To Create a Multi-View Block Tool

Use this procedure to create a multi-view block tool and add it to a tool palette. You may want to create your own multi-view block tool for customized multi-view blocks you plan to use repeatedly. For example, you might create an office floor plan in which each conference room and office contains a floor lamp. Conference rooms and executive offices get the deluxe model floor lamp, and all other rooms get the standard model. You could define a multi-view block to represent each type of floor lamp, and then create a floor lamp tool for each type. You would then select the appropriate tool to place a floor lamp in each room.

You can use any of the following methods to create a multi-view block tool:

  1. Open the tool palette on which you want to add a tool.
  2. Create the tool:
    If you want to… Then…
    create a tool from a multi-view block in the drawing select the multi-view block and drag it to the tool palette.
    create a tool from a multi-view block definition in the Style Manager click Manage tabStyle & Display panelStyle Manager. Locate the definition you want to copy, and drag it to the tool palette. Click OK to close the Style Manager.
    copy a multi-view block tool from a tool catalog click Home tabBuild panelTools drop-downContent Browser. Locate the multi-view block tool you want to copy, then click the icon associated with the tool and drag it to the tool palette in the workspace.
    copy a tool on the current tool palette right-click the tool, and click Copy. Right-click, and click Paste.
    copy a tool from another tool palette open the other tool palette, right-click the tool, and click Copy. Reopen the palette where you want to add the tool, right-click, and click Paste.
  3. Right-click the new tool, and click Properties.
  4. Enter a name for the tool.
  5. Click the setting for Description, enter a description of the tool, and click OK.

    This description is used as the tool’s tooltip on the tool palette, and to describe the tool if it is stored in a tool catalog.

  6. Expand Basic, and expand General.
  7. Click next to Description to enter a description of the tool.
  8. If you do not want to use the default layer key for multi-view blocks, click next to Layer key to select a layer key.
  9. If you want to override the default layer name for multi-view blocks, click next to Layer overrides to select a layer override.
  10. Select a multi-view block definition.
  11. For Style location, select the drawing file containing the definition used for this multi-view block, or select Browse and use a standard file selection dialog box to select the file.
  12. Under Bound Spaces, define if this multi-view block tool can be used as a bounding object for associative spaces.

    You can select three options here:

    • Yes: this multi-view block tool can be used as bounding object for associative spaces.
    • No: this multi-view block tool cannot be used as bounding object for associative spaces.
    • By style: this multi-view block tool will use the bounding settings from the multi-view block definition.
  13. Expand Scale.
  14. Specify the scale of the multi-view block:
    If you want to… Then…
    specify fixed values for the scale select No for Specify scale on screen, and enter X, Y, and Z values for the scale.
    allow users to specify the scale of the object upon insertion select Yes for Specify scale on screen.
  15. Expand Location.
  16. Specify the rotation of the multi-view block:
    If you want to… Then…
    specify a fixed value for the rotation select No for Specify rotation on screen, and enter a value for Rotation.
    allow users to specify the rotation of the object upon insertion select Yes for Specify rotation on screen.
  17. Expand Advanced.
  18. Click next to Insertion offsets, and enter X, Y, and Z offsets for each view block in the multi-view block, as necessary.
  19. Click OK.
  20. Click next to Attributes, and edit the prompt and value of each attribute, as necessary.
  21. Click OK twice.

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