Large boundaries around small blocks

[SteveD]

In my last thread,

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?90788-Slow-selections-sometimes&goto=newpost

 

I mentioned another problem I'm having with files from a client I have to work on. I place symbols in drawings denoting locations of data drops in a building. The drops are just a filled triangle, about 1' on a side, but the blocks I get from the clients are smaller but bound by an enormous rectangular boundary. Attempting to select anything in the area of this boundary, or using the left-drag-select method selects these huge boundaries.

 

Does anyone know of a way to quickly shrink or eliminate these boundaries? My work around is to select them one-by-one then size them with the corner grips. Takes forever.

[Dana W]

I see your main software is Inventor. The drawings in question are AutoCad, correct? Could you copyclip one of these blocks, paste it into a new blank drawing, and attach it to a post here? We.ll see what's up.

[SteveD]

Sure, Dana, thanks. Except it's not letting me upload the file.

[SteveD]

Actually, I'm using MEP 2013 right now. My favorite from home is Inventor.

The upload fails. Dialog box just says that, not why.

[SteveD]

BigBlocks.dwg

There. somehow got it to work.

[Dana W]

[ATTACH]52691[/ATTACH]

There. somehow got it to work.

Yeah, you have to go advanced first. I will look at it.

[Dana W]

OK, the extra space is for a text object. It is a text attributed block, but I don't get a frame around it.

 

Double click on it and it prompts the user to enter an "ID".

BigBlocks.dwg

[SteveD]

Click on it, then zoom extents. I measured it at 128'x168'. Why so big?

[SteveD]

Actually, zoom extents, then click on it.

[Dana W]

Actually, zoom extents, then click on it.

OK, I didn't do that. I'll have another look. I hadda stop for dinner.

[SteveD]

It's ok, I'll let it slide this time. I had to go home from work.

[Dana W]

Click on it, then zoom extents. I measured it at 128'x168'. Why so big?

 

Actually, zoom extents, then click on it.

Duh, ah I don't get any of that. It just behaves like a normal attributed block. for some reason it is about 8 feet long, but that includes the text I typed in.

 

I did find some anomalies. There are about 25 blocks not in modelspace that won't purge, even after I explode and de-nest them, and just as many layers that also will not delete or purge. Those two are more than likely tied together. I can't say whether they came from the drawing you got the huge block from, or the one you copied into already had that stuff.

 

Not to mention there are two saved layer states.

 

When I restored the layer states, I got a message that it was connected to some option in express tools. Of course in my 2015 LT they don't exist, so that explains why it warned me.

 

I dunno what to tell ya. None of what I found is the issue you are talking about.

 

What release of AutoCad are you using to look at this thing? What are your drawing units, the -dwgunits command version.

 

Cheeeeeeze Louise, it's 10 of 10. Nite nite.

[steven-g]

I can tell you what it is and how to get rid of it, but why it has been used I couldn't guess at. It's an xclip boundary used for clipping what is visible for x-refs and blocks, if you click on the block and type xclip it will give you the option to delete it. I would ask the people who send you the drawings, what the idea is, but it doesn't look to be doing anything useful in this case.

[Dana W]

I can tell you what it is and how to get rid of it, but why it has been used I couldn't guess at. It's an xclip boundary used for clipping what is visible for x-refs and blocks, if you click on the block and type xclip it will give you the option to delete it. I would ask the people who send you the drawings, what the idea is, but it doesn't look to be doing anything useful in this case.

That is confirmed. I didn't see it before because I had XCLIPFRAME turned off by default, and zoom extents only showed me the actual body of the block. I turned XCLIPFRAME on, and there it was. When one clicks on a clipped block and moves it, the ghost of the clipped portion shows up. I had tried that at first, but since nothing is in the clipped portion, nothing showed up.

[SteveD]

Thanks for checking, Dana. I'm using MEP 2013. Units are inches, architectural etc etc., scale incoming dwg's match units... Thanks too for finding all the "junk" in my drawing. It came from the one I was using as a template for something else. Now, my boss suggests I set up a DWT just for us. Great idea. I'll do it in my "spare time".

 

Steven-G: Great name, BTW. Anyway, what you suggested worked perfectly. I now have a much easier way to clean up the 20 some odd blocks I get like this is any given dwg. It'll make my job much, much easier. Thank you! The folks I deal with, that send me these drawings, are not really the ones that draw them. They are pretty much just passing them on and won't really know the details, but I can try anyway. Thanks for that suggestion, too.

 

You guys are great! i should hang out here more often.