Uniformly Scale Option
I know for myself I have always wanted to make sure the blocks that I created were only allowed to be scaled equally in all directions, instead of letting the user specify different X, Y and Z values. This is most likely something that a CAD Manager will use and implement to make sure blocks remain with in the companies CAD Standards. The option can be found with in the Block Definition dialog box that is used for the commands BMAKE, BLOCK and BMOD.



Can’t Explode Block Option
The ability to set a block to not being allowed to be exploded is another one of those small tweaks in blocks that will be very helpful. Just like the Scale uniformly property, this one will most likely be used by CAD Managers as well or those in the company that are trying to enforce CAD Standards.

Preview Icon in Insert dialog box
Not a huge leap forward, but a nice item to see finally added to the Insert dialog box is the ability to get a preview of a block that has already been inserted into the drawing.



Improved Attribute Extraction Wizard
After many releases of the Enhanced Attribute Extract command being available, Autodesk has decided to tweak the command. There have been many great new enhancements to the interface and the output formats. I will cover the interface changes first and then what has changed with the output formats. The order of the interface has been changed up a little to allow for a much more logical approach to extracting the attributes out of the drawing. For instance, you select that you want to work with a template or start from scratch right up front instead of half-way through the command.

Some of the other improvements that you will find in the Attribute Extraction wizard in this release is the ability to extract attributes from a Sheet Set, Create a Table as one of the output formats, include External References in the block count and do a full preview of the extract results. Along with all that there is now the ability to quickly update the counts in a Table if that is chosen as the output format.


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It is great to finally to be able to extract attributes and to place them directly in a Table object, but what is even nicer is that there is an option to have an icon placed in the status bar of AutoCAD when the table data needs to be refreshed. AutoCAD maintains a link to the data and automatically refreshes the table when something in the original data has changed. This is great for handling attributes that might have changed after the last extraction or updated.



Lock Position Property for Attributes
Have you ever wanted to create an attribute for you block, but not want it to be moved? It is now possible to lock an attribute so it can’t be moved, this can be good for things like callouts or even title blocks. The property can be found in the two commands used to create attribute definitions, –ATTDEF and ATTDEF.

Command: -attdef

Current attribute modes:
Invisible=N Constant=N Verify=N Preset=N Lock position=Y
Enter an option to change [Invisible/Constant/Verify/Preset/Lock position] <done>:



Dynamic Blocks
Blocks have been around for a long time in AutoCAD and just about everyone uses them in one shape or another. But what happens if you take a technology that Autodesk created back at the end of the late ‘90s called Actrix and combine it with AutoCAD. The result is Dynamic Blocks, which is by far one of the things that will forever change the way you look at creating blocks. Dynamic blocks are going to be one of those things that will take a little bit of tinkering with and a little bit of time to implement, but in the end it will be worth the time and effort. I come from an Architectural and Facility Planning background and can see this feature quickly impacting both these areas.

Just imagine you currently have a bunch of door blocks in your library to represent maybe a 30”, 32” and 36” door. Doors are available in a left and right hand swing and even some have a reverse swing option. So you currently might have 12 blocks to do this today. With Dynamic Blocks you could do all of this with one. Ok so that is Architecture, but what about Mechanical. You could create a block that represents several different bolts in plan view or a block that might be capable of displaying a top view or a side view in the same block. The possibilities are truly endless and once you add a dab of customization in the mix you will have a very powerful combination.


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To pull this off Autodesk introduced a new Block Editor tool that allows you to quickly navigate content of the block as if you just opened it in a new drawing window, actually it is a new drawing window with a special toolbar along the top. In this environment you will be able to specify parameters for geometry in the block and then specify an action. You can do things that you might have only dreamed possible before. It is now possible to create an action that allows you to move nested geometry or rotate it a round a base point. This one affects the single reference of the block and not al the other ones like it in a drawing. So you could create a block with a desk and chair and be able to move the chair independently in the block, but it is still one single block.


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The parameters are used to specify the type of grip that can be used to edit the block after it has been inserted into a drawing. Once the parameter has been placed in the Block Editor you then assign the corresponding Action to the Parameter. When you assign the Action you will be prompted to select the objects that should be acted upon when the grip is clicked and edited. Not all Parameters operate like normal grips where you can stretch or move objects, some display a popup list of visibility options. This allows you to create a single block that can be used to represent many different types of valves for instance. You can click on the grip and select a different one from the popup menu. The original geometry is toggled to invisible and the new geometry is now visible.