Copy a block with a new name?!

[gnarkill283]

Wow. I am trying to restrain myself here because I've had to come back to cad for a project after working in revit for over a year and the 2017 version is making me lose it. I want to know how to do something as simple as copying a block with a new name and here are autodesk's instructions:

Here is what I see on the panel:

WHERE THE **** IS BLOCK EDITOR???!!! I AM RUNNING AUTODESK ARCHITECTURE 2017. HOW CAN YOU GIVE SUCH TERRIBLE INSTRUCTIONS - NOT JUST HERE BUT ON PRACTICALLY EVERY HELP PAGE! GIVE ME MORE INFORMATION, GIVE ME MULTIPLE WAYS OF EXECUTING THE COMMAND (I AM SURE THERE'S A COMMAND I CAN TYPE TO DO THE SAME THING NOT JUST GO CLICKING AROUND IN THE PANELS), GIVE ME SCREENSHOTS OF THE PANELS AND PROMPTS NOT JUST LITTLE ICONS! IT IS SO FRUSTRATING THAT I HAVE TO COME HERE FOR SOMETHING SO SIMPLE!

[gnarkill283]

I found a workaround solution by just using the "rename" command... Another thing autodesk could add to their unhelpful help page. I still would like to know where this elusive block editor is and how autodesk can produce such incorrect information if its not on my end...

[pendean]

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@gnarkill283 wrote:

I still would like to know where this elusive block editor is and how autodesk can produce such incorrect information if its not on my end...

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BEDIT command...

 

[gnarkill283]

You think I didn't try that? Please do tell how you rename a block in the "edit block definition" prompt

[David_W_Koch]

1. Find or place an instance of the block definition that you want to copy/rename.
2. Select the instance, right click and choose Copy Block Definition and Assign from the context menu.
3. In the New Block Definition dialgog, enter the new name and press the OK button.
4. Done.

The instance you selected will now be of the new block definition.

If you would rather use the Block Editor, that is on the right-click contextual menu, too.

[gnarkill283]

Thanks but this is yet another way of doing it. So can we agree that the help page by autodesk is incorrect and must be fixed?

[David_W_Koch · Accepted solution]

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@gnarkill283 wrote:

Thanks but this is yet another way of doing it. So can we agree that the help page by autodesk is incorrect and must be fixed?

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You will sleep a lot better at night when you realize that the AutoCAD Architecture help, similar to the program itself, is built on top of the AutoCAD help.  Items covering what are essentially an AutoCAD commands (with no effective modification in AutoCAD Architecture) will use the AutoCAD help, even when, as you have found, the AutoCAD Architecture interface varies from that of AutoCAD, on which the help was based.

In this particular case, in AutoCAD 2017, the Insert ribbon tab has a Block Definition panel that has, at the far right side, a tool labeled "Block Editor" with an icon much like the one in the image you posted.  The AutoCAD Architecture Insert tab rearranges things, made the block editor tool smaller and changed the label to "Edit Block".  Should the AutoCAD Architecture help reflect that?  In an ideal world, yes, it should.  Do I expect that it ever will?  Many complained about similar discrepancies years back when AutoCAD Architecture was being actively developed.  If the resources were not available to do so back then, I doubt they will become available now.

One item that I find useful when trying to find something in the interface that I rarely use, so forget its location, is the search feature on the Application Menu.  Typing in block editor calls up a number of items; the first one in this case is the Edit Block ribbon tool.  The location of the tool is shown, and you can click on that result to initiate the command.

[Victoria.Studley]

Hi @gnarkill283,

I'm just checking in to see if you need more help with this. It looks like @David_W_Koch's provided helpful answers to your questions here.

If so, please click Accept Solution on the posts that helped you so others in the community can find them easily.

[gnarkill283]

Didn't see this until after I posted pretty much an identical rant about the help page. I promise not to start another thread about the ineptness of the help page but I hope my other thread left unsolved will get someone at autodesk to look into their help pages

[Anonymous]

Great, real simple right!!? I used to be able to do that until IT upgraded my computer and the CAD installed in my machine DOES NOT HAVE THAT "COPY AND ASSIGN" option in the right click "quick menu"!!! I've been Googling for help on this as to how to get that "copy and assign", but nothing as simple as checking a box in the option menu or something. 

[David_W_Koch]

@Anonymous 

It sound like your new computer has one of the following two things going on:

• Only vanilla AutoCAD was installed.
• AutoCAD Architecture was installed, but you are running it in the AutoCAD profile, "as AutoCAD".

The Copy Block Definition and Assign context menu choice is an AutoCAD Architecture thing.  The CopyBlockDefAndAssign command is an unknown command in vanilla AutoCAD.

[LRoetcisoender]

A work around I found is to just open a new drawing document copy the block there and change the name using _Rename then you just copy it back into the doc and it should have the desired effect. a little clunky but it works. 

[smarshall3558598]

Totally, the instructions on this site are so useless. Nothing matches, and with no screen grabs literally can't follow any instructions. You need to do better AutoCAD