Wipeout in a block

[vladimir_michl]

I tried to make a quick-n-dirty elevation label block displaying "+" for positive Y-values and "-" for negative Y. See http://www.cadforum.cz/catalog_en/block.asp?blk=10433

There is a wipeout covering parts of the block. But any draworder assigned in BEdit is not maintained when the block is inserted.Is it a bug?

Vladimir Michl, www.cadstudio.cz  www.cadforum.cz

[vladimir_michl]

Thanks Alfred.

Your drawing displays with a "+" in my AutoCAD 2014....

But your animation shows that the masks are different. It looks like the mask offset value is not stored in the drawing/block but taken from your current or last settings. Smells like a bug.

Vladimir Michl, www.cadstudio.cz  www.cadforum.cz

[heinsite]

I am seeing the same thing as Alfred.  Note the "U" feature to the left of the value.

Now... will somebody please tell me what you're using to create these short video clips and how you're inserting them in the posts? 

Dave.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> Now... will somebody please tell me what you're using to create these short video clips

I'm using Camtasia Studio from TechSmith >>>click<<<., for recording and cutting, after that all is done I save the finished video as animated GIF.

And this is how I attach that as an image (hopefully the video-in-video is understandable), look:

- alfred -

[heinsite]

Thanks, Alfred.  I use Techsmith's SnagIt which also offers video capture.  But it doesn't have a SaveAs to animated GIF files.  So I have to save the capture to YouTube or Screencast.com and then link it.  Or use Project Chronicle.  All involve too many extra steps.  That's why I asked how you were doing this.  Your method is much easier.

Dave.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi Vladimir,

>> It looks like the mask offset value is not stored in the drawing/block but taken from your current or last settings

I would have no idea what setting that might be. Ideas about SORTENTS or similar ...?

At least as you can open my drawing and it's ok I guess it is something saved in the registry, not in the drawing.

If you like to step into the issue please find attached my exported sysvar-settings, it might help to compare our sysvars.

- alfred -

[vladimir_michl]

End of alert. Now I can see it - it works properly in all cases. You only have to disable the FIELDDISPLAY mode to see it on your screen but the values are generated properly - they will always print, plot and publish properly.

Vladimir Michl, www.cadstudio.cz  www.cadforum.cz

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I use Techsmith's SnagIt which also offers video capture

I didn't know that you can do video-capturing with SnagIt. Well, now looking to it ... found 😉

As it saves to AVI ==> there are a lot of converters from AVI to anim-GIF to be found in www. So if you search in www it will need some time to test all these for filesize and videoquality (I have done a lot of tests and at least for me it was Techsmith-Camtasia fullfilling our needs, especially for software documentation besides/instead of manuals).

- alfred -

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> You only have to disable the FIELDDISPLAY mode

Bingo, solved, great!

- alfred -

[heinsite]

Agreed.  It works for me now too.

And thanks for that AVI -> GIF idea, Alfred.  I'll start looking around.  It's an extra step but worth it if I don't have to buy another program I really don't need.  SnagIt has done a pretty good job for me for the videos I've had to create so far.  And the latest version is much better in terms of file sizes than the previous one was.

Dave.

[maxim_k]

Yes with FIELDDISPLAY it works. But it doesn't work in AC for Mac, I think it's because Mac version of AutoCAD doesn't support Position field property for Blocks (and all other objects). Will try to investigate is it a bug or "by design".

Maxim

[maxim_k]

Hi Dave,

I'm on Mac, so using QuickTime Player (build-in application) for recording screen casts and then make GIFs with "GIF Brewery" application (from Mac AppStore).

Maxim

[cbenner]

---

@Alfred.NESWADBA wrote:

Hi,

>> There is a wipeout covering parts of the block

I guess it's not a problem for "parts of the blocks" globally, the situation arises because the objects you like to hide are attributes. And as you know attribute-references are attached after the blockreference is created, so the attributes will be added at a time when the wipeout (and the hatch) are already generated.

Sorry, - alfred -

---

Alfred,

I'm running into a similar situation as this old thread.

I have a block (bunch of them really) set up for use in P&ID's where we may have long tag numbers.  The blocks all contain a wipeout in the lower portion of the block.  Draw order is set to have the wipeout UNDER the attribute, but OVER the boundary.  Wipeoutframe is set to "0".

In the preview and in creating the Wblock it all looks good and works great. 

But as soon as I insert the block, the wipeout reverts to being under everything.  I have to edit the block (only once per session), and redo the draw order that was set when the block was created.

Any thoughts?

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

may I have a drawing with some (at least one of) that blocks to play with?

By default (I hate wipeout) I use hatches of type "SOLID" with color white (true-color 255,255,255) and use that instead of a wipeout. But I know that for black background workers it's not a good workaround as you see a white big box on your black background.

Maybe with your drawing we get some additional options working 😉

- alfred -

[jggerth1]

Will an Multiline attribute with background masking work for you?  seems the easiest thing to set up.

[cbenner]

Drawing1.dwg is a blank drawing that the block was inserted into.  Wipeoutframe on that one was not set to "0".  The other is the wblock file itself.

I agree... a big white blob would not look too good on these......  Thanks for looking!

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> But as soon as I insert the block, the wipeout reverts to being under everything

Can't reproduce that, when I insert the block using the command _INSERT (in your "drawing1.dwg") the wipout looks like you show in screenshot 1 (marked as good).

When I create a new drawing and use design-center to insert the block "HDV1_PLNA_QUAD_LONG" (from your "drawing1.dwg") into my new drawing, also the wipout looks good (like you like it).

STOP ... what software exactly do you use? Just before I wanted to send the above lines I wanted to double check before and so my first test result is:

a) with Civil3D 2014 all works as I wrote in the lines before

b) with AutoCAD 2014 I have differences to Civil3D. the maybe most important difference is already my first test of the display by setting WIPEOUTFRAME to 0

      in Civil3D all looks like your first screenshot (the part of the circle under the letter is hidden)

      in AutoCAD the wipeout seems not to be present, even in your "drawing1.dwg"

What I tried now in AutoCAD:

- open your "drawing1.dwg"

- select your block ==> right click ==> blockeditor

- select the circle ==> right click ==> draw order ==> send to back

- close blockeditor with block save

==> existing block looks fine now

==> command _INSERT and do a new insert ==> looks fine also

==> using design center to insert the block from "drawing1.dwg" into another brand new drawing ==> looks fine again.

So at least even with AutoCAD (after the first display issue) after usign draworder to send the circle back all works without issues (for me), does that already solve it on your side too?

Additional Info (as a possible difference between your and my situation): I get proxy warnings (seems like Mechanical was active in this dwg?)

- alfred -

[cbenner]

Alfred,

Thanks for checking this out.  I was using this block in Autocad Electrical, and based on what you tried I tried this block in both AcadE and vanilla Autocad.  I only seem to have a problem with it not working when I insert it using the Icon Menu in Acad Electrical.  If I manually insert it, it works.  If I insert it (into a clean drawing) from the icon menu, it does not.

This at least points me in the direction I need to go to fix it... seems to be a lot of idiosynchrosies with Acad E!

Thanks for all of your help.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I only seem to have a problem with it not working when I insert it using the Icon Menu in Acad Electrical

And the option using DesignCenter to insert a block definied within another drawing (I have one drawing containing all blocks and use DesignCenter to drag & drop blockdefinitions into my current drawing when I need that). At the time you are used to that it might help (hopefully 😉 ).

Or do you mean with "Icon Menu" that you have menu's for each single block with a special insert-functionality need by ACAD-E?

 -alfred -

[cbenner]

Alfred,

I posted this over in the AcadE forum as well... and then this morning the problem magically went away.  As of this moment (hope it lasts), I can no longer re-create the proble,... I didn't make any changes.  Go figure.

But to answer your question about the icon menu, yes i has special functionality built in.  When you place a symbol form that menu it automatically breaks the wire around the symbol... reads the line and determines wether to insert the horizontal or vertical version of the symbol, and then after inserting it, opens the catalog editor for that item so you can give it tagging info, select a model number, add descriptions etc.

So... for now my problem has solved itself.... I'm hoping it lasts.  Thank you for all of your help!