Express Tools – Blocks

Blocks are widely used in drawings and the manipulation of them could be complicated sometimes. With additional tools for blocks operation, efficiency is expected to increase significantly and greatly simplify ordinary procedures. The following are examples to explain the advantages of some of these tools provided by ZWCAD. The same results could be obtained by ordinary operations, but need more steps. A simple comparison is demonstrated in each example.

The following blocks are created.

Command: NCOPY
Without NCOPY, more steps are needed to achieve the same result:
(1) Explode Block 3
(2) Explode Block 2
(3) Copy Block 1 to the destination
(4) Create Block 3 again
2. Trim to Nested Objects
Usage: to trim an object using the edges of any objects within a block.
 

Command: BTRIM
Without BTRIM, more steps are needed to achieve the same result:
(1) Explode Block 3
(2) Explode Block 2
(3) Trim
(4) Create Block 3 again.

3. Extend to Nested Objects
Usage: to extend an object to edges of any objects within a block.

Command: BEXTEND
Without BTRIM, more steps are needed to achieve the same result:
(1) Explode Block 3
(2) Explode Block 2
(3) Extend
(4) Create Block 3 again.

4. Replace Block with Another Block
Usage: to replace any block (including nested ones) with another block.

Command: BLOCKREPLACE
Without BLOCKREPLACE, more steps are needed to achieve the same result:
(1) Explode Block 3
(2) Copy or insert Block 5 superposing its base point on the centre of the green circle.
(3) Delete Block 2
(4) Create Block 3 again with new objects..

5. Change Block’s Color
Usage: to change the colour of blocks without altering their layer properties.

Command: CHGBCOL
Without BLOCKREPLACE, more steps are needed to achieve a similar result with changes of corresponding layer properties meanwhile:
(1) Explode Block 3
(2) Explode Block 2
(3) Explode Block 1
(4) Change the colour of these objects.
(5) Create Block 3 again with changed colour.