WBLOCK polylines without including text and dimension styles?

[j.s.cook]

I'm trying to WBLOCK some details out of old drawings, just simple linework and hatching, but Text and Dimension styles that aren't in the detail keep getting included in the new drawing. (They are in use in the source drawing somewhere, just not in the detail I'm WBLOCKing.) How do I prevent this? I've tried freezing the relevant layers, setting my preferred text and dim styles to be current, exporting to DXF, WBLOCKing, COPYBASE... there's gotta be something simple I'm overlooking.

I'm trying to limit the amount of cruft that builds up in my current drawings. Stuff like unused text or dimension or label styles, layers, styles for Civil 3D objects that aren't needed, just random stuff that's not in the current template and not being used. The details are "correct," I'd like to use them, but if I can't keep the unwanted stuff out then I'll have to re-create them.

I'm using Civil 3D 2023 with the FDOT State Kit.

[Ed Jobe]

I believe that when you wblock, it uses whatever template you have set for QNEW. Is the "cruft" in the template? Can you post a sample dwg with the linework to wblock?

[j.s.cook]

The cruft is not in the template as far as I can tell. Here are a couple of example drawings. qnew.dwg was created using the QNEW command, and is an example of the template file. source sample.dwg contains one of the details I'd like to WBLOCK into a new drawing without including any of the text or dimensions. If I freeze the text and dimension layers and WBLOCK the linework and hatching, all of the text and dimension styles in the source drawing end up in the new drawing created with the WBLOCK command.

[Tom Beauford]

I've used older versions of Civil 3D with the FDOT State Kit which FDOT created to ensure their standards including fonts and dimension styles would be included in all drawing created with it. Someone using Civil 3D without the FDOT State Kit may be able to WBLOCK those polylines without including those FDOT text and dimension styles.

It's a powerful addon required for creating AutoCAD drawings for FDOT with nice features like adding pavement marking with RPM's but their standards are strongly enforced. Get used to their styles as they're not an option.

[j.s.cook]

The FDOT styles are the ones I want to keep... it's some other, older styles I'd like to purge. But I'll try using vanilla C3D and AutoCAD and see if that does the trick.

[Tom Beauford]

The FDOT styles are the ones I want to keep... it's some other, older styles I'd like to purge. But I'll try using vanilla C3D and AutoCAD and see if that does the trick.

Civil 3D has countless forms of annotation and labeling far more advanced than Vanilla AutoCAD including point styles with autoscale options for both the symbol and draggable annotations, matchlines, tables, etc… Linework in Civil 3D references linetypes with both text and symbols as well. Don't know what styles you're talking about but I've seen posts where users were able to purge styles referenced by Civil 3D with disastrous results. You should make absolutely sure they're not needed before purging them!

Civil 3D comes with a lot of layers and styles and most organizations add many more to suit their needs for additional objects & linework to their templates. Map 3D & the FDOT State Kit add a lot more, do you really want to take that chance?

[j.s.cook]

I understand that text or dimension styles may be in use in places like point styles or corridor label styles... and I'm confident that the styles I want to purge aren't being used by any other styles I want to keep. They're legacy styles from older versions of a template that is no longer in use. Non of the Civil 3D styles in the new template use the old styles I'm trying to purge. I'm trying to keep these old, out-of-use styles from propagating in new drawings that use the new template.

[Opie]

How about this workflow. Create a new drawing from your desired template. In your new drawing, rename the text styles you want to change to match the names in your WBLOCK. Then insert the WBLOCK and explode / purge. Then rename the text style to the correct name. Save the drawing and repeat the process for your dimension styles, or whatever other styles you are trying to remove, but this time, use the previously saved drawing in place of the WBLOCK. Repeat the process as many times as needed to clean the drawing to your desired settings.

[Tom Beauford]

How to find where non-purgeable items are used in a Civil 3D drawing

How to purge unused Civil 3D styles from a drawing file

This thread would be better in the AutoCAD Civil 3D - General Forum

[j.s.cook]

I'll give it a try and see how it works, thanks Opie!