Linked block wishes

Hi RMA,

We are working with linked blocks a lot recently with files that contain dozens of them sometimes >100 in separate files.

  1. I have noticed that when copy-paste linked blocks from one file to another, or importing a file that contains all the linked blocks, the redraw is on and the blocks keep popping up and redraw each time the new one loads. On heavy scenes with slower redraw it is a considerable slowdown. Could this be fixed to have redraw off when doing the above actions?
    ( it does not happen when opening a file with linked blocks, just copy and insert). This could be avoided now with simple SetRedrawOff macro but ideally normal Rhino actions would work with no redraw.

  2. in V5 and WIP when switching the block from Linked to Embed, the selection highlight color stays off-color (slightly darker as for linked blocks). This only gets fixed once the file is reopened. This off-color selection is a good indicator of block type so it makes it confusing now.

  3. Also when switching from Linked to Embedded block, there is a weird behavior: try copy/paste the newly switched block. It pastes a copy OK, but also, at origin Rhino pastes an exploded version of the block, all on current layer. Both V5 and WIP. After re-opening the file behavior is OK.

  4. And related wish for scripting - @dale - could we add a wish to the pile for RhinoScript method to allow inserting blocks from external files, with all the current command options (link/link-embed/embed and layer style active vs. reference)?

thanks!

–jarek

Hi Jarek - thanks, I’ll check this.

-Pascal

Hi @Jarek,

The Insert command is fully scriptable, correct?

– Dale

Hi Dale,

Yes, except for the layer mode (reference vs active - this is dialog only, the command version inserts the block based on the last mode used in the dialog). As long as that would get exposed in the command, no big need for scripted version.

–jarek

Hi @Jarek,

Are you not seeing this in the Rhino WIP?

Untitled

– Dale

Hi Dale - great! this wish was based on testing my script in V5, didn’t see it was already added to the command in V6. Thanks, that will do the job.

–jarek

Hi Pascal, - do you see the #2 and #3 behavior on your end? Do you think that also can get tweaked in WIP?
Thanks for having the other issues fixed - looks like they made it to the new WIP already (didn’t have a chance to test them out yet though).

cheers,

–jarek

Hi Jarek - I cannot reproduce either at the moment - all block types select with normal selection yellow here, unlike worksession selections, which are darker… and copy/paste of just-embedded-previously-linked blocks also seems OK - (in a simple test, not 100+ ) Does it make a difference at your end for either of these if the example is simple?

-Pascal

Hi Pascal,

Just downloaded and checked the latest WIP #2 and #3 are fixed now - must have been related to the other problem with linked blocks that was recently solved (all still there in V5 obviously).

Thanks!

–jarek

Good, thanks.

-Pascal

Hi @pascal,

sorry, I need to revive this old post as item #1 has not been resolved, which is redraw while importing/pasting linked blocks. By default Rhino would redraw after every single linked block is pasted/imported, which often may result in a huge slowdown, with no way to escape. Just sitting and waiting for all (sometimes 100s) linked blocks would popup.
On simple file no difference is probably noticeable, but different story when the file we import/paste into is heavy/slower to redraw and on top of that each linked block has to redraw. I have noticed that when material textures are involved (lots in the file and imported linked blocks have their own) the slowdown is even greater, must be some global texture refresh on each file in…

Anyway, the solution seems to be simple, because none of that happens if we turn off the redraw before Import/Paste and turn on after, but I wish this was not necessary and just worked out of the box in Rhino. Sometimes we just forget and the wait is a lot of time wasted.

I can provide some test files if that helps, but maybe you can see it on your end.
(This does not happen when opening a file with linked blocks btw, only Paste/Insert/Import - tested in V6 and V7)

thanks,

–jarek