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Create New Blocks from Old Blocks
Tip# 3946 By Maria Tzanetakou On 06-Aug-2012
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Categories : Blocks General
Software type : AutoCAD 2013
Rename File To : No Files to download.
Save blocks outside of the file to reuse them in the creation of other blocks.

Tipster Maria Tzanetakou sends us a tip about how to use existing blocks in AutoCAD to create new blocks.

"Let’s say that you have a specific dynamic block called A, in which you have placed a look-up table. If you would like to use this block as a base and create block B, the easiest way to do so is to save it in your disk and rename the block before opening it. Then open the block in the Block Editor Manager (this is provided as an option when you start to open the B.dwg file). Make all the changes you want and finally, save the block. Now you have a new block, B, which has similar information as A, but also has many differences."

Notes from Cadalyst Tip Reviewer Brian Benton: Saving your blocks outside of the AutoCAD file is a good way to manage them; it also makes it easy to reuse them in the creation of other blocks. Another way to use blocks to create new blocks while in a file is to use the Windows Copy/Paste commands: Select the block, and press Ctrl+C, followed by Ctrl+Shift+V. This will copy the selected objects, then paste them as a block. However, this method might not work so well when a block is selected, because there will be nested blocks. You should probably explode the block first, then copy/paste it. You can always use the Rename command to change the name of the pasted block — or any block, for that matter.

 

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User comments
Comment by Inacio,Denise
Posted on 2012-08-06 14:11:19
couldn't you also just use " save block as" in the block editor?
Comment by Shehata,Tawfik
Posted on 2012-08-06 19:55:03
Another way to create a new block using an old one as a base is to open the original block in the block editor then save it as a new name using BSAVEAS command, or if you prefer the ribbon, you can access this command from the down arrow next to the Open/Save on the far left side of the block editor contextual ribbon.