Blocks not retaining their settings from drawing to drawing

[firealarmcad]

Hi guys I am brand new here and I am a beginner in autocad. I have an issue that I continue to run into. This is my issue: I am editing an existing block to change the lineweight and have tried using the REFEDIT command as well as double clicking the block to take me into the block editor and making my changes there. I am sucessfully able to edit my block and make the changes using both of these methods. Where I am running into an issue is that the block I have edited only retains its new settings within the drawing that I changed it in. If I insert that same block into a new drawing I have to re-edit the block again the make the changes that I want. Why are my blocks not retaining their settings from drawing to drawing. It is very annoying to have to re-edit these blocks in every single drawing. All help is greatly appreciated!

[nestly]

Welcome to Cadtutor.

 

Once inserted into a drawing, the block is stored in the drawing. The block is no longer associated with the source, nor any other drawings, so what you're describing sounds "normal". If you need to update the block in many drawings, you have to make changes and then re-insert the edited block into the other drawings using a method that allows you to "redefine" the block. If the block is subject to frequent changes that need to be reflected in many drawings, then it's probably better to attach it as an external reference (xref)

[rickh]

the block I have edited only retains its new settings within the drawing that

I changed it in. If I insert that same block into a new drawing I have to

re-edit the block again the make the changes that I want.

If I understand correctly, you have a block in drawing A that you have editted to be what you want. Now, you want to insert that block into drawing B. Is that correct as far as your intentions?

 

If so, how are you bringing it into drawing B? A common thing I see, and have been guilty of myself, is when you are trying to reinsert a block that already exists (in drawing B in this case). If drawing A has a good block that I want - let's call it block 1 - and drawing B also has block 1 in it, just using "insert" in drawing B will use the block 1 already defined in drawing B....not the updated one from dwg A.

 

To bring in the block 1 from dwg A and overwrite the one already in dwg B, you can use DesignCenter (type DC on command line). Pick the "open drawings" tab so you see dwg A and dwg B on the left hand side. Pick the blocks icon under dwg A. This will show you all of the blocks within dwg A. Find the one you updated and then drag it into dwg B from DesignCenter. You should get a prompt asking if you want to 'redefine' the block. Select yes. The block 1 in dwg B should now be the same as that in dwg A.

 

You could also WBLOCK the block1 in dwg A to some folder location, and then "insert" - but press 'Browse' - that block into dwg B....again, it should ask if you want to redefine.

 

I believe (not at cad computer right now) you could also select the block 1 in dwg A, pick 'edit/copy' and then 'edit/paste' into dwg B....again, redefine.

I went ahead with design center first because it has a lot more features to get familiar with as well.

 

I agree with Nestly about xrefs also. But I do know that sometimes a block already in several drawings may need updating. I'm just guessing your issue is that you are 'insert'ing the block in each drawing that technically is already defined within each as something different.....bottom line - you need to somehow insert it from outside the drawing in order to redefine it. Hope that makes sense, and helps.

[firealarmcad]

Thank you for the help guys! You've certainly pointed me in the right direction!

[Prophecy99]

I tried both methods described by rickh and cannot get my drawing B to redefine the existing blocks with the new instance of the block from drawing A. What I am missing? This is totally newb i am almost embarrassed

[Prophecy99]

Straight from F1 Help -

 

DesignCenter™ does not overwrite an existing block definition in a drawing with one that comes from another drawing. To update a block definition that came from a library drawing, use WBLOCK to create a separate drawing file from the library drawing block. Then, use INSERT to overwrite the block definition in the drawing that uses the block.

[Prophecy99]

Also this insert method does not work for dynamic blocks. If a dynamic block is the one being redefined by the insert command, the dynamic attributes appear to be lost.

 

looks like i am manually redefining them.......

[nestly]

Since the block appears to already be a block, and not a .dwg, I'm going to use the Design Center method.

 

Open "Drawing B"

Use the Folder list in Design Center to navigate to "Drawing A" where the updated block exists.

Highlight and expand "Drawing A" using the + symbol, then highlight "Blocks"

Scroll down though the list of blocks in the right pane of Design Center until you find the block, then right-click it.

If a block with that name already exists in "Drawing B", you will see options for "Insert and Redefine" and "Redefine Only"

Either of these will update the block in Drawing B to match the block in Drawing A

[rickh]

Prophecy99, thanks for catching my mistake.....Nestly, thanks for correcting it with a right-click.

[Blackfish]

The idea is to paste a new dynamic block on a desired layer into an old (dynamic or not) block, then save it and then explode all copies of the block in the drawing and erase all unwanted elements except the new block itself.

 

You can use -INSERT command with the new dynamic block in a separate file .dwg and than explode the replaced copies etc. It can be done with lisp or even script in LT.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Blackfish
you don't have eraes if there is nothing to erase :)

[nestly]

For the record, I disagree with everything in the previous post that relates to "exploding" You should be able to do a direct replacement of the block definition...

[Blackfish]

Just to save my face... Design Center for replacing dynamic blocks is fine and works OK; even keep your visibility states as long as they have the same names in both blocks. If anything varies the dynamic block is inserted as it's built.

 

However you cannot use -INSERT command for dynamic blocks. But if you WBLOCK the dynamic block as an object and then -INSERT it to new drawing all replaced blocks look like normal blocks without their dynamic parameters. When you explode them they are back, except you have set them for all the blocks one by one again* At least they are in previous position.

 

* It clear, because how AutoCAD should know what you want to do with new parameters.

[RobDraw]

If the block is one that is in a library, the original .dwg should be redefined. I think this is where the original trouble started. The OP redefined the block in a drawing and then inserted the original block not realizing that did not get redefined when the edit was done with refedit and the block editor. When you redefine a block within a drawing that needs to be used in the future, you need to write it back to the original file in your library.

[Blackfish]

The OP's issue is clear, but now we are talking about a general rule of block redefining/replacing... maybe it should be a separate thread?

[Prophecy99]

However you cannot use -INSERT command for dynamic blocks. But if you WBLOCK the dynamic block as an object and then -INSERT it to new drawing all replaced blocks look like normal blocks without their dynamic parameters. When you explode them they are back, except you have set them for all the blocks one by one again* At least they are in previous position.

[/i]

I am not following that, When you explode the new instance of the block that appears to be a standard regular looking block they return to a dynamic block (they are back) ?

[Prophecy99]

the suggested approach from Blackfish, dosen't work with Dynamic Blocks. I will probably have to update them manually.

[nestly]

It probably depends on what type of modifications were made to the dynamic block. For example, I think it's likely that you could modify and existing parameter in a dynamic block and have everything update properly when it's redefined, however if you're adding or removing parameters that didn't exist in the original block definition, it's unlikely to work.

[Blackfish]

the suggested approach from Blackfish, dosen't work with Dynamic Blocks. I will probably have to update them manually.

 

It depends on changes made to dynamic block. Read the below Nestly's quote.

 

It probably depends on what type of modifications were made to the dynamic block. For example, I think it's likely that you could modify and existing parameter in a dynamic block and have everything update properly when it's redefined, however if you're adding or removing parameters that didn't exist in the original block definition, it's unlikely to work.

 

Exactly.

 

The most important about "my" idea is that you can use -INSERT and scripts. I have never said that with this method dynamic blocks keep their parameters. It's not the best but possible approach to inserting dynamic blocks into drawing.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Blackfish

[Prophecy99]

it doesnt work plain and simple. I should have said I tried it before posting.

 

The redefined block comes in as a normal standard block with no dynamic attributes or information. Unless I am doing something wrong, I think it's safe to say

 

Dynamic Blocks cannot be redefined externally from outside drawings.

[Blackfish]

The redefined block comes in as a normal standard block with no dynamic attributes or information. Unless I am doing something wrong

 

And now you should explode these blocks and dynamic features will appear.

 

You can open your "normal" block editor and you will see your dynamic block inside if you did it "my" way. Of course it's not simple and the most important is you have to set all parameters manually, but you can insert dynamic blocks from an external drawing the same way as other AutoCAD objects or even the whole drawing.

 

-------

PS. If your changes to a dynamic block are small-scale, like you change geometry slightly for visibility states with the same names in both blocks, when you redefine the old block your states will be maintained.