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Block Creation

This section describes the commands used to create custom blocks.

Plan view blocks represent devices on your drawings. They are 2D representations of the devices.

3D blocks represent devices in your 3D model.

One-line blocks represent items on your one-line diagram.

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Common Block Information​

  •  Description The name of the block that is displayed when you select the block in the schedule dialog box.

  •  Block Name The file name of the block displayed on the plan.

  •  3D Block Name The file name of the block displayed in 3D. You can enter a specific file name, or select <2D Block Name>-3d. If you select this name, the 3D block name will be the same as the Block Name field, but with -3D appended to the end of the file name.

  •  ☐ To Scale Whether the block is to scale.

    Blocks that are to scale are inserted on the drawing at their actual size. The scale factor for the block will be 1. Changing DIMSCALE will not change the size of the block. Light fixtures and panels are commonly inserted to scale.

    Blocks that are not to scale will vary in size depending upon the scale of the drawing. The scale factor of the block will be equal to the DIMSCALE setting of the drawing. Changing DIMSCALE will change the size of the device. Receptacles and switches are commonly inserted not to scale.

    tip

    If devices that use a particular block are too big or too small compared to other devices, it is often because the ☐ To Scale setting is not correct for that block.

  •  ☐ Can Rotate Whether the block can be rotated.

    When a block that can be rotated is inserted, you are prompted to specify the rotation angle. They can also be rotated using the standard CAD ROTATE command.

    When a block that cannot be rotated is inserted, you are not prompted to specify the rotation angle. The block is inserted with a rotation angle of 0. If you attempt to rotate the block, the rotation angle will be reset to 0.