AutoCAD Block issue - Dynamic, annotative block with attribute text

[sbsomers]

We are experiencing trouble with a couple of our annotative dynamic blocks that we use as pipe boats in our civil drawings. I have attached a couple drawings that demonstrate the issue we experience as explained below.

The blocks are made up of a polyline, wipeout, and attribute text. If the blocks are moved using grips (not using the MOVE command), the attribute text gets left behind after selecting “Synchronize Multiple Scale Positions.” Strangely, this only happens in drawings where the base file is referenced as an xref, and only in the drawing scales in which the original move-by-grips did not take place.

This problem does not occur if the blocks are moved using the “Move” command. Also odd is the fact that we can rotate the block using the “rotate action” grip that we added as part of the dynamic block, and that rotation does get picked up in multiple scales (even the text rotation).

Can you help us determine if there is something we need to change about our block, or if this is just an AutoCAD glitch, and if the latter, if there is any workaround.

In the attached example, this is our workflow:

1. Create a dwg called XREF-UTIL with two drawings scales, 1:10, and 1:20.
2. X-reference the “XREF-UTIL” dwg into a new drawing called “SHEET.”
3. Create two viewports in the sheet drawing at the two different drawing scales, 1:10, and 1:20.
4. Working in the 1:20 scale in the XREF-UTIL dwg for steps 4-9, add our dynamic boat block from our template into the XREF-UTIL dwg.
5. Copy the original boat within the XREF-UTIL dwg near the far right lines.
6. Drag the copied boat over the new lines using the center grip.
7. Rotate the copied boat on the new line using the dynamic “rotate” grip.
8. Right click on the copied boat, select “Annotative Object Scale” > “Synchronize Multiple Scale Positions.“
9. Save the XREF-UTIL dwg.
10. Reload the XREF-UTIL dwg within the SHEET dwg from the Xref Manager.
11. Notice that in the SHEET dwg, the boat blocks appears as they should in the 1:20 scale viewport, but in the 1:10 viewport, the polyline and wipeout from the boat blocks are in the correct new location, but the attribute text only gets left behind in the original position (but rotated).

We can’t figure this out and we’re beginning to think it might just be a glitch, so if you can find a solution, we’ll very much appreciate it.

[doben]

Hello,

The problem with your blocks is that the text style for the attributes is annotative. 

Go into the "Text Style" editor and uncheck annotative for the REF MODEL SPACE style then run the Annoreset command. 

The blocks should now work as expected.

[doben]

 . . .run the "Attsync" command as well . . .

[sbsomers]

Unchecking "Annotative" from the RFE MODEL SPACE text style and running the ANNORESET command did not alter the behavior of the blocks. I encountered the exact same problem.

The ATTSYNC command is a workaround that has been offered by others, but it is a bit inelegant - in this case it operates like an awkward patch covering a hole in the pants that appears to be caused by an AutoCAD bug. The fact that the ATTSYNC command has to be run for every instance of a block individually each time it gets moved by a grip makes it less than desirable. I was hoping for something that could fix things globally or a change in the way our block was created in order to eliminate the issue altogether. 

I mean, to me, there shouldn't be a difference in the way a block shows up in a base drawing and in a sheet into which it's x-reffed - that seems like a bug.

Any other ideas are welcome.

[sbsomers]

**UPDATE**

This is getting stranger.

When I re-open the drawings I attached to the original post, I can see that in the XREF-UTIL drawing, the text is shown out of place when in 1:10 scale. After selecting “Annotative Object Scale” > “Synchronize Multiple Scale Positions" when in 1:20 scale, everything syncs back up again in the XREF-UTIL drawing in 1:10 scale too. But if I save, close, and reopen, the text is out of place again... definitely seems like a bug at this point. Yes, the ATTSYNC command fixes this, but as I explained in my last post, I'm looking for other solutions as that command is not efficient to run.

To further test this, I created a new 1:30 scale and corresponding viewport in the SHEET drawing and I noted the same behavior as the 1:10 scale viewport. However, when I move the boats while in 1:10 scale or 1:30 scale in XREF-UTIL and then do the “Annotative Object Scale” > “Synchronize Multiple Scale Positions," the 1:20 scale viewport in the SHEET drawing does not show the text out of place as I'd expect it to. So now I'm completely confused. You can test it for yourself using the attached drawings. 

1:30 scale in the Sheet with text out of place:

1:30 scale in the XREF-UTIL drawing (before closing and reopening) with text in correct position:

[doben]

Your text style is still annotative.

Uncheck the box in the XREF-UTIL drawing.

[sbsomers]

Unchecking "Annotative" did not change the block behavior in the base drawing or the xref. Thanks.

[doben]

I got everything to work as expected.

Here's what I did:

* Unchecked annotative for the text style in the XREF-UTIL drawing

* Ran the "Attsync" command for the two blocks (you don't have to run it for each instance of the block, although I did have to run it twice for the "Boat-Pressure-ANNO" block.)

* Ran the "Annoreset" command

I'm not sure why it isn't working for you. . . . .

I've closed both drawings, re-opened them and everything is still where it should be.

[sbsomers]

Thank you, I should have clarified though...

The ATTSYNC command will work regardless of whether the text style is annotative or not. And for the record, the ANNORESET command is the same as right clicking on the block and selecting “Annotative Object Scale” > “Synchronize Multiple Scale Positions.“

What I didn't realize before was that ATTSYNC only has to be done once for each block, not each instance of each block, so thank you for pointing that out. However, while this is definitely better than what I previously thought for a workaround, it's still not ideal to have to run the ATTSYNC command every time one of these blocks has to be moved (I mean, I realize you can just do it once after everything is moved the way you want, but that's not really the point). This brings up a QA/QC issue where each user has to remember this extra step for this specific scenario otherwise the deliverables may print with boat text in incorrect positions and you may not realize it if you don't look closely.

All that said, I'm still looking for a way to get this same functionality from a block without encountering this bug requiring ATTSYNC, so if anyone has a suggestion for that, it would be super helpful.

[doben]

The Attsync command only needs to be run if the block is edited. In this case it was changing the text from annotative to non-annotative.

Otherwise all you need to do is run the Annoreset command and only then if the block is re positioned using grips. If the move command is used you won't have to do anything.

[sbsomers]

Hmmm... I'm not sure how you're doing it, but every time I've tried it, the ATTSYNC command must be run each time a block is moved by the grip regardless of when or how many times ANNORESET is run, and that has been true whether or not the text style is annotative. I have not seen any different behavior of the blocks caused by just changing the text style off annotative.