The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line
Creating and Inserting a Symbol If you have a symbol that you use often in a drawing, you
can draw it once and then turn it into an AutoCAD block. A block can be placed in a drawing
multiple times in any location, like a rubber stamp. Blocks are stored in a drawing as a block definition,
which can be called up at any time.
Master It Name the dialog box used to create a block from objects in a drawing, and also
name the tool to open this dialog box.
Solution The Block Definition dialog box can be opened using the Make Block tool.
Modifying a Block Once you’ve created a block, it isn’t set in stone. One of the features of a
block is that you can change the block definition, and all the copies of the block are updated to
the new definition.
Master It What is the name of the tool used to “unblock” a block?
Solution You can use the Explode tool to break a block down to its component objects.
Once this is done, you can modify the objects and then redefine the block.
Understanding the Annotation Scale In some cases, you’ll want to create a block that is
dependent on the drawing scale. You can create a block that adjusts itself to the scale of your
drawing through the annotation scale feature. When the annotation scale feature is turned on for
a block, the block can be set to appear at the correct size depending on the scale of your drawing.
Master It What setting in the Block Definition dialog box turns on the annotation scale
feature, and how do you set the annotation scale of a block?
Solution The Annotative option in the Block Definition dialog box turns on the annotation
scale feature. You can set the scales for a block by selecting the block, right-clicking, and
selecting Object Scale  Add/Delete Scales.
Grouping Objects Blocks can be used as a tool to group objects together, but blocks can be too
rigid for some grouping applications. AutoCAD offers groups, which are collections of objects
that are similar to blocks but aren’t as rigidly defined.
Master It How are groups different from blocks?
Solution Objects in a group can be easily edited by turning groups off with a Shift+Ctrl+A
keystroke. Also, unlike blocks, groups don’t have a single definition stored in the drawing
that defines the group’s appearance. You can copy a group, but each copy is independent of
the other groups.