Embedded Files
AVC_BUpdate plugin for AutoCAD and BricsCAD
AVC_BUpdate plugin for AutoCAD and BricsCAD
Replace selected blocks with blocks of the same name from another drawing. Updating assemblies without using External References (xRef).
Replace selected blocks with blocks of the same name from another drawing. Updating assemblies without using External References (xRef).
The program will help you to work together with complex assemblies. You can quickly replace blocks in your drawing with newer ones, which are made by another engineer in another file.
Do not confuse this command with the standard BlockReplace command, which works within the same drawing, replacing blocks with different names. The Update Block command works with blocks of the same name from different files.
The BUpdate command can be used instead of inserting external references (xRef). This command allows you to update a block created by inserting an entire model from another file. This way, you get up-to-date external files without the inconvenience of external references—no layer or style duplication.
Using the BUpdate command is the only way to copy solids from one drawing to another while preserving surface materials.
The BUpdate command is included in the collections A>V>C> Kit and A>V>C> Pro.
If you are not satisfied with the behavior of the program, there are suggestions for optimization and tuning for your needs - feel free to write to me. Just don't forget to motivate me.
BUpdate command operating procedure
BUpdate command operating procedure
Select one or more obsolete blocks and run the BUpdate command.
The command will offer to select a file with updated blocks. The file can be any DWG-drawing in any folder. It can be a large block library or a drawing with one new block. It doesn't matter whether this file is open or not in AutoCAD. The block being replaced may never be used (not inserted into model space) in this library file; it is only important that the block definition is contained in this file.
If multiple blocks were selected, the file selection dialog allows you to select multiple files. Use CTRL and SHIFT. The program will search for blocks in all of these files.
The command will find blocks in the specified file with the same names as the blocks in your active drawing and make a replacement. The names must match exactly. The program will warn you if there are no blocks with such names in the file. Watch for messages on the command line.
Note that the block definition (BlockTableRecord) will be overridden, so all occurrences of that block (BlockReference) will be updated, not just the ones you selected. If you need to replace only part of the block's inserts, first make them a separate block using the AsmNew command.
All the block references will have an updated list of attributes. If the new block has new attributes, they will be added with a default value. If the new block does not have the same attributes as the old one, the attributes will be removed.
This modification of the program does not compare the dates of saving the current file and the library file and, in any case, replaces the blocks, even with older ones.
If a block occurs in multiple selected files, it will be taken from the last file in the order you selected it.
Using BUpdate Instead of External References
Using BUpdate Instead of External References
Many users are unhappy with how external references (xRefs) work. For example, if you have 10 external links, each containing an MDF layer, you'll see 10 MDF layers in the general assembly. You'll have to configure each one individually. This is very tedious. You can insert your external drawings as a regular block. This solves the layer problem, but then they are quite difficult to update. The BUpdate command solves this problem.
Draw assemblies in separate DWG files. Create parts directly in model space, not in a block. Name this file the same as the assembly.
Insert these separate drawings into the general assembly drawing as blocks. There are many ways to create a block from an external file (without xRefs). For example, you can simply drag the DWG file from File Explorer onto the general assembly drawing field. It is important that the assembly block name matches the file name.
When it's time to update a modified assembly, use BUpdate. It makes sense to update the assembly immediately—BUpdate will restore materials on solid surfaces that AutoCAD cannot copy. Select the block assemblies and call BUpdate. Select all files containing these inserted assemblies. If all the files are in a single folder, the entire update can be performed in a single call to BUpdate. You can select the entire folder indiscriminately (Ctrl+A). Extra files are irrelevant; the general assembly file itself will be discarded.
The program will first search for blocks in these external files, but if they are not present, it will check the file name. If the file name exactly matches the block name, the entire block content will be deleted and replaced with the model space contents of the external file. Block attributes will be removed. Layers, materials, and styles will be taken from the external file. Subblocks (such as fasteners and fittings), if they were in the shared assembly, will also be replaced with the same names from the external file.
If replacements for some blocks are not found, the program will notify you.
Smarter block replacement algorithms can be developed upon your request. Please submit your bid.
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