Michael’s Corner

Michael's Corner is a monthly publication written by Michael E. Beall, Autodesk Authorized Author and peripatetic AutoCAD trainer. Michael travels all over the USA, bringing his fantastic experience and great understanding of AutoCAD to his clients. Michael's Corner brings together many of the tips, tricks and methods developed during these training sessions for the benefit of all users.

Michael's Corner provides something for every AutoCAD user. Every month, a number of articles cover a wide range of topics, suitable for users at all levels, including "The Basics" for those just starting out. Essentially, the aim of Michael's Corner is to help all AutoCAD users work smarter and faster.

This month…

From the Vault

Originally published February 2008

Including a Wipeout Object with a Block

One of my first training gigs of the year was with my friends up at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. All of the AEC disciplines were represented since they all worked with the University Architect's Office. We were talking about reflected ceiling plans and how you could put a 2′ x 4′ fixture in a 2′ x 2′ ceiling grid… but what were we supposed to do with the intermediate line. Check. This. Out.

Before You Begin…

Many of you know how I feel about Tool Palettes, especially my customers. Since this exercise involves making a block, open your dedicated Block Source drawing (The Basics, March 2006) before beginning the following steps.

Instructions to Create a Block with a Wipeout Object

1. Create a 24″ x 48″ rectangle. For emphasis, I also used the Offset command and offset the frame by 2″ to the inside of the fixture.
2. Launch the Wipeout command with DrawWipeout (Odd Spot, February 2006).
3. Press Enter to accept the default option of <Polyline>, then click the larger rectangle at the prompt to select a closed polyline.
4. When prompted to Erase the polyline, type Y for <Yes>.
5. Note: If you created two rectangles as mentioned in Step 1…
   1. When you enter Yes to erase the polyline, the smaller rectangle will probably be hidden by the Wipeout object.
   2. Use ToolsDraw OrderBring Above Objects, then select the rectangle that's hidden (when you position your cursor over where it was, it will highlight, trust me).
   3. When prompted to select the reference object, select the wipeout/larger rectangle, then press Enter.
6. Use the Block command (DrawBlockMake…) and create a block from the two rectangles with a name like Fixture_24x48 or something similar.
7. Save the drawing, then drag that fixture block onto the palette.
8. To test it, you can open up just about any drawing and place that block in the drawing to see how the wipeout object associated with the block "wipes out" the lines underneath it.

Bonus Points: To enable the block to be rotated when you place it in the drawing, right-click on the block on the palette, then click properties. Set the Prompt for Rotation to Yes. (Power Tool, September 2004) And DO NOT drag the block from the palette to place it. Simply click on it, breathe, then move into the drawing and place it as necessary.

Extra Credit: By default, AutoCAD is configured to NOT snap to Hatch objects. If you're placing this fixture in a reflected ceiling plan generated with a hatch pattern or two, that can be very aggravating. Go to OptionsDrafting tab and in the lower left corner, turn off the setting to Ignore Hatch Objects (Odd Spot, September 2006).

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