You have created a block in a file by itself, but have some other pieces of geometry in the file that you want to keep there for “safe keeping”. You select the geometry you want to turn in to a block, run block, name it, save it etc and close the file.
You then open another file that you want to insert this block in to. You run Insert, and find the file with that block – which comes in carrying with it the geometry that you didn’t want to be part of the block that you had not selected when you ran the block command.
Should that extra unselected geometry not have been included?
If this is as it should be then does that mean that when you are creating a block you must not have anything else in the file that you do not want to be part of that block? Even things on layers that are hidden, or on layers that are turned off?
Anotherwords, should a block be in a file that’s totally “pristine” and has nothing but the block in it?
When you insert a block, yes you get all the geometry in that file. If you want a pristine file what I would do is select the geometry you want and use the “export selected geometry” to a new file then use that file for inserting into your project. If you need to make changes you can go back the working file update the geometry and re-export, and if your block is linked it will update in the project.
The other option is to put the construction geometry on separate layers and turning those layers off in the project.
FYI make a block in the working file doesn’t help you when you insert the file as it makes a nested block condition.
One more option would be create the block in the working file. Then use copy and paste into the project. That way you only get the block.
Hi Cosmas- the file you are using (inserting) as a block does not need to contain any blocks- that is, if you insert a file of a chair, just the geometry of the chair, no blocks, into another file as a block, then in the new file the chair will be a block. The inserted file can contain blocks- say the wheels on the chair, but then these will come in as nested in the parent file into which the chair in inserted… does that make sense?
Interesting. “Copy and paste into the project. That way you only get the block.” and “The file you are inserting as a block does not need to contain any blocks.” These are both very helpful. Thank you.
Anyone know if this has been updated in last couple of years? Seems it would be whole lot better if we could import a Block from another file, and ONLY get the block in another file.
CASE STUDY: I’d like to have a file with a bunch of, say, windows or cars, as its own little library. Then while working in a project, be able to INSERT ONLY ONE of the Car/Window Blocks from that Library file.