Why does my block move to the wrong place when I insert it?

[indiancad]

 

One common reason is the base point of the block. If the base point was created far from the actual objects, the block can appear in an unexpected location.

 

You can check the block with BEDIT and use BASE to set the correct insertion point.

 

After fixing the base point, insert the block again and it should come in at the correct location.

 

How many of you have had this problem with blocks? What was the cause in your case?

[SLW210]

Once again I hope this was done by a coworker.

 

The prevention of that is to properly set the base point, etc. when creating the blocks.

 

Sometimes having the BASE set far from the block could be the correct location, depends on the block, you could be inserting it incorrectly.

[VicoWang]

The origin point is set too far from the main subject, which is actually very uncomfortable. Using the Plan command to judge the entire drawing size and then going back to normal zoom can lead to confusion. The method I use to create a block is Shift+Ctrl+C, to set the origin point (usually on some object), and then use Shift+Ctrl+V to paste it as a block. I haven't encountered any problems.

[CyberAngel]

Not sure how it happens, but some blocks seem to have insertion points at the origin or just some random point. Something to do with the way they were defined, I suppose.

 

One problem is, many of these blocks define a location. They are useless if the insertion point isn't at a specific coordinate, such as the nut on a fire hydrant, which is where you typically measure from.

 

Another problem is, if you want to locate them properly, you may not be able to redefine them with the right point and then move them all at once. A block that's been rotated, for instance, will not go where you want it to.

 

Once again, we see what happens when you come across a problem and don't fix it as soon as possible; it just causes more problems.

[Paul Li]

I would also like to add that users should first set UCS to World, then PLAN to World and then set BASE.

[indiancad]

On 9/3/2026 at 4:10 PM, SLW210 said:

Once again I hope this was done by a coworker.

 

The prevention of that is to properly set the base point, etc. when creating the blocks.

 

Sometimes having the BASE set far from the block could be the correct location, depends on the block, you could be inserting it incorrectly.

That’s a fair point. A base point being far from the block isn’t always wrong; it depends on how the block is meant to be used. I was referring to cases where the base point was set incorrectly. Thanks for pointing that out.