Combining Objects into Blocks - AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011: No Experience Required - page 319

6. Use the Zoom Extents tool to show all of the cabin in the drawing
area (see Figure 7.13).
7. Save your drawing as 07A-FPLAY1.dwg .
FiGuRE 7.13 The floor plan with all swinging doors converted into blocks
TIP If you have trouble anticipating how a block such as the door block
needs to be flipped or rotated during insertion, don't worry about it; just be sure
to locate the insertion point accurately in the drawing. then, after the block is
inserted, you can flip or turn it by using the MIRROR and ROTATE commands.
This view looks the same as the view you started with at the beginning of this
chapter (see Figure 7.2). Blocks look the same as other objects, and you can't detect
them by sight. They're useful because you can use them over and over again in a
drawing or in many drawings, and because the block is a combination of two or more
(and sometimes many more) objects represented as a single object. Your next task is
to learn how to detect a block, but first, I'll discuss AutoCAD's dynamic block feature.
using Dynamic Blocks
Dynamic blocks are blocks whose appearance can be changed in a variety of ways,
depending on how they are set up. Any block can be transformed into a dynamic
block, and AutoCAD offers several sample dynamic blocks that have already been
set up. Take a door block, for example. By adding extra parameters and controls to
the block, you could use a single dynamic block for openings in a variety of preset
sizes. The arc size would change, but the thickness of the door would remain the
same. After you insert a dynamic block, click it. As shown in Figure 7.14, light blue
arrows (grips) appear at opposite sides of the opening to indicate that these are
adjustable parameters. This is just an example and not steps for you to follow at
this time. You will have a chance to work with dynamic blocks in Chapter 9.