Control the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks (Concept)

AutoCAD 2008 User's Guide > Create and Modify Objects > Create and Use Blocks (Symbols) > Create and Store Blocks >

Control the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks

Concept

Procedure

Quick Reference

The objects in an inserted block can retain their original properties, can inherit properties from the layer on which they are inserted, or can inherit the properties set as current in the drawing.

Generally when you insert a block, the color, linetype, and lineweight of objects in the block retain their original settings regardless of the current settings in the drawing. However, you can create blocks with objects that inherit the current color, linetype, and lineweight settings. These objects have floating properties.

You have three choices for how the color, linetype, and lineweight properties of objects are treated when a block reference is inserted.

Objects in the block do not inherit color, linetype, and lineweight properties from the current settings. The properties of objects in the block do not change regardless of the current settings.
For this choice, it is recommended that you set the color, linetype, and lineweight properties individually for each object in the block definition: do not use BYBLOCK or BYLAYER color, linetype, and lineweight settings when creating these objects.
Objects in the block inherit color, linetype, and lineweight properties from the color, linetype, and lineweight assigned to the current layer only.
For this choice, before you create objects to be included in the block definition, set the current layer to 0, and set the current color, linetype, and lineweight to BYLAYER.
Objects inherit color, linetype, and lineweight properties from the current color, linetype, and lineweight that you have set explicitly, that is, that you have set to override the color, linetype, or lineweight assigned to the current layer. If you have not explicitly set them, then these properties are inherited from the color, linetype, and lineweight assigned to the current layer.
For this choice, before you create objects to be included in the block definition, set the current color or linetype to BYBLOCK.

If you want objects in a block to	Create objects on these layers	Create objects with these properties
Retain original properties	Any but 0 (zero)	Any but BYBLOCK or BYLAYER
Inherit properties from the current layer	0 (zero)	BYLAYER
Inherit individual properties first, then layer properties	Any	BYBLOCK

Floating properties also apply to nested blocks when the nested block references and the objects they contain use the settings required for floating properties.