Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
07a-unit file, it's still a unique, independent block in the Plan file, and AutoCAD won't modify
it unless specifically instructed to do so. In this situation, you must edit the original Toilet block
and then update it in both the Plan and Unit files.
REPLACING BLOCKS
If you want to replace one block with another in the current file, type
-Insert
↵. (Don't forget the
minus sign in front of
Insert
.) At
the
Block name:
prompt, enter the block name followed by an
equal sign (=), and then enter the name of the new block or the filename. Don't include spaces
between the name and the equal sign.
Also, block references and layer settings of the current file take priority over those of the
imported file. For example, if a file to be imported has layers of the same name as the layers in
the current file but those layers have color and linetype assignments that are different from
the current file's, the current file's layer color and linetype assignments determine those of the
imported file. This doesn't mean, however, that the imported file on disk is changed; only the
inserted drawing is affected.
SUBSTITUTING BLOCKS
In the preceding example, you updated a block in your Plan file by using the Browse button in the
Insert Block dialog box. In that exercise, the block name and the filename were the same. You can
also replace a block with another block or a file of a different name. Here's how to do that:
1 .
Open the Insert Block dialog box.
2 .
Click the Browse button next to the Name input box, locate and select the file you want to use
as a substitute, and then click Open to return to the Insert Block dialog box.
3 .
Change the name in the Name input box to the name of the block you want replaced.
4 .
Click Insert. A warning message appears, telling you that a block with this name already
exists. Click Redefine Block to proceed with the block substitution.
You can use this method of replacing blocks if you want to see how changing one element of your
project can change your design. You might, for example, draw three different apartment unit plans
and give each plan a unique name. You could then generate and print three apartment building
designs in a fraction of the time it would take you to do so by hand.
Block substitution can also reduce a drawing's complexity and accelerate regenerations. To substi-
tute blocks, you temporarily replace large, complex blocks with schematic versions. For example,
you might replace the Unit block in the Plan drawing with another drawing that contains just a
single-line representation of the walls and bathroom fixtures. You would still have the wall lines
for reference when inserting other symbols or adding mechanical or electrical information, but
the drawing would regenerate much faster. When you did the final print, you would reinsert the
original Unit block showing every detail.
