I would like to use blocks within Auto CAD. My thinking on this is that I can layout blocks in relative locations and will be able to generate a report of this to then build a block schematic, cable detail, bid, etc. Also it's a good presentation tool for clients.

I realise this will not be anything close to scale but it's a great visual aid.

What I would like to know is:

Can I use blocks and pictorials on the same drawing and get reports from their individual info (cost, etc)?

Is it possible to rotate say a plasma to a top view so it's more in keeping with the plan views I'm working in?

I expect I'm approaching this in the wrong manner, and as you probably have guessed my knowledge of Auto CAD is quite limited.

Many thanks

Greg

Hi Greg,

I'm not entirely sure that I understand what it is that you want to do with regard to AutoCAD - can you not achieve everything you need to within Stardraw?  For example, if you've got a floorplan in DWG format, you can just open it in Stardraw, make whatever changes and additions you need, then save it back out as DWG, if necessary.  And Stardraw allows you to work with Attributes in symbols and generate whatever reports you need.

In answer to your specific questions:

Yes - you can mix symbols designed for different environments in the same drawing.  The only gotcha is that you might need to play around with scale.  Reporting will work fine though.

You can't 'rotate' a symbol to show a different aspect - i.e. the top view - if the symbol is of the front view: it is only a 2D representation.  Generally plan views are just rectangles or other fairly simple polygons so it's incredibly easy to create your own.

I hope this is helpful - please let me know if I've missed the point.

Kind regards,
Rob Robinson
Stardraw.com