BLOCKIFY command
Converts identical set of entities (2D or 3D) to block references.
Icon:
Description
Searches the drawing for an identical set of entities (2D or 3D) and replaces them with block references.
Method
There are three methods to use BLOCKIFY command:
- Convert 2D and 3D entities to blocks.
- Convert equally shaped solids to blocks.
- Optionally replace block patterns by arrays.
Options within the command
- match Equal solids
- Searches the drawing (or the selection) for equally shaped solids and replaces them with newly created block definitions. In case a solid matches an existing block definition, the replacing block reference points to that block definition.
- Specify block name or <ENTER to use default name>
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Specify a block name or use the default name. If you choose to use the default name, block definitions with names like Block1, Block2 etc. are created.
Note: If BLOCKIFY is used on BIM entities, it checks the BIM Name property of all equal-shaped BIM classified solids and tries to find the longest common substring to use it as the name of the block definitions.
- find Collections
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Identifies collections and eventually nested blocks are created. This option opens the Find Collections panel.Note:
- This option only works on block references. If the model also contains other entities, these will not be taken into consideration.
- With a large number of input entities, calculating all possible collections can take a long time. Press the Esc key to cancel the calculation at any time, and choose from the collections found so far.
- Maximum gap
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Increases the allowed gap between entities to find a more complex collection.
For example: If a drawing contains multiple block references of desks and chairs, you can find a collection of both elements by setting the maximum gap between a desk and a chair.
- Recalculate
- Recalculates the collections based on the new maximum gap.
- Collections
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Displays the found collections.
Note: A message is displayed if the model contains overlapping collections. Overlapping collections are collections that have at least one solid in common. These collections are highlighted if the Highlight overlapping collections option is ticked.
- Details
- Tick the Show option to highlight one collection at a time and cycle through them by using the arrows. Use the zoom in button to extend the view to the shown collection.
- Remove
- Removes the current collections.
- Reset
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Resets to the initially found collections, by re-adding any collections that were removed.
Note: After creating a block reference, the collections are recalculated, taking into account the newly created block reference. The solids that are part of the newly created block reference could previously appear in a different collection, but now they are part of a single block reference and always have to appear together. This can decrease the choices for creating more collections.
- match existing Blocks
- Searches the drawing (or the selection) for 2D geometry matching existing block definitions.
- Settings
- Opens the Settings dialog box at the blockify settings.