Insert a new InstanceDefinition of a Block into document

Scripting
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1

@dale

I was wondering if I could ask you regarding some sample code you posted back in 2018 that might be obsolete or changed.

https://developer.rhino3d.com/guides/rhinoscript/replacing-points-with-blocks/

Here you specify how to insert a block instance into the document.
I can’t find a method called InsertBlock in the RhinoCommon API.

I basically have some blocks defined in the BlockManager and I want to place them around in my model with some transformations and attributes.

Do you have any information that can help?
Thanks

2

RhinoScript in VB was ported to the rhinoscriptsyntax package in Python. InsertBlock is available there:

If you have a look at its source code, you can also see it uses the RhinoCommon method ObjectTable.AddInstanceObject(Int32, Transform)

3

Thanks :slight_smile:
I see that the source code uses RhinoCommon functions that I can use myself, without resorting to InsertBlock (i.e. I can just use what ever is in that function).

What I am getting from AddInstanceObject(Int32, Transform) is a GUID, which means it was ‘successful’, but no actual Block Instance appeared in the document.

Do you know why this may be…?

4

You probably need to refresh the display (scriptcontext.doc.Views.Redraw()): rhinoscriptsyntax/block.py at c49bd0bf24c2513bdcb84d1bf307144489600fd9 · mcneel/rhinoscriptsyntax · GitHub

If you are using Python you can use rhinoscriptsyntax (instead of re-coding it from the RhinoCommon SDK), it will be very close to the RhinoScript VB examples.

Here is the Python example from rhinoscriptsyntax.AddBlock():

import rhinoscriptsyntax as rs
objs = rs.GetObjects("Select objects to define block")
if objs:
    point = rs.GetPoint("Block base point")
    if point:
        block = rs.AddBlock(objs, point, None, True)
        rs.InsertBlock(block, point)
1 Like
5

I’m using Python but outside GH, using rhinoinside.

I am executing the code inside of the InsertBlock and InsertBlock2 functions, which already includes:

if id!=System.Guid.Empty:
    scriptcontext.doc.Views.Redraw()

(I am using here file.Views.Redraw() to the same effect)
Shouldn’t this work as you suggest or am I missing something…?

6

Hi @Yafim_Simanovsky,

We’ll probably need to see code and have instruction on how to repeat what you are (not) seeing.

What are you running Rhino in?

– Dale

7

I am using Hops service, so after playing with it, I think the issue is solved using the .Save() on the RhinoDoc.

8

For those following this thread, here are Python versions of the RhinoScript samples that were linked above.

ReplacePointsWithBlocks.py (805 Bytes)

ReplaceBlocksWithPoints.py (533 Bytes)

– Dale