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Dynamic Block Tutorial #1: Creating Wall

August 20, 2009 By Edwin Prakoso 1 Comment

Dynamic block feature has opened many possibilities to enhance your AutoCAD libraries and your
workflow. You can manage less objects in your library, and you can automate some process with it.
In this first AutoCAD dynamic block tutorial, we will learn how to create an object with adjustable
length. Many practices can use this process, but this time we will create a wall.

How long does it take to draw a simple floor plan with AutoCAD? Let’s say a typical rent office plan,
not much walls to be drawn, plenty of open spaces. What if I say only need a few minutes? Includes
annotation, door schedule, column schedule, and wall schedule? Drawing, not designing.

The secret is prepare your template, create some reusable content definitions, some customization,
use the proper tools, then you are ready to rock! I will post several tutorials to prepare them, and will
close this series with using all of them in creating our plan! In this topic, we will create a wall
definition with dynamic block. You will see how dynamic block can speed up the design process.

Creating the Wall

Create a new file. Use acadiso.dwt as template. Sorry if you use imperial units, you might want to try
use the same unit as I do, or use imperial by converting it.

Lets create 3 layers:

1. A-Wall, set the color to red, lineweight to 1.5

2. A-Wall-Structure, set the color to 9, lineweight to 0.09
3. A-Wall-Pattern, set the color to 8, lineweight to 0.00

For your information, if you are not familiar with lineweight 0.00, setting it to 0.00 will plot the
AutoCAD geometry using the lineweight as thin as your plotter can support.

Why we created 3 AutoCAD layers? We separate the structure and hatches so we can represent our
AutoCAD drawing in different details. When we represent it in relatively large scale drawing, we can
show all of them. But when we use very small scales, we will hide some details i our drawing. Yes, if
you are Revit user, I’m imitating Revit detail level :)

Let’s start drawing our object. Activate layer A-Wall. Draw a rectangle with size 500×150 like below.
Then draw rectangle 500×110 inside it on layer A-Wall-Pattern. After that, add a brick pattern on
layer A-Wall-Structure. I use ANSI32 with scale 8 for this drawing. Make sure the pattern is
associated!

http://cad-notes.com/2009/08/dynamic-block-tutorial-1-creating-wall/[7/19/2012 7:07:23 PM]

AutoCAD Dynamic Block tutorial: stretchable wall | CAD Notes

Defining Block
After creating the wall geometry, let’s create a block from it.

Select your wall as the block objects, and pick insertion point as shown below. Give your block name
‘brickwall’.

First step is done. You’ve created a reusable content for wall object, next we will add some
intelligence to our object.

Add some Action

I want my wall can be stretched so it can fit wherever I place it. This is a very simple AutoCAD
dynamic block, but I think it’s perfect practice if you never created a dynamic block. To add actions to
your block, you have to open it in block editor.

Select your block, right click, and select Block Editor from context menu. This will bring you to block
editor interface. Let’s take a look to Block Authoring Palette.

It has three palette: parameters, actions, and parameter sets. Placing parameters is how you specify
which parts of your objects to be references, and provide the information to actions you will add later.

Open your parameter palette, then activate linear parameter. Place the linear parameter like below.
It’s similar to placing dimension!

FOLLOW CAD NOTES

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AutoCAD Dynamic Block tutorial: stretchable wall | CAD Notes

See the arrow on both side. We only need this wall stretched on the right side only, so we don’t need
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the left arrow. Select the left arrow, and delete it.

Open properties palette, it’s on view tab. Or you can simply type CH [enter] for command line freaks.

Select your parameter, change the distance label to ‘Length’.

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We will use this label to create our wall schedule later. If you don’t change it, then you will have the
The Best, the Rest, the Rare: 100 AutoCAD
default value ‘distance’ as column header.
Tips You Should Know

Now we have finished placing our parameter. Now the block know we want to do something with the How to Convert AutoCAD Drawing Units from
distance with the referenced points. There are several action can use linear parameter, but now we One to Another?
want to use stretch. Introduction to Annotation Scale
Creating Your Own AutoCAD Line Type
Open the action palette. Activate stretch action.
How to: embed image to AutoCAD drawing
Select parameter:
Select the linear parameter you’ve placed before. Help us to improve!
Fill this survey form and give your opinion and
Specify parameter point to associate with action or enter [sTart point/Second point] <Second>: suggestions.

Select the right point of our parameter, we want the wall stretched to this side.

Specify first corner of stretch frame or [CPolygon]:

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AutoCAD Dynamic Block tutorial: stretchable wall | CAD Notes

This time you will have to define the stretch frame. Same with when you are doing stretch, only this
time you predefine it.

Specify objects to stretch

We want all of our objects to stretch, so select them all.

Specify action location or [Multiplier/Offset]:

Place the action location. You can place it anywhere, it’s just a symbol. But the better place is near
your action, so if anybody want to modify it later can find it easily.

Close your block editor. When AutoCAD ask you to save your block, save it. You are done!

Test your block, see if it works perfectly. stretch it to lengthen and shorten it.

Next, we will create another dynamic block. We will create multiple size of column inside a block. We
will also use the column in our complete plan I promised you earlier.

If you want to learn about AutoCAD block in more details, with more exercises,
you can purchase AutoCAD Block Best Practices book here.

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1. Dynamic Block Tutorial #2: Creating Column
2. Dynamic Block Tutorial #3: Door
3. Dynamic Block Tutorial #4: Adding More Actions
4. Dynamic Block Tutorial #5: Controlling Visibility
5. Using Parametric Features in Dynamic Block
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Filed Under: AutoCAD Tutorial Tagged With: AutoCAD tutorial, dynamic block

About Edwin Prakoso

Edwin works as an Application Engineer in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has 4 years
experience in building industry, then start to work for Autodesk reseller.
He is certified as Revit Architecture 2010 certified professional and CATIA V5 part
design specialist. Currently he is involved as team leader for implementing SmarTeam as PDM in
several companies.
You can reach him on twitter @cad_notes. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn. If you
prefer email, reach him at edwin.prakoso@cad-notes.com.

http://cad-notes.com/2009/08/dynamic-block-tutorial-1-creating-wall/[7/19/2012 7:07:23 PM]

AutoCAD Dynamic Block tutorial: stretchable wall | CAD Notes

1 comment 0 Stars

Discussion Community "

Construction.com • 2 years ago

This is a great article for any autocad user. It breaks everything down into
easy to follow instructions for anyone to use. I highly recommend anyone having
problems with AutoCad read this article as well as any others they can find.

0/ * • Reply • Share ›

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