Autodesk LIGHTSCAPE, Manual

Page: 95 / 362

Working with Blocks
87
❚❘❘
Create new block definitions by grouping surfaces
into blocks.
Note: You can also create a new block definition
from an existing block instance. See “Renaming a
Block Instance” on page 88.
To create a new block from surfaces:
1.
In the Graphic window, select the surfaces to in-
clude in the block.
2. Right-click and choose Create Block from the
menu that appears.
Note: If the selected surfaces are already part of a
block, the Create Block command does not appear
in the menu. To include these surfaces in a new
block, you must first remove them from the
existing block by exploding it. For more informa-
tion see “Removing Blocks” on page 87.
3.
Enter a name in the Create Block dialog, and
click OK.
The selected surfaces are grouped into a block, and
the new block appears in the Blocks table. A single
instance of the new block is inserted on the Current
layer in the current position. (The display remains
the same but the surfaces selected are now grouped
as the new block.)
By default, the insertion point of the block is set to
the origin point of the model (0,0,0). For informa-
tion on moving the insertion point, see “Moving a
Block Definition’s Insertion Point” on page 90.
As in AutoCAD, the surfaces in the block retain their
layers except surfaces on layer 0. These surfaces
inherit the layer on which the block instance is
inserted.
Duplicating a Block Definition
If you want to create a block that is similar to a block
in your scene, you can duplicate the existing block,
then rename and edit the copy.
To duplicate a block:
1.
In the Blocks table, right-click the block that you
want to copy and select Duplicate from the menu
that appears.
A copy of the block appears in the table.
2.
Rename the new block, and modify its geometry
and surface properties, if needed.
Removing Blocks
There are three ways to remove blocks you no longer
need:
• Delete the block definition to remove it and all its
instances from the model
• Delete individual instances in the model
• Explode blocks instances to convert them into in-
dependent surfaces.
To delete a block definition:
1.
In the Blocks table, select the block.
2.
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Delete.
The selected blocks are deleted from the Blocks table
and all instances of the block are removed from the
model.
To delete a block instance:
1.
In the Graphic window, select the block in-
stance.
2. Press the Delete key or right-click and choose
Delete.
The block instance is removed from your model.
To explode a block instance:
1.
In the Graphic window, select the block in-
stance.
2.
Right-click and choose Explode from the menu
that appears.