Setting up Blocks with Multiple Scales

[mcbarrettchuk]

I'm using ACAD 07 and here is my question: We have blocks that you insert in which have 3 layers so that you have 3 sizes of the same block on different layers. The problem is you edit all 3 blocks each time a change is made. Another alternative was to create 2-3 files in which the data laid individually. I was wondering if there is a way to create a block that can be scaled accordingly, such as column bubbles independent of say column lines so that the overall scale of the grid isn't modified but merely the size of the bubbles are modified to meet the specific desired scale. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. I have tried the psbscale and pstscale modes and maybe there is more there to look into but for now I am not getting it. any help?
Thanks all!

p.s. I just joined AUGI and getting to realize the awesomeness of it all (yes I said awesomeness)

[Opie]

Welcome to AUGI.

Have you looked into Dynamic Blocks?

[chadwickt]

Welcome to the awesomeness that is AUGI!

Check out the ATP courses. http://www.augi.com/education/archive.asp?page=293
Scroll down to June 2005 Courses and you will find an archived course on Dynamic Blocks.

[JamminJim]

I am not sure if this meets your needs but here at my company we scaled the blocks to the size we want them at the final plot scale (1:1) in Paper Space and then use "Change Space" to push them back into Model Space.


We used to use different ToolBars per scale (ex: 048, 096, 128) that had the insertion scale set per the tool bar scale. the down side was that you had to switch ToolBars per the scale you were drawing at.

[mcbarrettchuk]

jfoster.53848, i think what you are describing is what we currently are using, and we get them to show at the correct scale. but if i understand correctly its not getting to show at the right scale as I can get that to work but I want one block not a 48, 96, etc. style block in one file because when one changes both has to change meaning sometime someday one will be overlooked.

Opie, dynamic blocks eh? interesting, i will do some research on it, sounds like a possibility...

chadwickt, this is pretty slick, i'm an augi fan now

[mcbarrettchuk]

okay, some dynamic block questions????

can they be used while placed in an xref'd file?

if for instance, it was used as a column bubble do you have to individually rescale all tags or is there a way to have the whole structure drawing scale itself accordingly?

i've heard the term SMART BLOCKS? is that different than dynamic blocks? could be a microstation term as the company used that pre-Me

thanks again all, if i can figure this out it will save me and others a huge amount of time and liability from silly mistakes causing larger problems.

thanks!

[.chad]

okay, some dynamic block questions????

can they be used while placed in an xref'd file?

if for instance, it was used as a column bubble do you have to individually rescale all tags or is there a way to have the whole structure drawing scale itself accordingly?

i've heard the term SMART BLOCKS? is that different than dynamic blocks? could be a microstation term as the company used that pre-Me

thanks again all, if i can figure this out it will save me and others a huge amount of time and liability from silly mistakes causing larger problems.

thanks!

on your tool palette you can set the insertion scale of a block to be the same as the current dimscale or psscale. we have ours set up like that, and it seems to be working out well, as long as you keep track of your dimscale when inserting a block. if they are drawn correctly (at the actual size you want it to be - text = 3/32" ) then you can scale them in the properties palette to any scale you want (48, 96, 128 etc) also pretty easily.

i would assume smart blocks are the same as dynamic blocks - check the DB sharing thread and the comprehensive list Opie put together of the blocks in that thread for some examples.

[mcbarrettchuk]

i am looking through the DB's to see if these fix it, but i am not sure i am explaining myself well enough. so let me try to explain it better.....I have sheet A1-05.dwg at 1/4" scale, I have a Stru.deg xref file with column bubbles drawn at 48 and it all shows up just fine. I then go to sheet A1-50A.dwg which is an enlarged plan at 1/4" scale with the same Stru.dwg file xref'd in with column bubbles drawn at 48 (i can make a new layer and draw at 24 but that's what i want to eliminate). I scale the viewports to 1/2" and the column bubbles and text come in twice the size as the 1/8" (as they should) but I want them to be the same scale as the 1/8" bubbles. meaning i have 3/32" high text and I want that for both Sheets and have only 1 layer in the Stru.dwg file to be modified. Is that what these DB's do? I am claiming to no nothing about them, as i dabbled in them for 20 minutes today for the first time, which seem sweet, if i can get them to work easily.

Basically, i have a block drawn at a 1/4" scale which works for 1/4" plans but then for my 1/2" enlarged plans I need a different sized block to be drawn in the base file. am i making sense/describing it well??