Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
6. Click Cancel from the Block Editor menu. Now the Toilet block appears with the added lines.
7. After reviewing the changes, close the 04b-bath.dwg file without saving it.
As you can see, editing blocks with the Block Editor is simple and straightforward. In this
example, you added some lines to the Toilet block, but you can perform any type of drawing or
editing to modify the block.
Saving a Block as a Drawing File
You've seen that, with little effort, you can create a symbol and place it anywhere in a file.
Suppose you want to use this symbol in other files. When you create a block by using the Block
command, the block exists in the current file only until you specifically instruct AutoCAD to
save it as a drawing file on disk. When you have an existing drawing that has been brought in
and modified, such as the door, the drawing file on disk associated with that door isn't automati-
cally updated. To update the Door file, you must take an extra step and choose File Export on
the menu bar. Let's see how this works.
Start by turning the Tub and Toilet blocks into individual files on disk:
1. Press the Esc key to make sure nothing is selected and no command is active.
2. From the menu bar, choose File Export to open the Export Data dialog box, which is a
simple file dialog box.
3. Open the File Format pop-up list, and select Block (*.dwg).
4. Double-click the Save As text box and enter Tub .
5. Click the Save button to close the Export Data dialog box.
6. At the Enter name of existing block or [= (block=output file)/* (whole
drawing)] <define new drawing>: prompt, enter the name of the block you want to
save to disk as the tub file—in this case, Tub ↵.
The Tub block is now saved as a file.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 for the Toilet block. Give the file the same name as the block.
Replacing Existing Files with Blocks
The Wblock command does the same thing as choosing File Export, but output is limited to
AutoCAD DWG files. Let's try using the Wblock command this time to save the Door block you
modified:
1. Issue the Wblock command by typing WBLOCK ↵, or use the keyboard shortcut by typ-
ing w ↵. This opens the Write Block dialog box (see Figure 4.13).
2. In the Save Location group, click the Block radio button.
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