issues with Express tools "flatten"

[Anonymous]

Hi, I haven't used the flatten command in a long time and needed it the other day.

Maybe this is something new with it, but it is forcing all blocks to the current layer and adding a numbered "flat" suffix at the end.

This is not good. The only way to get the blocks back to their original layer is to explode it.

And renaming the block is even worse.

Is there any way around this. I ended up using the "change" command instead.

Thanks,

Rick

[Kent1Cooper]

How about BEDITing or REFEDITing the Block, and inside that, using FLATTEN on the pieces in it, rather than on any insertion(s) of the Block?

[Anonymous]

I'm flattening an entire dwg with blocks inserted, not just flattening blocks

Thanks

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Can you attach a file for me to investigate?

It sounds like you have a drawing with a variety of blocks in it. Are the blocks in 3D or are they inserted at different z values and you are trying to move them all to a height of 0?

Please give me a bit more detail on what you are trying to do in your workflow and I am happy to make some suggestions.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous]

Okay, here is the full story....we used arch plans from another company for our backgrounds which were not made with an autodesk product and there is stuff at all different levels. ( I will be using the change command on them from now on) The problem arose when the guys started doing line work and snapping to midpoint, endpoint etc. When they couldn't make "chamfer" work properly I checked and of course the endpoints of lines were not co-planer.

So I thought the easiest way was to just use "flatten" over the entire dwg at once. That is when I noticed all of the blocks were put on the current layer and renamed with a "flat" suffix.

Thanks,

Rick

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

I don't think I have ever seen the block issue before with flatten. You are welcome to send me a before and after  set of sample drawings if youlike. YOu might also have your users try changing a setting in the Drating tab of options: Replace Z value with current elevation.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[pendean]

it happens, it's not unusual and why most of us avoid using it and choose 3rd party Lisp alternated to address only the Z-elevations of things.

What choices did you select from the pop-up?

[Anonymous]

I get no pop up when using in flatten

[pendean]

sorry, I was staring at the OVERKILL command at the time. My mistake.

[Anonymous]

Thanks John, I couldn't send these through the forum. It didn't recognize
the file extension fo rsome reason.
Rick

[john.vellek]

HI @Anonymous,

I am sorry for my late reply as I have been out of the office for a couple of days.  Try putting your file(s) in a ZIP file and attaching to a post. I think that will be successful.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, here you go

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

In my opinion, the FLATTEN tool is not the strongest one available. There are numerous other apps that have better code. At any rate, when I opened your file, the first thing I did was make sure that I was back to a World UCS and viewing the data from a Top view.

This seems to work but you will find the blocks get redefined to a new name. I am not sure why the creator of the routine did this but I suspect that there was a problem(s) in simply redefining the existing block. The routine has been around so long that perhaps it had to do with mirrored blocks.

At any rate, take a look at my file and see if it behaves any better for you.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous]

Is there a reason not to use the properties palette and just change the Z value to 0??  That will leave the blocks alone and just move their insertion point to z=0

[Anonymous]

The bigger issue is that it puts all blocks on the current layer, so no one portion can be frozen off or isolated.

[Anonymous]

There is always a work around, I guess I was trying to see if there was a fix, or if I was doing something wrong.

Thanks for the reply.

[chriscowgill7373]

The flatten command has always behaved this way, to add the suffix to the name of the block.  Thats the downside to the express tools, they were written a long time ago, and havent really been updated or had any support.  Change, or the properties palette is the best way to move all blocks to a 0 elevation.

[john.vellek]

HI @Anonymous,

Yes, the way it creates new blocks and places them on layer 0 is the way it was designed. If all you are trying to do is move the block insertion points to z=0 then the properties method is the easiest.

I have received blocks in the past that weren't flat and just inserted at the right height. I used a qselect to grab the blocks, moved them to a new dwg temporarily and then flattened there.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Thanks all for your replies, this will be my final reply then I will accept as solution.

John the file I sent you was a ceiling grid in which the grids were a block created from a client for an xref. The blocks were on their own layer named something like a-grid. Our engineers had been using these as they came for a while before we realized what was going on. So i chose to use flatten on the entire dwg which changed the ceiling grid blocks to a different layer.

So I was just curious why, and if there was a setting for the flatten command.

I now know there is not and I will work around this another way in the future, probably with the change command.

Thanks again for everyone's help,

Rick

[Anonymous]

actually, as an express tool, flatten IS the workaround.