Block Manager?

[GPSJane]

Is there a place to see all the blocks in the drawing and to remove them, rename them etc? I would like to be able to see them like in ADCENTER but I can't change them there.

Also, if a block is on my tool pallette will it be added to the drawing as a reference or is it physically stored in the drawing? What if I delete the only instance of the block in my drawing, it is still there in the file right? How do I reference a block across many drawing to save space and to update the defintiion all at once? If it is on my tool pallette is it referencing a drawing (where it originated) or is it stored separately?

[Murph_Map · Accepted solution]

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@GPSJane wrote:

Is there a place to see all the blocks in the drawing and to remove them, rename them etc? I would like to be able to see them like in ADCENTER but I can't change them there.

Also, if a block is on my tool pallette will it be added to the drawing as a reference or is it physically stored in the drawing? What if I delete the only instance of the block in my drawing, it is still there in the file right? How do I reference a block across many drawing to save space and to update the defintiion all at once? If it is on my tool pallette is it referencing a drawing (where it originated) or is it stored separately?

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 1. No not out of the box AutoCAD, There are some block manager tools/addons out there that may work that way. 

2. The block is added to the dwg when you insert it or drag/drop from the tool palette. When you erase a block you are only erasing the geometry that you see. The block definition is still in the drawing, you need to use the PURGE command to remove it completely from a dwg.

3. Use X-reference (XREF)  if you want the block/objects to be in many dwgs that you will update once and all xref of it will update when the dwgs are opened up again or reloaded. 

4. Any block on the tool palette is referencing back to the originals dwg it was created in, BUT if you change the originals dwg it will not update in any dwgs you inserted it into from the tool palette. 

[GPSJane]

Thanks so much! One more question; how do I xref a block that is inside another drawing? I can't quite see how that works.

[Murph_Map]

You would need to wblock that block out to it's own dwg. WBLOCK is the command. It creates a new dwg from the block you select my name or objects in your dwg.  

[GPSJane]

Oh I see. I will try that.