I’m having a bit of frustration due to placing blocks using grasshopper.
I developed a GH program that inserts blocks using Elefront’s Insert Block component and places them on a facade through a series of transformations. I used this program successfully for one project and am now trying to apply to a new project. I created the various block components that I would need in an empty Rhino file that had its Units set to Feet. So, for example, I made a block called Window01 that had dimension 2’ x 10’.
I then brought these block definitions into the main project file and set up my GH file that inserts the blocks. However, the blocks once placed were much smaller than they were supposed to be. This is because the file has its Units set to Inches. So, when my Window01 block was placed, it was in the correct position and orientation, but sized at 2" x 10". Now, when I place Window01 in Rhino without GH, simply using the Insert command, the block is correctly sized at 24" x 120".
Also, I tested this with Human’s Place Block component and had the same problem.
In this case, the problem is easily solved by setting the file Units to Feet and then working from there. But I am hoping to develop a program that can be readily attached to many different files, and use any block definition. If these are out of alignment, that could be a real headache. I know Grasshopper is generally considered a unitless application, but is there a work around for this? Rhino automatically knows to convert 2’ to 24" when I use Insert, so how can I get that same functionality in GH?