserted".

Regardless, I lost all the windows and doors, so that's no good anyway.

 

Ok so I found a LISP program that can explode blocks made with minsert. But when I use it, the block alltogether dissapears! So that's no good.

Without being able to explode, I can't clean up the plan, nor can I change the colors.

So my question is, how to edit parts of these blocks that I don't need, and/or how can I FORCE the entire document to be one color?

 

Thanks a ton if you can point me in the right direction. I've already been reading help files galore and not getting anywhere fast.

why you dont try to turn off all the layers that u dont need intead to remove it, if the arch drawings are well organized in layers u can prepare the bases in a flash using the expresstools to turn off the layers, after that u can change the color of the layers remaning, so this way u dont have to explode nothing, i work for a structural design company and i have to deal with arch drawings all the time so i know what are you talking about, :wink:

You might try the suggestions (refedit?) and the lisp routine posted at http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?threadID=342712

Yes I'll check that out.

This one particular arch is not that organized in layers. For example this multi-part block is all in one layer. Turn it off and the whole wall is gone.

As far as the color, I select everything in the document and change color but it doesn't show the new color unless it's expanded? I'm fairly new with aCAD, is there a way, you're saying, to change a color of a layer and it WILL become that even with blocks and minsert and all?

Note that for the bulk of archs, we DO just turn off some layers, explode the rest and change color. It's a 10 minute job. But some of these are so strangely setup.

Thanks

Here is my thought: Are these walls made using the ADT 3d wall functions? I think that it would behave the way you describe if it is. The only thing that I have to suggest as a fix for this is to call up the arch, and request that he send you a new drawings after saving the file and exploding the AEC objects. I don't know if that is what is going on, but that would be my first reaction.

Thanks guys. I didn't realize you could change the default layer color in the layers control. I was trying to change them from the color pallette just inside the document. You know just selecting everything and choosing a color. But using the layers control and changing default color, THEN selecting everything and saying "by layer", it worked, for the most part.

This DID turn everything to color 15 (light) for me, but when attached as an xref, for some reason, some elements remained white in color, and I couldn't change it from the xref, or find out why from the original file.

Not sure about the ADT 3D wall thing, it's possible I suppose, but I don't really want to try contacting their cading person to find it all out. I've got work to do!

Next time this comes up, I'll try some more of these suggestions, thanks again.

This particular document, from what I can figure out, has blocks that have been "minserted" and so they can't be exploded.

Erase the MINSERT, and insert a single copy of the block at the same coordinates. Then explode away....

Or WBLOCK out the block that has been MINSERTED and edit it in a new drawing.

How we can make such blocks?

(minsert block)

How we can make such blocks?

(minsert block)

Minsert basically is insert+array

I don't understand:o:oo:)

Minsert is not about making the block

Minsert is one way of inserting a block,

Lets say I have a block that I need to be on my drawing 12 times

4 rows x 3 columns ( just like when you create an object and use array)

in this case you can combine the insert and array command by using minsert

which is basically stand for multiple inserts

best way to understand this is to make a basic block and try minsert and follow command line

It doesn't "make" blocks.

MINSERT on the command line.

From AutoCAD help file...

 

MINSERT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Also

Insert Blocks

 

Inserts multiple instances of a block in a rectangular array.

 

 

Summary

 

Options at the insertion point preset the scale and rotation of a block before you specify its position. Presetting is useful for dragging a block using a scale factor and a rotation other than 1 or 0. If you enter one of the options, respond to the prompts by specifying a distance for the scale options or an angle for rotation.

 

Blocks inserted using MINSERT cannot be exploded.

 

You cannot use MINSERT with annotative blocks.

 

 

List of Prompts

 

The following prompts are displayed.

 

Enter block name or [?]: Enter a name, enter ? to list the currently defined blocks in the drawing, or enter ~ to display the Select Drawing File dialog box

 

 

NoteYou cannot precede the name of a block with an asterisk to explode the block's objects during insertion, as you can with INSERT.

 

Specify insertion point or [ Basepoint/ Scale/ X/ Y/ Z/ Rotate]: Specify a point or enter an option

 

 

Insertion Point

 

Specifies a location for the blocks.

 

Enter X scale factor, specify opposite corner, or [Corner/XYZ] : Enter a value, enter an option, or press Enter

X Scale Factor

 

Sets X and Y scale factors.

Specify Rotation Angle

 

The rotation angle sets the angle of the individual block inserts and also sets the angle of the entire array.

Number of Rows/Columns

 

Specifies the number of rows and columns in the array.

Distance Between Rows

 

Specifies the distance (in units) between rows. You can use the pointing device to specify the distance between rows, or specify two points to define a box whose width and height represent the distance between rows and between columns.

Distance Between Columns

 

Specifies the distance (in units) between columns.

Corner

 

Sets the scale factor by using the block insertion point and the opposite corner.

•Specify Rotation Angle

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

XYZ

 

Sets X, Y, and Z scale factors.

•X Scale Factor

•Corner

•Specify Rotation Angle

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

 

 

Basepoint

 

Temporarily drops the block in the drawing where it is currently positioned and allows you to specify a new base point for the block reference as it is dragged into position. This does not affect the actual base point defined for the block reference.

 

 

Scale

 

Sets the scale factor for the X, Y, and Z axes. The scale for the Z axis is the absolute value of the specified scale factor.

•XYZ

•Specify Rotation Angle

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

 

 

X

 

Sets the X scale factor.

•Specify Rotation Angle

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

 

 

Y

 

Sets the Y scale factor.

•Specify Rotation Angle

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

 

 

Z

 

Sets the Z scale factor.

•Specify Rotation Angle

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

 

 

Rotate

 

Sets the angle of insertion for both the individual blocks and the entire array.

•Specify Rotation Angle

•X Scale Factor

•Number of Rows/Columns

•Distance Between Rows

•Distance Between Columns

•Corner

•XYZ

 

 

Preview Scale

 

Sets the scale factor for the X, Y, and Z axes to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position.

•X Scale Factor

•Corner

•XYZ

 

 

Preview X

 

Sets the scale factor for the X axis to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position.

•X Scale Factor

•Corner

•XYZ

 

 

Preview Y

 

Sets the scale factor for the Y axis to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position.

•X Scale Factor

•Corner

•XYZ

 

 

Preview Z

 

Sets the scale factor for the Z axis to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position.

•X Scale Factor

•Corner

•XYZ

 

 

Preview Rotate

 

Sets the rotation angle of the block as it is dragged into position.

•X Scale Factor

•Corner

Really thanxxxxxxx hoss , slw210

Now i understand