How to Use BLOCKIFY in BricsCAD

Have you ever opened a CAD file only to find that all the blocks have been exploded, leaving you with a messy and time-consuming job to fix? Or perhaps the original drafter wasn’t familiar with the concept of CAD blocks at all?

That’s where BLOCKIFY comes to the rescue!

Have you ever opened a drawing and thought, “Oh no, every block has been exploded; this is going to take forever to sort out”? Or perhaps the person who created the file did not even use CAD blocks in the first place?

That is when BLOCKIFY becomes your best friend.

What is BLOCKIFY?

The BLOCKIFY command scans your drawing to find identical groups of objects (both 2D and 3D) and automatically turns them into block references. If matching block definitions already exist, BLOCKIFY uses those to keep things consistent.

Why convert geometry into CAD blocks automatically?

Using CAD blocks instead of repeated geometry has a big advantage: it significantly reduces the file size and improves overall performance.

Without BLOCKIFY, you would need to go through the tedious process of deleting each repeated element and manually replacing it with a block, which is slow and dull.

Would you like me to keep this same tone and format for the rest of the article?

How to automatically turn copied geometry into blocks in a DWG drawing

There are four main ways to use the BLOCKIFY command:

- Convert a chosen selection of 2D and/or 3D entities into blocks and then find duplicates
- Match and use existing blocks already saved in the drawing
- Change solids with the same shape into blocks
- Automatically detect nested blocks

How to use Blockify (from a selection of entities)

Type BLOCKIFY

Select the entities you want to turn into a block and press Enter

Choose the insertion point for the block

Select the area of the drawing where you want to search for duplicates, or press Enter to search the entire drawing

Type a name for the block and press Enter

How to use Blockify (match to existing block definitions in the drawing)

Type BLOCKIFY

Choose the option to match existing blocks

Select the area of the drawing to search for duplicates, or press Enter to search the entire drawing

How to use Blockify (detect repeated 3D solids)

Type BLOCKIFY

Choose the option to match equal solids

Select the area of the drawing to search for duplicates, or press Enter to search the entire drawing

Type a block name

How to use Blockify (detect nested blocks)

Type BLOCKIFY

Choose the option to find collections

Select the area of the drawing to search for duplicates, or press Enter to search the entire drawing

Use the command panel to choose from the available options

Click Create

Helpful to know

The command panel allows you to adjust Blockify settings, such as tolerance and insertion point.

Want to take it further?

If you like using BLOCKIFY, you may want to explore its advanced counterpart: PARAMETRICBLOCKIFY.

PARAMETRICBLOCKIFY automatically identifies and converts groups of entities with the same parametric constraints into block definitions. Simply select an area containing 2D entities or 3D solids, and BricsCAD will locate matching sets and replace them with block references.

How to use PARAMETRICBLOCKIFY

Choose a parametric block to use as the source

Select the search area

BricsCAD will scan the drawing and find all matching geometry

What licence level is needed to use BLOCKIFY?

BLOCKIFY is included from BricsCAD Lite onwards, so any purchased version of BricsCAD gives you access to this tool.

Tried BLOCKIFY and want to share your thoughts?

We would love to hear your feedback on BricsCAD® – whether positive or constructive. The best way to share your ideas about BricsCAD or features such as BLOCKIFY is to submit a support request, and our team will gladly assist you.

Looking for more BricsCAD tips?

To discover more BricsCAD tips and commands, visit our YouTube channel for tutorials, or explore the rest of the Bricsys blog.