Dynamic Blocks

[#1]

Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it. Try to make my valve (attached) without using this lisp
routine, you'll spend 10X longer.


Here are the steps I figured out:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elements:
Lines, arcs, splines, attributes, text, etc.

1) Place all the elements. The location doesn't matter at first, so make
them easy to select by not stacking things on top of each other.

2) Add all the parameters/actions you want - DO NOT add any visibility
states or lookups yet. Make sure your actions affect the things you want,
and don't affect the things you don't want them to.

3) Load visibility-add-eng.lsp.

4) Add a visibility parameter using (visibility_add). Rename the parameter
accordingly.

5) Set this new visibility parameter active using (visibility-up). There is
a little problem with the program here. When you have one visibility
parameter active and you set a new one active, it gets hung up. Use the
visibility state pulldown and select a state. Note the command line will
ask you for a visibility state. Type ? to see those available, then type in
any name you want.

6) Add the states to the list of visibilities - DO NOT change the visibility
of anything yet.

7) Using (element-sel-current-del) select all the elements you do not want
to be affected when you change this particular visibility state.
For example: If I'm working on the "actuator" visibility states, I don't
want my valve type to change if a person wants to use a different actuator,
therefore, I will select every element that is not an actuator.

8) Now you can make elements visible or invisible in the states you've
defined. Do not bother changing the visibility of the elements you've
removed.
NOTE: if you draw a new object or copy something, it will not be removed
from any visibility sets.

9) Repeat steps 4 thru 8.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I did not list all the functions in this routine. Many I don't even know
how to use yet, or why.

Todd

[#2]

This is really cool! There are so many blocks where I need multiple
visibility states. I only discovered this two days ago and I've already
started making more powerful DB's. I too have notice that you need to
construct the DB in a very deliberate way for it to work, but once you
figure that out its great!



Thank you,

Jim Dee

www.caddee.com



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it. Try to make my valve (attached) without using this lisp
routine, you'll spend 10X longer.


Here are the steps I figured out:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elements:
Lines, arcs, splines, attributes, text, etc.

1) Place all the elements. The location doesn't matter at first, so make
them easy to select by not stacking things on top of each other.

2) Add all the parameters/actions you want - DO NOT add any visibility
states or lookups yet. Make sure your actions affect the things you want,
and don't affect the things you don't want them to.

3) Load visibility-add-eng.lsp.

4) Add a visibility parameter using (visibility_add). Rename the parameter
accordingly.

5) Set this new visibility parameter active using (visibility-up). There is
a little problem with the program here. When you have one visibility
parameter active and you set a new one active, it gets hung up. Use the
visibility state pulldown and select a state. Note the command line will
ask you for a visibility state. Type ? to see those available, then type in
any name you want.

6) Add the states to the list of visibilities - DO NOT change the visibility
of anything yet.

7) Using (element-sel-current-del) select all the elements you do not want
to be affected when you change this particular visibility state.
For example: If I'm working on the "actuator" visibility states, I don't
want my valve type to change if a person wants to use a different actuator,
therefore, I will select every element that is not an actuator.

8) Now you can make elements visible or invisible in the states you've
defined. Do not bother changing the visibility of the elements you've
removed.
NOTE: if you draw a new object or copy something, it will not be removed
from any visibility sets.

9) Repeat steps 4 thru 8.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I did not list all the functions in this routine. Many I don't even know
how to use yet, or why.

Todd

[#3]

Are you confident such modifications will survive in other versions of
AutoCAD? I glanced at the code which all seemed very confusing.
I didn't spend enough time with it to determine what it is actually doing
but I hope for the sake of your time, all your new and improved blocks
don't fall apart or cause corruption.

Good luck.



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it.

[#4]

No problem. At the pace our company upgrades, we shouldn't have to worry
about it for about 10 years.

Win XP Pro SP2
P4 3.06
AutoCAD 2006

Todd


"Jason Piercey" wrote in message
news:6217508@discussion.autodesk.com...
Are you confident such modifications will survive in other versions of
AutoCAD? I glanced at the code which all seemed very confusing.
I didn't spend enough time with it to determine what it is actually doing
but I hope for the sake of your time, all your new and improved blocks
don't fall apart or cause corruption.

Good luck.



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it.

[#5]

The best solution is for AutoDesk to just add the flexibility of multiple
visibility states. Until then, I'm going with this.

Is anyone using it in AutoCAD 2010 or later?

Todd


"Jason Piercey" wrote in message
news:6217508@discussion.autodesk.com...
Are you confident such modifications will survive in other versions of
AutoCAD? I glanced at the code which all seemed very confusing.
I didn't spend enough time with it to determine what it is actually doing
but I hope for the sake of your time, all your new and improved blocks
don't fall apart or cause corruption.

Good luck.



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it.

[#6]

In AutoCAD 2010 it is OK.
I'm preparing visibility-add-eng-v1.2 where some inaccuracies will be removed.

[#7]

Version 1.2 is added. See commentary here: http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/2009/tainypod12e.htm

[#8]

Cool, I'll try it when I get a chance.


wrote in message news:6225878@discussion.autodesk.com...
Version 1.2 is added. See commentary here:
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/2009/tainypod12e.htm

[#9]

Hello,

This is what I was looking for!

well, I have some doubts. still cannot make this work.

after I add a visibility with visibility_add, what should I do?

if I try to use the visibility up, I can not select the visibility parameter that I added before.

if I try to add another parameter visibility, the program returns error.

what am I doing wrong?

I sending the file that I'm working. I want select what the elements in the legend I want.

Sorry for the errors, I'm brazilian and I don't speak english very well. Google Translate help me #) Edited by: rafa.fiss on Jul 31, 2009 5:58 PM

[#10]

AutoCAD sees only one visibilty parameter in the Block Editor while editing its visibility states. This parameter is at the top of an internal vis-parameters list.
So you cannot edit visibility parameter until it becames up on the top in the block definition. If you want to do something with a parameter you should first make it uppest (use visibility-up) and only then edit it. After that you can put another vis-parameter to the top (use visibility-up again but pick another parameter) and then edit it.
And so on.