Hi guys,
As thanks for helping me out through the journey of AutoLISP from multiple posts, I've decided to make a small contribution to CADTutor.net with my own code that you can download from here:
https://www.cadtutor.net/forum/files/file/27-block-overkill/
Upon issuing the BOVERKILL command, This LISP will allow you to either delete blocks that area "duplicated" on top of one another, or move them to a specified layer. This LISP deletes blocks in which the blocks in comparison abides to the following three criteria below:
It shares the same insertion point to a specified tolerance
It shares the same effective name
It shares the same effective scale to the same specified tolerance
Modes of Overkill
Thanks to a wonderful suggestion from one of the insights in this forum, the program has been further upgraded as of 20 April 2023. This LISP routine now also allows for three modes of overkill:
Distance
Plane-Axis
Axes
The "Distance" mode is the default mode and is the most widely used mode of overkill. This mode determines that two blocks are considered duplicates if the distance between them is within the specified tolerance inputted by the user.
The "Plane-Axis" mode determines that two blocks are duplicates if the proximity of the blocks in comparison lies within one tolerance specified for one of the planes , and a separate tolerance along the third axis (normal) of that plane. Calculations are done to the UCS.
The "Axes" mode determines that two blocks are duplicates by comparing three different tolerances across each axis individually. All three tolerances must be met for the program to consider the blocks a duplicate. Just like the previous mode, the UCS will be used by the program to perform the calculations.
Following this, the program will also draw a circle (of a radius set within the LISP routine) on the insertion points of the processed blocks. These circles will be drawn in the "BOVERKILL-Duplicates" layer. After which it prints a report of the quantity of the deleted or modified blocks to the command line. This feature makes it easy for users to identify where duplicates are found on a large drawing with thousands of blocks.
However, the dynamic properties of the block are far too hard for me to calculate as they have different position, rotation and visibility parameters that could be altered by the user. As such, they are ignored.
Note that the rotation of the block does not fall in the criteria above as mirroring the block alters it's rotation values, and thus will fail on some circumstances. This means that the blocks will still be processed if as long as the three criteria above satisfy and objects are not rotated the same way.
This LISP was inspired when using block counting routines (for example from Lee Mac's Block Counter routine or your own custom routines) reporting incorrect numbers due to duplicate blocks. The OVERKILL command for one reason or another is not able to delete duplicate dynamic blocks that are (for example, rotated normally then rotate through dynamic rotation to the original position). I've also cycled through the net for solutions to no avail. Thus, I opened this program for you folks to use.
It's not a perfect code but I hope it will make working for you much more convenient.
Any feedbacks, comments, and criticisms are welcomed as I look to learn and get better. Enjoy.
Thanks,
Jonathan Handojo