Pick points on blocks

Have you tried to make a new block and see if you can snap to it. I would try that first. Maybe just open a brand new drawing, without any template, create a block and insert it back into the same drawing. Then see if it will allow for what you need as far as snapping to it and trimming. If it will maybe the block you were trying to snap to before was made in another version of AutoCAD.

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

Thanks for trying, Rick at the Smoky Forge

Have you checked the layer of all of the entities within the block definition? Layers "0" and "Defpoints" will exhibit behavior like you describe from time to time.

Another question: Can you select the block (object select, not point snap)?

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.

Can you select them, though?

FWIW, I'm not aware of any such setting. That certainly doesn't mean there isn't one, but I don't think there is.

Is it > I believe that most of my objects are on layer 0 before being blocked.

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

I can only imagine the level of frustration.

From what you're telling me, I'm starting to wonder if it is some type of odd graphics/display issue, where the object isn't where it appears to be on screen. If it's not already high, set VIEWRES to 20000 and check to see if the LIMITS are set reasonably close to the limits of your actual objects.

Are you working with any XRefs? (Not sure what that would mean, just throwing thoughts at you.)

After re-read> I can select these blocks, but cannot trim perpendicular to a line in

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!

Thanks for updating us, Smoky. If you're still following the thread, could it have been a clipping plane issue? (I almost never use them, but since your rendering was black, it made me wonder.)