Display a block's base point

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'd like to display a visual "cue" of some kind (a grip point or whatever) in the block editor so that I can see right away where the base point is defined.

Is that possible, and if so, how ?

Thank you

Luc

[pendean]

Most block creators for the last 20+ years put a POINT object type inside the block at that location and leave it there. Seems to be a decent option.
PDMODE controls what POINT objects look like if you want to explore more.

[Anonymous]

Ah, nice trick.

So I take it that if the block creator didn't add a point object, there's no direct way to highlight the base point ?

I'm stuck having to revise maybe 100 blocks and make sure they all abide to a standard definition, which is to have the base point in the lower left corner.

Is there maybe a way to obtain the X & Y coordinates of the base point from the command prompt ? 

Thanks

[Kent1Cooper]

I have sometimes just drawn [outside BEDIT or REFEDIT] a temporary Line from Osnapping to the Block's Insertion point to anywhere, and then in REFEDIT [rather tha BEDIT, since I have access to things that are not part of the Block itself] I can Osnap to that as one end of a Move displacement to place the Block's contents where I want them in relation to the Insertion point.

But check out this routine, which is to let you redefine the base point of a Block, I believe without the need to know where it is currently, and to adjust all existing insertions of it so they end up in the same place they were before, even though their insertion points change.  [I haven't tried it.]

[Anonymous]

In the block editor, place a BASE POINT.

[Anonymous]

Hi John,

Yes, this seems like a very good way to visually represent the base point, but unfortunately I'm dealing with legacy blocks, and I'm having a hard time figuring it out for each. The original designer who created those blocks didn't use that technique.

If a block doesn't explicitely define a basepoint, where does it get "created" by default ?

Thanks

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

... 

If a block doesn't explicitely define a basepoint, where does it get "created" by default ?

.... 

---

If by that you mean if the User doesn't specify otherwise, where does it go, it's 0,0,0 [the default in the Block Definition dialog box], which of course will be very different relative to the pieces, depending on where you're drawing at the time.  That has meant [for us] a lot of Blocks made by careless draftspeople with insertion base points that are off in the hinterlands with no discernible relationship to their content, so when you pick on one, the basepoint grip is not even close to being in the viewing area.  One benefit of the old Command:-line Block command over the dialog-box-based one was that you were forced to specify a base point, and I wish the dialog-box version would not let you get away with 0,0,0 except by very deliberate choice.  Not that I have any idea how it could do that -- could it perhaps default to the middle of the collective bounding box of the pieces, rather than to 0,0,0, if the User doesn't choose a location explicitly?

[Anonymous]

If not specified by the user when creating the block, then the default base point is 0,0,0.

[Anonymous]

All,

Thanks for your comments. I realize that I had a wrong conception about this so called insertion point.

I did some testing and saw that if in fact you leave the base point at <0,0,0>, then the result is somehow surprising 🙂

As far as the task of cleaning up those macros and properly"documenting" the insertion point, it's gonna have to be a manual task.

Thanks again.

Cheers

[braudpat]

Hello from France

Something a little bit different from what you are asking for ...

Very often I have to check (visually) blocks and their insert XYZ point, so I use a small VLisp routine "NOD-INS" which draws (on the current layer) a graphic XYZ point (please change DDPTYE, PDMODE, PDSIZE according your visual style) ...

Regards, Patrice (I am not an Autodesk Advisor)

[tim_wang14E54N]

agree all

[jreidKVSUZ]

Luc,

I am a little confused about your request now, but I will post what I have been using for a long time.

I apologize, I do not know the originator. This will only do one block at a time. But with OSNAP set, goes very quickly.

Simply AP Load the BP.lsp file and type BP, then Pick your Block and then Pick your Insert Point.

Tip, download the BP.lsp file, go to Downloads, then inside AutoCAD type AP and Drag and Drop the lisp file inside that window, then load. Easiest way to add a LSP file into the right folder.

Hope this helps and enjoy!!

Thanks, JRR!

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I'd like to display a visual "cue" of some kind (a grip point or whatever) in the block editor so that I can see right away where the base point is defined. ....

---

If you're in the BEDIT Block Editor [not the REFEDIT Block Editor], it's the origin 0,0,0.  You can add a Point or something there as has been suggested, if you need a visual reference, or just know that's where it is.  You can Move everything in the definition to have a preferred relationship to that origin.