Blocks
How to use block libraries in Rayon.
Here is all you need to know about using and creating blocks.
Creating blocks
In Rayon, blocks allow you to group elements and save them into your block library. Once saved, you can create as many instances as you would like: each instance will remain tied to its definition, so editing a block definition will affect all block instances in your model.
To create a new block...
Select the elements you want to save as a block.
Click on the
Blockbutton (CMD/CTRL+B) in the toolbar.Your new block is added to your block library, in the left-side panel.
Click on the block name to rename it!
You can now drag and drop the block on your canvas to insert as many instances as you want.
Alternatively, blocks can be created through the import of DWG/DXF files, as Rayon can detect AutoCAD blocks, and turn them automatically into Rayon blocks.
Editing vs overriding blocks
Blocks can be either edited or overridden.
Editing a block means editing its underlying block definition.
Any changes made in edit mode will be applied to all instances of that block in your model.
Editing can be accessed in the edit bar, by double-clicking on a block instance, or by pressing
CMD/CTRL+E.
Overriding a block means tuning the aspect (styles, text, and visibility) of a single block instance.
Any overrides applied to an instance will be carried by this instance, and only this one, while it will keep its tie to its definition.
Overriding can be accessed in the edit bar, or by pressing
CMD/CTRL+O.At any point, all overrides on a block can be reset, by clicking
Reset all overrides(in the right-click menu), or by pressingCMD/CTRL+OPT+O.
Making a block unique means converting it into its own definition.
In other words, at any point, a block instance can be detached from its definition, and turned into its own, unique definition.
The
Make uniqueoption can be accessed in the right-click menu on a block, or by pressingCMD/CTRL+U.
Using the block panel
The block panel works with 2 tabs:
My blocks: this tab displays the blocks stored in your current model, including those you have created.Libraries: this tab gives you access to blocks contained in libraries you have created, or contained in Rayon libraries.
My blocks will display everything in your model. Any block stored there is called a block definition. It is the parent of all similar blocks (called instances) inserted on the canvas. Changing a definition (its geometry, its properties, etc.) will affect all instances on the canvas. At any point, a definition can be dragged and dropped on the canvas to create a block instance.
In the Libraries tab of the Block panel, typing (almost) any item name will return blocks from Rayon's libraries or those of your team. Rayon now offers more than 60k blocks, for all types of programs. All of them are accessible to you.
In both tabs, you are also able to filter what appears, by using the filter feature in the panel header.
Finally, in the My blocks tab, you will find the publication button. This button will allow you to publish your blocks so they can be retrieved from any other model you have access to.
More about publication in our page about libraries.
Block families
Blocks can be grouped in Rayon, to gather blocks that belong together. In Rayon's libraries, for instance, the different views of the same block are grouped together as a family.
In fact, you can create your own families. To create a block family, simply...
Select any block definition, and in its options, click on
Create family.Now that a family is created, to add a new child to it, choose
Add to familyin the options of any other block.Select the family to add to.
Hosted blocks
Blocks can also be hosted in walls. A hosted block uses an insertion line to specify how it should get inserted into a wall.
To create a hosted block...
Select the elements you want to save as a block.
Click on the
Blockbutton (CMD/CTRL+B) in the toolbar.Click on the block and then on the
Edit(CMD/CTRL+E) button; now, you will notice a white dot in the middle of the block (this dot is its insertion point to the model).Swap the dot with a line on the top right panel, and click on
Done.
That's it! Your opening block will now punch a hole/snap on Rayon walls.
Block bounding box controls
Blocks can have a fully functional bounding box that allows for non-uniform resizing from the sides and uniform resizing from the corners. In some cases, it can be useful to hide those controls, for example with parametric blocks, which have specific grips to interact with the block in the intended way only.
In the right panel, when editing a block, under "Box corners":
You can choose to show or hide those controls.
Auto will automatically hide the controls if the block is parametric.
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Book a demo with our team, right here. To get some support, reach out to us through our in-app support chat. More about our support policy right here.
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