Combining Objects into Blocks - AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011: No Experience Required - page 320

t h e F a t e o F o B j e C t s U s e d t o M a k e a B l o C k
The three radio buttons in the Objects area of the Block Definition dialog
box represent the options you have for objects transformed into a block:
R e t a if n The objects remain unblocked. Click this if you want to make
several similar blocks from the same set of objects.
Convert to Block The objects become the block reference. Click this if
the first use of the block has geometry identical to that of the set of objects
it's replacing.
D e l e t e The objects are automatically erased after the block has been
defined. Click this if the first use of the block will be at a different scale,
orientation, or location from the set of objects it's replacing.
When you click the arrow at the end of the door swing arc, the dynamics begin
and markers appear below the opening (see Figure 7.15), indicating the preset
sizes to which the door and swing can be changed. In this example, you can use
the door for openings from 2 ′ -0 ″ to 3 ′ -6 ″ , at 6 ″ intervals. (The tooltip shows
where the cursor is, not the door size.)
Once you set a new size, the door and swing take on that size, as shown in
Figure 7.16, whereas the door thickness remains the same. Now you can move
this door to a smaller opening.
Later in this chapter, when I introduce palettes , I'll show you where to find
AutoCAD's sample dynamic blocks. For instructions on creating and using
dynamic blocks, see Chapter 9.
FiGuRE 7.14 Arrows appear at the locations in a dynamic block where the parameters
are adjustable.