Pick points on blocks

Hello all,

I have been using AutoCAD for a lot of years, and all of a sudden I
have a problem. Recently, I cannot pick a point on a block. If I am
trying to place something over a block by using the center of a circle
contained in the block, or something like that, it will not pick those
points. Won't even trim to a line contained in a block. I used to be
able to do this, so something must have changed. I can NOT figure out
what it is. I probably inadvertently changed something, but WHAT?

I am using AutoCAD 2002 Architectural and am not sure where else I can
go for help. If anyone has a clue what I can try, please let me know.

By the way, I tried enabling the grips within the blocks, and that
didn't do what I needded at all. Made no difference to what I was
trying to do.

Thanks,
Rick at the Smoky Forge

 

No, that is not it, as that does not work either.

Thanks for trying,
Rick at the Smoky Forge

 

I believe that most of my objects are on layer 0 before being blocked.
That is how we usually do it at work. I am not the only one drawing
these drawings, but I am the only one experiencing this problem.
Could it be something to do with WindowsXP? My guess is that there is
a setting somewhere that has changed, but for the life of me, I can't
figure out which one.

Rick at the Smoky Forge

 

Layers 0 and DEFPOINTS have some kind of quantum relationship, where they
sometimes behave like totally independent things and then at other times
like two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, when one is frozen but the other
not, you will be able to see objects on the layer that is frozen but you
will not be able to pick them or snap to them. The same may be true of the
OFF state for the layers but I'm not sure. Anyway, in such a case, if you
THAW and turn ON both these layers the behavior will return to normal. If
you FREEZE and turn OFF both you will also avoid the behavior, but of course
you may not see the stuff you want either. Entities on 0 in blocks inserted
to layers other than 0 or DEFPOINTS should not have this problem IIRC.
Entities on DEFPOINTS in blocks inserted anywhere, or entities on either 0
or DEFPOINTS in blocks inserted on 0 may exhibit this behavior.
Experiment with it.

--

MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.com

snap)?

 

I can select these blocks, but cannot trim perpendicular to a line in
the block. Nor can I move something to a center of a circle contained
in the block, and when I try to place something on them, I may find 2
or 3 points that are available. Maybe an endpoint or two (probably
not the one I want) and the insert point. The other endpoints,
midpoints, etc. are just not available.

This is not just one drawing, not just drawings I created, and not
only with blocks that were created with things on layer zero.
Starting to be more and more of the drawings in our company. The
others in my company have Windows 98 instead of Windows XP Home like I
have. I am now starting to wonder if it is something in XP?

It is getting much more aggravating every day.

Thanks for any help,
Rick at the Smoky Forge

 

Well, haven't got back very soon because I was finding and installing
new drivers on my work computer. Short version - didn't work, still
have the problem. Even re-created a block and went to move it into
position, had the same problem right then.

Not working with any x-refs. Still need to look at limits, as I
usually ignore them. Most of our drawings are of systems that fill a
room, so the limits on a standard drawing have no meaning for us.
Also as we build the system, we draw the part details on the side of
the same drawing, and may reset the ucs origin to there for
dimensioning purposes. Then gets reset again, and again ...

Out of ideas, and luck, I guess.
Rick at the Smoky Forge

 

Well, it seems as though I have finally solved this, though I never
found out what had actually happened. I was doing some renderings the
other day, (for about an hour and a half) and when I went back to look
at them, they were all black. I was really upset, and tried for
another half hour to get it right, thinking maybe I had a setting
wrong. It has been a year or so since i last made any renderings and
I wasn't sure of all the settings. Long story cut short, I wound up
uninstalling AutoCAD all together, and re-installing it.

Every thing seems to work now.

Thanks for all your help,
Rick at the Smoky Forge

 

OUCH!