Block

Option

Description

Name

Specifies the name of the block.

Description

(optional) Describes the block.

Base Point Options

Description

Specify On-Screen

Specifies the block's base point, the point at which it will be inserted into drawings with the Insert command. Choose how you want to specify the base point's coordinates:

• On - you will be prompted later to define the base point after you click the OK button; the Pick Point button and X, Y, Z fields are grayed out (unavailable)
• Off - click the Pick Point button, or else enter x, y, z coordinates in the X, Y, Z fields.

Pick point

Pick a point in the drawing for the block's base point:

1. Click the Pick point button.

2. The Block Definition dialog box temporarily closes, and the program prompt you to specify the base point on screen:

Insertion point for new block or [Annotative] - (pick a point, or else enter x,y,z coordinates, and then press Enter.)

X, Y, Z

Enter x, y, z coordinates for the base point in the X, Y, and Z fields. The z coordinate is usually optional.

Entities Options

Description

Specify On-screen

The Entities section selects the entities that make up the block. Choose how you want to select the entities:

• On - you will be prompted later to select the entities after you click the OK button; the Select Entities button is grayed out
• Off - click the Select Entities button

Select Entities

Select one or more entities in the drawing:

1. Click the Select Entities button

2. The Block Definition dialog box temporarily closes, and the program prompt you to specify the base point on screen:

Select entities for block - (select one or more entities using a selection method)
Select entities for block - (select more entities, or else press Enter to return to the dialog box)

Once entities are selected, decide what happens to them once they are turned into a block. Choose an option:

• Retain - selected entities are retained as entities, and the block definition is created in the drawing
• Convert to block - selected entities are converted to a block
• Delete - selected entities are deleted after the block definition is created

The Convert to Block option is the most efficient one.

Behavior Options

Description

Annotative

Sets the annotative property of the block. This kind of block should be created when the annotation scale in model or paper space is 1:1. By being annotative, the block automatically scales itself according to the current annotation scale factor.

Choose whether you want block to follow annotative scaling:

• On - block will scale itself to whatever annotative scale is in effect; the Scale Uniformly option is grayed out (unavailable)
• Off - block follows the scale factor you give the block during the Insert command

Match block orientation to layout

Determines if annotative blocks match the orientation of the layout:

• On - annotative blocks display upright, regardless of the orientation of the viewport
• Off - annotative blocks match the orientation of the viewport

Scale Uniformly

Determines if blocks can be scales non-uniformly. This option is not available to annotatively-scaled blocks. Choose one:

• On - X, Y, and Z scale factors of blocks are the same as one another; this prevents blocks from being distorted
• Off - blocks can be inserted with different X, Y, and Z scale factors; this is useful for unit blocks that are meant to become a variety of objects, such as differently sized table tops

Allow Exploding

Determines if users can explode the block after it is inserted. When a block is exploded, it loses its block status, and the individual entities can be edited. (To edit the entities of an unexploded block, use the BEdit command.) Choose one:

• On - block can be exploded after being inserted, with the Explode command
• Off - blocks cannot be exploded; you can change this property with the Explorer command, Blocks section.

Settings Option

Description

Block Unit

Scales the block correctly when the block definition is inserted in a drawing whose units are different from the drawing in which the block was created. More specifically, in which the INSUNITS variable differs.

1. Click the Block Unit droplist.
2. Choose a unit from the list

OK

Closes the dialog box, and if necessary prompts you at the command line for the base point and the entities to include in the block, then saves the block definition in the drawing.

Cancel

Exits the dialog box without saving the block definition; no block is created.