Constrained Block Envelope

This command allows to define block shells that will be used as geometrical drivers in a family document. These blocks are used for building components, they are asked during the inclusion of the component in order to automatically dimension the component inside or outside the target block.

Creation stages / Use:

Select the Construction > Block envelopes > Constrained block envelope... command from the drop-down menu.

Select the housing mode of block envelope, see details below.
Choose the creation mode :

either by selecting a plane (Automatic mode), then the block is created by automatically searching the parallel and perpendicular faces.
either by manually choosing all the faces (front, rear, top, bottom, right and left).

Validate with .

Automatic mode:

You can create the block shell inside an existing block (Inside picked shape mode) or in an empty housing (Outside picked shape mode). Face selected is considered as the front face of the envelope block, it is identified by an arrow pointing to the top face.

Housing mode of block envelope:

Inside picked shape:

Allows to create a block envelope inside the existing shape, then the component will be automatically redimensionned according to the dimension of the selected block.

Example: to insert cabinet inside a block

Outside picked shape:

Allows to create the block envelope inside housing block ( (the computation of the block will be done by searching the faces parallel and perpendicular to the selected faces).

Example: to insert shelf, block envelope will search housing inside a cabinet.

Manual:

Allows to create a block envelope by selecting all planes manually.

Example: to hook on many block.

Choose of reference plane:

Reference and destination plane:

Allows to position between two planes automatically and add offset if necessary.

First reference plane with length:

Allows to choose the first reference plane and length and add offset if necessary.

Destination plane with length:

Allows to choose the end plane and length and add offset if necessary.

Block envelope is represented by an arrow on the face.
The created block shells are stored in the Block Envelope folder of the entities tree.

It's possible to make changes directly in the graphical zone :

- By clicking on the base of the arrow to reconnect the face

- By sliding arrow to modify offset

- By double clicking on arrow to change the direction offset

- Rotate the block envelope

Modifications / Additional information:

From the entities tree, the Descriptions and Default Selection contextual commands allows you to respectively define a description for each dimension of the block and the inclusion type.

You can choose the Automatic mode, pick the front face of the block shell and then switch to the manual mode in order to select other faces.

A block shell is not a shape, modeling operations like fillet, chamfer, boolean,... are not allowed, it cannot be used in a drafting document as well.