COMPUTER APPLICATIONS II (DCC206)

WEEK
AutoCAD LECTURE 12

BY: MR F. NDLANGAMANDLA
E C O T: C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G D E PA R T M E N T
Chapter 7: Organizing object
The fundamental entities in the AutoCAD program are lines, polylines, circles, arcs, ellipses,
and text.
By combining these entities into blocks and/or groups, you can manipulate more complex
objects, such as chairs, mechanical assemblies, trees, or any other organizational designation
appropriate to your industry
Manipulating blocks is an efficient means of working because it, reduces the number of items
requiring selection
We will explore How groups are a flexible means of organizing collections of objects, which
often include blocks as members.
We will also explore How to select and manipulate a group as a whole, or access the members
of the group individually whenever needed.
Chapter 7: Organizing objects
In this unit, students will learn
a) Define blocks
b) Insert blocks
c) Edit blocks
d) Redefine blocks
e) Work with groups
Chapter 7: Defining blocks
Before drawing and copying a series of repetitive elements, you should first define them as a
block.
This is because you have a higher level of organizational control over blocks than you do over
individual entities.
Exercise 7.1: draw a chair and define it as a block: Refer to page 130 of the reference text
You will use the drawing skills that you’ve learned in previous chapters to draw a chair. Then you
will convert the chair into a block definition.
a) Create new drawing (save project as Ex 7.1 in “2023 AutoCAD exercises” folder on desktop)
b) Draw a rectangle (2000x1000mm) to represent a table and follow example Ex 7.1 from
number 2 and jump to number 15,16,
c) Follow example Ex 7.1 from number 2 to 18 (on your own time)
Chapter 7: Defining blocks
Exercise 7.1: draw a chair and define it as a block: Refer to page 130 of the reference text
-When the chair disappeared from the drawing canvas, it was defined in the drawing’s block
table.
-Although every drawing has a block table, you can’t see it. Blocks defined there can be inserted
into the drawing as block references.
-Changes made to block definitions (stored in the block table) affect all block references in the
drawing.
Exercise 7.2: Students to attempt this exercise on their own
Chapter 7: Inserting blocks
Before drawing and copying a series of repetitive elements, you should first define them as a block.
After you create a block definition, you can insert local block references (from the current drawing’s
block table) into the drawing.
In Chapter 9, “Working with Blocks and Xrefs,” you will learn how to create and insert global blocks,
which are blocks that exist outside the current drawing file.
Exercise 7.3: use blocks: Refer to page 135 of the reference text
In this section, you will focus on inserting local chair blocks. To begin,
a) Open Ex 7.1 (save project as Ex 7.3 in “2023 AutoCAD exercises” folder on desktop)
b) Follow example Ex 7.3 from number 1 to 7
c) Follow example Ex 7.3 from number 7 to 17 (on your own time)
Chapter 7: Edit blocks
You can edit blocks after they have been defined and inserted into the drawing as block
references.
In addition to editing geometry, you can assign floating properties to control property
inheritance, nest blocks within blocks, or explode blocks entirely.
Students to attempt Exercise 7.4, 7.5, 7.6 and 7.7 in the reference text on their own
a) Exercise 7.4 (edit block definitions)
-Block definitions are not set in stone; you can redraw them after block references have been
inserted multiple times in a drawing.
-In fact, this is one of the reasons to use blocks: efficient control over multiple objects from a
single editable definition.
Chapter 7: Edit blocks
b) Exercise 7.5 (assign floating properties)
-When you set an object’s color, linetype, or lineweight to specific values such as Red, Hidden, or
0.5 mm, you are setting those properties explicitly. Explicit object properties assigned to objects
in block definitions are retained when those blocks are inserted onto different layers in the
drawing.
-It is often advantageous to assign floating properties—either ByLayer or ByBlock—to the objects
in block definitions. Floating properties allow block references to inherit properties from the
layer on which they are inserted.
-Alternatively, you can override these inherited properties with explicit properties by assigning
them to the block reference.
Chapter 7: Edit blocks
c) Exercise 7.6 (nest blocks)
-When you set an object’s color, linetype, or lineweight to specific values such as Red, Hidden, or
0.5 mm, you are setting those properties explicitly. Explicit object properties assigned to objects
in block definitions are retained when those blocks are inserted onto different layers in the
drawing.
-You can nest blocks within other blocks to simplify complex block definitions.
-However, you can’t create circular references where blocks reference themselves, or you’d
create an infinite loop.
- E.G, you’ll nest a phone block reference inside the desk block definition so that every desk you
insert will have a phone on it.
Chapter 7: Edit blocks
d) Exercise 7.7 (explode blocks)
-There are two commands that blow away blocks, leaving you with only their defining geometry:
EXPLODE and XPLODE.
- The former has no options whatsoever; the latter offers many options dealing with what
happens to object properties after the block is disassembled.
Chapter 7: Redefine blocks
You already know that block definitions have names and that blocks are inserted by name.
So what do you suppose happens if you define a new block using a name that has already been
used in the drawing?
Students to attempt Exercise 7.8 in the reference text on their own
Chapter 7: Working with groups
Groups are a means of organizing objects that is less formal than blocks.
Groups don’t need to be named, nor do they require base points as do blocks.
You can toggle group selection on and off so that you can manipulate the entire group as a unit
or access individual members of the group at will.
You can’t redefine the many with the few as you can with blocks, however. That said, it’s
certainly convenient to be able to manipulate many blocks with a few groups.
Exercise 7.9: create groups: Refer to page 148 of the reference text
In the following steps, you will group the desk and chairs, copy this group into adjacent rooms,
and make adjustments to various blocks within the groups.
a) Create new drawing (save project as Ex 7.9 in “2023 AutoCAD exercises” folder on desktop)
Chapter 7: Working with groups
Exercise 7.9: create groups: Refer to page 148 of the reference text
b) Draw a rectangle (2000x1000mm, to represent a table), three smaller rectangles (600x600 to
represent chairs) in the arrangement shown in figure 7.24 and follow example Ex 7.9 from
number 1 to 13
 The end
 students now know how to:
a) Define blocks
b) Insert blocks
c) Edit blocks
d) Redefine blocks
e) how to toggle group selection so that you can manipulate the contents of a group
f) and how to add objects to a group