Autodesk AutoCAD: Dynamic Blocks and Tool Palettes Tutorials
Dynamic Blocks - Parameter Sets / Exercise: Using Parameter Sets pt. 2
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Subtitles of the Movie (Autodesk AutoCAD: Dynamic Blocks and Tool Palettes / Dynamic Blocks - Parameter Sets / Exercise: Using Parameter Sets pt. 2)
Here we are now in Exercise 2 for Parameter Sets. I've done a little bit of panning and zooming there in the Block Editor, just to give us a little bit more room and to position the Block itself in a more sensible space there in the Block Editor. Now, what we did previously was we placed our height here, our Linear Stretch. Now what we're going to need to do now is place a Linear Move so that this circle here moves upwards when we stretch. Now you'll notice this funny little symbol here, it looks like a chain symbol. That is a Chain Action symbol, where your chaining actions together. Now, I've done it here on the length on this Stretch Action here, so what I'm going to do, I'm just going to show you how it's done. If I right-click over Stretch here and go Action Selection Set and select New Selection Set, now this is only in AutoCAD 2010 by the way, that right-click over the Icon, but you can still do it just by double-clicking on the Actions in the Block Editor in previous versions of AutoCAD. I'm going to specify the first corner of my Stretch Frame and then left-click for the second corner and then it prompts me to select the objects I want to stretch so I want to stretch the rectangle, but I also want to select Circle Move to stretch with the rectangle, like so, I then right-click to confirm. Then that chain link includes Circle Move and Length as we stretch horizontally. Because I've done a Parameter Set now I've got Length, Circle Move there, I now need Height and I need a Circle Move up here, but it's going to be a Linear Move in Parameter Sets, because I've already got one there, so I'm making a set now. I'll have Circle Move that way; I now need Circle Move that way, hence the phrase Parameter Sets. So I want my Linear Move here, click on Linear Move, come into the Drawing Area, it's going to start at the Center Snap of the circle, left-click, going up to the Midpoint Snap of the top face of the rectangle, left-click, drag to the right and left-click there and place Distance1. Now there's an exclamation mark there because we haven't done a selection for that yet, but let's change the Properties first. Select Distance1 here, right-click and go to Properties. The Properties Palette appears. Now we're going to change the Distance name by double-clicking in here, so let's change that to Circle and then Move, but then VERT for vertically only. Now the other thing we need to change here, if we scroll down, is in our Miscellaneous box, here. See where it says Base Location Start Point? Show Properties, Yes? We need to chain the actions together as well, so we select Yes there. Then we can Chain the Circle Move Vertically with the height, the Linear Stretch. I then close the Properties Palette like so and hit Escape to deselect. Now we've got the chain there saying that it's ready to chain together. We've also got an exclamation mark, so I right-click on the Move there, Action Selection Set, New Selection Set and I select the circle there and right-click to confirm. So as I move vertically now the circle is the object that is going to perform that Move Action. Now, we need to go to the height here. Now the height is fine; there's no exclamation mark, but I need to change the Selection Set. So, what I need to do is I need to click on height here, like so, or do I? No I don't. Hit Escape - remember, it's a right-click, don't be confused. Right-click, Action Selection Set, New Selection Set. I do my Crossing Selection as if I'm going to stretch like the Stretch Command and the objects I select now are going to be the rectangle and the Circle Move Vertical, so they're chained together. Right-click to confirm. So we've got Height, Circle Move Vertical, we've got Length, Circle Move, two Parameter Sets. Now the last thing I need to do quickly is I need to change the Distance Multiplier on the Move1, so what I do, I select any Parameter, doesn't matter which, right-click, Properties. Come into the Drawing Area and hit Escape to deselect the Parameter and then click on the Move here for the Circle Move Vertical and there's my Distance Multiplier there. I just need to double-click in there, put naught point 5 in there and press Enter. What that does is every time I move up an increment here on the Linear Stretch the circle moves half of one of those increments. I close the Properties now. I hit Escape to deselect and what I can do now in AutoCAD 2010 is just quickly check and test my block. So I click here on Test Block like so, I'm in the Test Area now, click there. I've got an extra grip from that Circle Move Vertical. I don't need to worry about it too much, but if I click on this grip here and move up, there's my circle moving half the increment distance each time. I'll just hit Escape there now a couple of times to deselect the block, Close and Close Test Block window. I'm back now in the Block Editor. I need to Save my Block, so I click on Save, I then close the Block Editor. When I click now on the Block in the drawing and click on the grip and go up you'll see my circle is going upwards, half the distance of each increment as you can see as I move up per increment. So what we've done there in Exercise 2 is we've created another Parameter Set whereby we've created a Linear Move that goes with our Linear Stretch. So we've done another move and another stretch but in a different direction. As you can see, it all works in Dynamic Block.
Tutorial Information
| Course: | Autodesk AutoCAD: Dynamic Blocks and Tool Palettes |
| Author: | Shaun Bryant |
| SKU: | 34055 |
| ISBN: | |
| Release Date: | 2009-11-13 |
| Duration: | 6.5 hrs / 85 lessons |
| Work Files: |
Yes |
| Captions: | No |
| Compatibility: |
Vista/XP/2000, OS X, Linux QuickTime 7, Flash 8 |
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