Saving & Editing Dynamic Blocks

• Saving Your Existing Dynamic Blocks
• Editing Our Default Dynamic Blocks
  • Adding a Visibility State
  • Deleting a Visibility State
  • Inserting Your Desired Block Into the Block Drawing
  • Assigning a Block View or Version to Each Available Visibility State
  • Saving and Testing Your Changes
• Turning Your Existing Blocks Into Dynamic Blocks
• Giving Your Block a Visibility State Parameter
• Creating Additional Visibility States
• Inserting the Versions of Your Block Into the Block Editor
• Assigning a Visibility State to Each View or Version of Your Block
• Saving Your Dynamic Block
• Quickly Copying and Placing Dynamic Blocks
• Related Webinars

We've integrated dynamic blocks into our software. A dynamic block is essentially a single block with multiple variations, designed to provide variety and an element of realism in your drawings.

 

Our software allows you to save your existing dynamic blocks into our block library, make changes to our dynamic blocks, or create and save your own. In any of these cases, the dynamic blocks you save will be available to place in your drawings and select from the available versions, or views, of the placed block.

Dynamic blocks simplify the block placement process because they allow you to place several views or versions of a block while only searching for and defining a single block. More information on dynamic blocks

Saving Your Existing Dynamic Blocks

If you have dynamic blocks you've already created, we make it easy to save them into our system for easy access while designing. To save your dynamic blocks, simply use our Save Block tool as you would with a normal block.

Editing Our Default Dynamic Blocks

You may want to customize our default dynamic blocks in order either add or subtract views of these blocks. This will allow you to toggle through a dynamic block you've edited and place all (and only) the exact versions or views of that block you'd like to see.

 

 

First, open the DWG file for the block from its folder within your LandFX folder. In this example, we'll open the drawing for a boulder block named LAFX-STEP-STON from the folder LandFX/Blocks/PLAN_GRAPHICS/06-site_amenities/boulders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The drawing will open in the Block Editor. Make sure you have the Authoring Palettes turned on. You'll know the Authoring Palettes are turned on if: 

 

 

 

You should see one object in the Block Editor window.

 

 

 

 

Open the Visibility States Manager by clicking the Visibility button on the Block Editor ribbon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adding a Visibility State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deleting a Visibility State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inserting Your Desired Block Into the Block Drawing

If adding a block, you can now insert your desired block into your drawing in one of two ways:

 

 

 

 

The new block will appear in the block drawing you currently have open.

 

 

 

Assigning a Block View or Version to Each Available Visibility State 

 

 

 

 

The cursor will turn into a pickbox, and the Command line will prompt you to Select objects to hide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activate each of the rest of the available Visibility States, and hide the original linework as described above. Each Visibility State should now show only the block you've placed.

 

 

 

Once you're certain that each available Visibility State contains only the block you want to see, open each Visibility State from the pull-down menu and complete the following two steps:

 

 

 

 

 

2. Explode the block so it only consists of linework. (Type Explode in the Command line, select the entire block, and press Enter.)

 

Open each Visibility State in the pull-down again, and confirm that:

• Each Visibility State contains one (and only one) version of the block you placed, and
• Each version of the block is placed at the insertion point 0,0 (as shown above).

 

Saving and Testing Your Changes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turning Your Existing Blocks Into Dynamic Blocks

Finally, our software also allows you to create dynamic blocks from your own existing blocks, allowing you to toggle through and place different versions of that block. You can complete the following steps with a block in any existing DWG file.

 

 

 

 

Select the block you'd like to turn into a dynamic block.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DWG file containing the block will open in the Block Editor. Make sure you have the Authoring Palettes turned on. You'll know the Authoring Palettes are turned on if: 

 

 

 

Giving Your Block a Visibility State Parameter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Select this text, and open your Properties Manager. (If it isn't open already, type Properties in the Command line and press Enter.) Locate the Visibility Name Visibility1, and change it to Randomize.

 

 

 

 

Creating Additional Visibility States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue to add Visibility States by clicking New and naming them until you've created your desired number.

Each Visibility State, or variation, of your block will require its own name. Therefore, if you want to show 10 different Visibility States, you'll need 10 different names. You can name them as simple as 01 through 10 – it doesn't matter. Also, you can delete the Visibility State that is there already, or rename it to fit your desired naming structure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each of these Visibility States will provide a different view of your block when you place it in a drawing. (In our example, we've created 10 unique views of our block.)

 

 

 

Inserting the Versions of Your Block into the Block Editor

 

Place the block into a drawing using one of the following methods:

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can now place or draw each version of the block that you'd like to include in the dynamic block.  

• To place an existing and saved block, use the AutoCAD Insert command or our Plan Graphics tool.
• To place a block from within another drawing, open a new tab in CAD, open that drawing, and copy the block into the Block Editor.
• You can also simply draw new versions of the block within the Block Editor.

 

 

 

The example below shows our original block, along with the additional versions of the block that we've placed, copied, or drawn into the Block Editor.

 

 

When you place your dynamic block, you'll be able to toggle through and select any of these various versions of the block.

The number of blocks you place in this step should match the number of Visibility States you've created. If necessary, add or delete Visibility States so you have the same number of Visibility States as you have blocks placed in the Block Editor.

 

 

Assigning a Visibility State to Each View or Version of Your Block

This step will isolate each version of your block into a different Visibility State. Each of these Visibility States will become a different version of your block that you can toggle through when you place your dynamic block.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cursor will turn into a pickbox. Select all versions of the block that you don't want to see in the first Visibility State (as in the example below).

 

 

 

Select the next Visibility State from the pull-down menu, click the Make Invisible button, and hide all versions of the block you don't want to see in the second Visibility State (as in the example below).

 

 

 

Repeat these steps to assign a Visibility State to each block. If necessary, add or delete Visibility States so the number of blocks matches the number of Visibility States.

 

Now open each Visibility State and:

1 Move the block to the insertion point 0,0.

2 Explode the block so it only consists of linework. (Type Explode in the Command line, select the entire block, and press Enter.)

To keep this dynamic block as clean as possible, it should only be linework at this point – no blocks.

 

Saving Your Dynamic Block

Click the small arrow to the right of the words Open/Save on the left side of the Block Editor ribbon. A small menu will open. Select Save Block As from this menu.

 

 

 

 

Selecting the Save block definition to drawing file option will save your dynamic block to a completely fresh drawing. Therefore, it's crucial that you select this option when saving your dynamic block.

 

Save the block drawing to a temporary location on your computer, such as your desktop. We will need this file just long enough to insert it into a different drawing.

 

Open a new CAD file or an existing drawing, and insert the newly saved block.

 

Now use our Save Block tool to save the block into our blocks library as you would any other block. (For instructions, please see our Save Blocks documentation.)

 

Important: When saving your block into our system, you'll receive a prompt asking Rename the block in this drawing to match? Take care to click No, which will allow the block to behave correctly when you place it in a drawing.

 

Quickly Copying and Placing Dynamic Blocks

Want to place a line of dynamic blocks quickly? Our Copy along Line and Copy along Arc tools can alter Dynamic Blocks as they're placed.

Related Webinars

• Dynamic Blocks: Dynamic Blocks add an element of variety to your plan without the need to edit the block or alter its definition. We'll show you how to create and use dynamic blocks, as well as how they work with our software. (57 min)
• Working with Blocks: We go over the role played by blocks within our software, showing the various types of blocks you have access to and how they all function. We'll also show you how to integrate your personal set of custom blocks into our system. (51 min)