AutoCAD Dynamic Blocks :: Adding One Action To Dynamic Blocks
Mar 15, 2012
I have created a dynamic block with several visiblility states. The block works great for what I need it for. however, I am trying to add one more action to the block but am having issues.
This block is essentially a 24" retail cabinet with the visibility states showing the different drawer and shelf configurations. I want to be able to lengthen the cabinet in 24" increments and have the visibility show for each 24" section.....e.g. I want a 10' cabinet so I bring in the 24" starter block. Then stretch the cabinet to the 10' mark, then I can chose any drawer/shelve config for each 24" section (they are all different).
I can get the block to stretch in 24" sections....no problem.....i just want the visibility state to be duplicated as well for each section. Now as it stretches, there is only one Vis state and it only populates the first cabinet.
I could do this by copying the block over and over 5 times.....but I am hoping there is a way to make this dynamic.
So I've done a reasonable amount of work with dynamic blocks. I have a block with a rotation action and grip to arbitrarily align it. However I realized when trying to combine it with an alignment grip (which actions on the basic or fundamental block rotation angle) that there didn't seem to be a way to some how link a dynamic block rotation action or one of the custom angle properties to a the fundamental block rotation angle. Thus there are two additive rotations at work; the dynamic block one with its grip and the fundamental rotation property.
This can cause some confusion when one person aligns with the grip and another via rotating the block's fundamental property and would also be problematic in the generalized sense if one was trying to select or programmatically read back the net angle alignment.
I've made annotative blocks and I've made dynamic blocks... My intent is to integrate both but I can't find a way to move dynamic block parameters separately at different annotative scales.
In other words, if I insert an annotative dimension and add multiple scales I can move the dimension grips independently at each scale. If I insert a dynamic block I want to be able to use the dynamic block's action "grips" to do the same. However, with a dynamic block, if I move a stretch action at one annotation scale it moves the action at all annotation scales.
I have a block I am making into a Dynamic Block. I will be adding in different visibility states. Depending on the visibility state the block would need to be inserted from a different point.
My question is, is it possible to add multiple insertion points to a dynamic block so depending on the visibility state it defaults to the correct insertion point?
I have a rather unusual problem. I'm using AutoCADLT2013. I have a dynamic block, with chained parameters. The block works perfectly, however, I'm expanding the contents, and trying to add more polylines to existing actions.
I have the following Actions showing: Stretch, Lookup, and Visibility. All of these actions are on unchained Parameters. The 2 Actions I'm missing are Arrays, both on chained Parameters with no Grips.
I've used ACTIONBAR on both Parameters (Show, then Hide, then Show again, I don't want to use Reset!), yet the Action Bars still won't show!
I've been messing for nigh on 2 hours and I can't figure it out. To make things worse, I can't use the Parameter Manager, due to it disappearing when in Block Editor.
I really don't want to have to start again, as it was a right pain in the rectum to get to work right.
i work at a small structural firm and am about the most experienced cad user here, which isn't saying much. I have never wrote any LISP's or anything, but have created many dynamic blocks and have edited some programing my boss got from a previous employee for adding dropdown menus with blocks/layers/etc. Just so you know my level of knowledge when it comes to answering my question. Also I am limited to using 2009 but other co-workers have up to 2013 so i would like this to work for all users. And i have done a bit of research but based on everyone elses level of knowledge am finding a lot of conflicting info and solutions that, to me, are in another language.
So I have a table that is created using polylines and text. It's a funky shape and AutoCAD's tables are a pain for it. i have created a dynamic block where i can array the rows down and the columns left. The issue is, i would like the test to come with each row, but still be editable once the block is done. I have figured out if row one is composed of 5 columns of text put into a single attribute, it is fine. But once you use the array action, to say 3 rows (including now 3 sets of attributes) they are not editable. So what is the work around, if there is indeed a work around?
the two option i see are to only array the rows and columns and left the text outside that block and manually copy it done to how ever many rows the user needs.... Or to have 2 blocks come in together, one as described before, and the other which just arrays the text and then i explode it to edit each line.. but then if you later choose to addd another line you would be left with doing that manually anyway..
I'm having an issue with the action bar locations. While I am creating the dynamic block, the actions all attach them selves to their respective parameters. The problem is that somehow at some time, the action bars change their mind and all lock down to the origin. All my action bars and icons are on top of each other. Is there a parameter to adjust to make the action bars move back to their parameters? Images are attached.
I foolishly thought i'd sorted making hatch work within a dynamic block that requires user input to set length and width of block...the hatch would fill to the revised size when the user sets the length and width in the properties dialogue...woohoo. Off I go home from work having defeated the nemesis of the day.
Open up my drawing today and can I get the hatch to act as it did yesterday?
I built my block (a simple rectangle all told) added my parameters in block editor. length and width linear actions with 0 grips as I don't want stretching by grips. Added the stretch actions. Tested the block (without hatch)...working. Only then did I hatch, so into block editor and using associative, send to back, normal island detection and selecting the rectangle to hatch. tested block ...working. great. Inserted the block into new drawing...working.
Opened AutoCAD today...Not working...hatch remaining as original size
Tried building new block exactly as I did yesterday...no joy...
On a side note...it works if I leave grips on but only if I use the grips to activate the hatch (it still doesn't work by just typing into properties though) that's not going to cut it as I don't want to be telling everyone to wiggle the grips so to speak.
Is there anyway to link standard AutoCAD Grips and there commands to Dynamic Block Actions? I want to stretch an arc by its midpoint grip. This accomplishes something that no other commands do.
I cleaned up my block and I am trying to use a field to reference a polyline for it's overall distance. The distance changes with my lookup action. After rotating and going back and forth from "On" - "Off" - "Both Off", then back to "On", the red polyline doesn't stretch back on it's original plane.
I have 3 circles, randomly spaced. They will always be the same size. I want to resize them all about there centre points using just one parameter in the properties fly out. I've created individual linear/stretch for each circle, but I can't work out how to combine them.
I am relatively new to dynamic block. I have generated a dynamic block that has four hole. I have HDistance and YDistance linear parameters set with mid point as their base location and action assigned so that they spread apart equally in horizontal and vertical direction and it works fine.
I am now adding another linear parameter (to change hole diameter) by trying to assign scale action, to increase or decrease hole diameter of all four holes simultaneously.
is there a way to associate a stretch action with the length of an attribute value (i.e. # of characters in the string) or is this something left to vlisp?
I have a block which is a simple rectangle with a height and width attributes that when I edit, change or update the height and width attributes I want the rectangles height and width to change as well.
I know I can go backwards using fields and the attributes would show the stretched length and width but is it possible to go the other way?
For our office I'm trying to figure out (so far without success) how it might be possible to constrain movement of a block's geometry to a single plane?
I can use a stretch grip but that will mean you can go in one direction only (positive) not negative, I want the freedom to be able to move backwards and forwards in the X-Plane.
Block I'm working on (progress so far) attached. It is designed to display height relative to a datum point in the block, and for use in drawings so you can place it all over and pick up levels to top of things like steels.
The block allows the use to pick the stretch grip to go up, so the objects moved will be to a point which will be relative to the base point of the block, which will be set at a datum level for the drawing. Relative to the base point a field will extract the y-coordinate of an object in the block, add a suffix of mm, that will then be the level relative to the base point.
I want the move command constrained to move the block geometry in the drawing but only in the x-plane; if the entire block moves accidentally in the y-plane it will also move the base point also, which destroys the idea of measuring against a fixed datum.
I've got a block with 2 lines of text, the second line being optional. If the second line is omitted, the first line should be moved down, so it's centered.
I can handle the second line being omitted with a visibility parameter. And I can handle the first line being moved down with a move parameter. But how can I link the two?
Ideally, I'd be able to re-use the line 1 attribute and display it in whichever place was correct, but that doesn't seem to be possible.
I have a block that when I extend it, a new 10' section is added. It will only add the 10' piece (array). What I am looking to do is find a way so that once I hit a total distance have it switch the part that it adds. So I have like a rail, I keep adding these 10' pieces and then once it hits 40' I want it to add the end piece which is different.
I am using AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013. I am thinking that this may not be possible at this point but I am still going to try. I have an alignment label style for station and offset. I also have created a dynamic block for the border of this label to put around that label. This call out border is not a typical single width border so the borders within the alignment style do not match and cannot be used for our designs. I have attached an image of the border around the label style for a random alignment. So far the dynamic block has been a great fix for the border so that we dont spend a lot of time drawing in these borders for each label, but I was trying to add this dynamic block to the label style so that it would act as the border.
So far I have tried adding the block as a component in the layout tab of the label style but it appears where I anchor it and does not access any of the dynamic attributes to make the callout box larger in reference to the text. I know I can insert it so that in general it will be surrounding the Station, Offset, and Alignment contents, however, we frequently add additional text to our labels to callout pipe bends and other items so the box is not typically the same size.
How I might be able to do this or if it is not possible at this time?
I need to prepare a linked chain araound a defined path. (Please have a look at the attached drawing) My idea is to have one element of the chain defined as a dynamic block and to manually "rotate" one side of the chain element. After that inserting the next element (previously aligning the user coordinate system) and "rotating" the right part again to the next position...
After doing the rotation, the block definition will change and the next block will be "disformed". So far no big problem, but the grip of the rotation parameter will stay there and I am not able to "rotate" the right part back into the old position (0 degree).
I have a block which I want 2 visibility states. VS1 and VS2 share some objects and not others. I have a linear parameter in each which I want to do a stretch action on. The stretch action in each visibility state acts upon entities both shared and unshared between VS1 and VS2. This doesn't seem to work..
I have a dynamic block, that represents a stirrup.
I inserted in the block a Block Propreties Table, that have some preset dimensions for the stirrups. The grip of this table I decided to put in the top right corner.
The problem is that I can't make this grip moveable )
new to dynamic blocks but looking to streamline my wiring diagrams here and have created a block that shows the typical wire styles we use in a simple easy way. I now want to add an overall flip to the entire block and have not been able to find set this. I would prefer to use the same label and go from there. I have included the block to show what I mean. It is only working on the single visible item at the one time. I know this has to be possible just let me know what I am doing wrong. I am running AutoCad LT 2013
I need to create a dynamic block for a "Glass Panel" in a balustrade. I need to be able to insert it, in one corner and stretch it in another corner, to suit the staircase angle.
I've created the block, but it isn't working correctly. I've attached a drawing, with the left hand drawing a sketch of how it needs to be. The right hand drawing is my dynamic block attempt. As can be seen, when the block is stretched between the 2 points, it doesn't follow the angle of the staircase correctly (Very slight run off)
I wish to create a dynamic block containing some attributes. These attributes are inside rectangles that can't be modified in length using linear parameters ; but the attribute has to be always in the middle of the rectangle. So, I draw a line inside the rectangle (in a hidden layer) and insert the attribute with center justification (not sure for the translation) that I place in the middle of this line ; then I put a coincidence constraint (not sure for the translation, but it's the first one) linking the middle of the line with the middle of the attribute.
But here's the problem : when stretching my rectangle, the insertion point of the attribute suddenly changes from "center" to "bottom left".
I am looking for a way to use the ATTIN/ATTOUT workflow to bring in data from an excel spreadsheet to drive the size of each of my block's instances. The block will be simple, a rectangle, with width and length parameters. For each entity in my excel/csv file these parameter values are spelled out. I know how to display these parameters in my attributes, but I don't know how, if I were to feed in these values, to drive the geometry. If there's a better way to take a list of width and length values to generate a series of blocks each with a rectangle containing its respective size.
