difference between BLOCK and BLOCK REFERENCE
My understanding is that a when you insert a block into a drawing it is just a "block". A second, third, etc of the same block placed into the same drawing is a block reference because they reference back to the original block. However any block can be edited and they change so IMO a block and a block reference are the same thing. Maybe someone can say the actual definition differences. Is a block just all the things that make up the block like a block definition and the block reference is what it is after it is inserted?
Nick DiPietro
Cad Manager/Monkey
A block reference is an insertion of the block.
A block is its definition in the drawing database
@dmfrazier wrote:
The terms are often used interchangeably. Effectively they mean the same thing, which is an insert (or an instance in a drawing file) of a block definition.
A block definition is what the block "can be" or "will be", whether an insert (instance) exists in the drawing or not.
They do not mean the same thing, sorry. The "block" is the definition and never refers to the insert. They have totally different properties. The "block reference" is the inserted block. The basic properties for an insert or reference are it's InsertionPoint, scale factor and Rotation. The contents of the block are then drawn at the insertion point specified by the reference. The same terms apply to an xref. The only difference is that the xref's (block) contents are stored in an external file whereas a block is stored in the current dwg. Because some think they are the same, they have a difficult time working with blocks in lisp or other api's.
Ed
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@dmfrazier wrote:
"The "block reference" is the inserted block."
Thanks for the technical correction. No need to apologize.
Note that I did use the word "effectively".
Also note that the OP made no mention of LISP or APIs.
No worries, I just didn't want to sound like I was coming down on you. 😉
Although, the OP didn't mention api's, "block reference" is the term usually used in programming, esp VBA and .NET, so I did make an assumption. In helping many over the years, this has been a common problem with new programmers as well as new users.
Ed
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It is like a stamp and imprints of the stamp.
Block definition is about what the block contains, its geometry, attributes. Block references are about where the block is inserted (imprinted), its scale, layer and what is filled in its attributes.
Vladimir Michl, www.cadstudio.cz www.cadforum.cz
