Trouble with pipe offset

[nestly]

I'd like to make a pipe offset block that can be sized either by the offset distance or by the length of the "pup", and I'd like to do it without using any of the parametric constraints.   In the attached example, the sizing the offset with the "Run" grip also moves the "Pup" grip as expected, but I can't seem to get the "Run" grip to stay in the proper position when sizing the block by the "pup" length.  Any suggestions?

[nestly]

Thanks ojuris, that's what I was missing. I did need to change the multiplier for the new stretch action from 1.414 to 0.707 in order to keep the grip properly aligned and have Properties report the correct "Run".  My first attempt adding "Flip" seems to have broken it, so I may need some addtional help if I can't figure it out.

[ojuris]

sorry - I forgot it (change multiplayer to right value)

Regards

Juris

[nestly]

It seems angled offsets aren't smart enough to adjust the angle when they're "Flipped" in a dynamic block, but they do work fine if the dynamic block is mirrored in the drawing.  Thanks again for the help, I've been able to use it to make some nice blocks that will save me a lot of time.

[Charles_Shade]

Yes they do work when Flipped. My guess is you have a Stretch Action chosen in the Flip when it should not be or vice-versa.

[nestly]

You may be right, it does appear the that offset stretch actions are not "flipping",  but I'm still unable to get them to "flip" or "not flip" whichever is the problem.

If anyone wants to take a shot at making it flip properly, it may be helpful in the future, but I don't think mirroring the block has any disadvantages for the way I'm using it.

[Charles_Shade]

Include everything, Actions and Parameters, in the Flip and see if that works for you.

The only disadvantage to the Mirror is it's slooooowwww.....

[nestly]

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@Charles_Shade wrote:

Include everything, Actions and Parameters, in the Flip and see if that works for you.

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Well, there's the problem.  One of the 14 entities in my block is being ignored in the selection set, and it appears to be the stretch action.  It's not specific to that block either,  I stripped down your roof block to just 2 objects, 2 parameters, and 2 actions and it flips/streches fine.  I can change and/or modify the number of items in the original Flip selection set, and it continues to works as expected, however if I delete your original Flip action (which has all 6 objects in the selection set), and try to create a new Flip action that includes all 6 items, I cannot do it.  The selection set only "takes" 5 of them even though 6 were found.

As you can see in the last image, All 6 items "highlight" when I click on the flip actions icon, but only 5 show in the selection set for some reason?  I'm currently searching for a system variable that might prevent certain types of parameters from being flipped.

[Charles_Shade]

Number 6 is most likely the Flip State itself and therefore will not be include in the Flip Action therefore 5 will be the counting(?). And I think you will find that including Actions in Actions tends to lead to undesirable results in most cases. Therefore adding Actions to Actions willy-nilly should be avoided. (Unlike ehat I have done here.)  I've not read anywhere of a limitation of an Action not being able to be added to an Action just that a Polar Parameter can not be used with a Linear Action. I have had on occasion a warning of a 'circular' (I don't think that is the right term) reference being detected and therefore an Action could not be added.

From the block you have posted I have included all the Stretch Actions in the flip here and it seemed to work as intended when Flipped.

Fancy diagrams. What do you use to create the arrows and balloons?

[nestly]

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@Charles_Shade wrote:

From the block you have posted I have included all the Stretch Actions in the flip here and it seemed to work as intended when Flipped.

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The 2nd block I posted has 13 entities in it (not counting the basepoint) but the most I can get in the Flip Selection Set is 12. May I ask how many were in your flip selection set (I'm assuming all of them since it works for you)

BTW, that's just MS Paint with the Ellipse, Line, and Curved tools

[Charles_Shade]

12 before adding the Actions and 16 after.

I can Qselect the entities and come up with 18 total and figure the Basepoint and the Flip Action itself are the two missing.

[nestly]

Thanks for following up. Your mention of QSELECT got me closer to a solution. Either I have a setting messed up, or they changed the Block Editor in AutoCAD2011.  I'm leaning toward the latter since it happens on both my 2011 machines.

I can work around the problem by using QSELECT > ALL to define the Flip Action Selection set. All the objects are included in the selection set, and the block works,  but using any of the other selection methods (Window/Last/Crossing/BOX/Fence/WPolygon/CPolygon/Group/Add/Multiple/Previous/AUto/SIngle) results in a selection set minus 1 object, and a broken block.

I guess I need someone with 2011 to test/redefine "PipeOffset2" to see if it's a selection window bug in AutoCAD2011, or if I need to continue to search for a solution within my setup(s).

BTW, I'm using vanilla AutoCAD2011 without any patches, updates, or hotfixes applied.

[Bob.Felton · Accepted solution]

The reason the number of objects selected are different in this particular block when editing in the AutoCAD 2010 and later Block Editor is because action objects are not selectable when the new system variable BACTIONBARMODE is set to 1.

The missing object was the STRETCHACTIONENTITY object in this drawing.

When BACTIONBARMODE is set to 0, then the legacy action objects are displayed and are selectable in the Block Editor.

By setting BACTIONBARMODE to 0, then the STRETCHACTIONENTITY object can be added to the Flip Action's selection set and then the stretch will work as expected after the block has been flipped.

[Charles_Shade]

Okay - That's got to be the longest command to date. You guys working on SUPERCALIFRAGALISTICEXPIALADOCIOUS next?

What's the default for BACTIONBARMODE?

[Bob.Felton]

Hello Charles. The default value is 1. Here's a link to the online Help for BACTIONBARMODE.

http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2011/ENU/filesACR/WS1a9193826455f5ff-7c11d46c11cb8605735-5d94.htm

(btw, here's a few other 'whoppers' in this category of variables with a lot of letters: ROAMABLEROOTPREFIX, VPLAYEROVERRIDESMODE and MAPPLOTTRANSPARENCY. You can see more in the listing of system variables with the Express Tool SYSVDLG).

[nestly]

I want to thank everyone that helped with this topic, especially Bob who's been handling my Support request.  If it's not already in development, hopefully now it will be so  those users that build blocks in 2010-2011 (and future releases) won't have to wonder why they can't build or edit blocks that have the same functionality as those they built in previous versions.

Basically, if you use the yellow "Lightning bolts" you're good to go, but if you use the default square icons in 2010-11, some of your blocks might not work.

BACTIONBARMODE 0  (Legacy action objects)

BACTIONBARMODE 1  (Action bars - 2010/2011 default)