AutoCAD® Groups

Blocks are very useful, and you might be tempted to ignore the existence of groups and just always use blocks instead. However, groups actually work differently to blocks, and in many cases it is actually more useful to use a group instead of a block.

One of the main advantages of using a group instead of a block is that you are free to include the same entity in more than one group. So, if a certain set of entities belong to more than one commonly selected group of entities, you can just create the two (or more) groups that contain the same set of entities (and whatever other entities are relevant to that group), and you're now able to select the entire set by clicking on only one of the entities, as you would with a block.

To use groups, simply invoke the GROUP command, or you can select "Group" from the groups panel on the home tab. This will display the object grouping dialog box, which will allow you to manage and name your groups. Bear in mind that the selectable property controls what happens when you select one of the entities in a group. With the option checked the entire group is selected, but with the option deselected only the individual entity is selected.

So in summary, use groups - don't just always use blocks if you're not actually repeatedly using them, because this will introduce unnecessary bloat into your drawings, and often groups are functionally more what we're after anyway.

That's all for today,

Will

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Comments

diana
2013-02-18 18:47:53

nice..

can u (sometimes) show examples with pictures?

i didn't understand what u mean here: "One of the main advantages of using a group instead of a block is that you are free to include the same entity in more than one group. So, if a certain set of entities belong to more than one commonly selected group of entities, you can just create the two (or more) groups that contain the same set of entities (and whatever other entities are relevant to that group).."

p.s: sorry for my english

thank for sharing!

Will
2013-03-18 12:49:04

Hi, thanks for your comment. I'll try to include more pictures in future posts :-)

DRB
2015-10-21 20:27:26

You did not answer her question.....it also confused me and I'm from Chicago.