8
Styles 467
When drawings get very complex, finding the
block or block instance you want can pose a
problem. For example, a common block you might
addtoadrawingisatable.Ifyou’redesigninga
corporate headquarters that makes use of several
different t ypes of tables, finding the one you
want to change becomes more difficult. There
are several ways for you to find and select a block
more precisely in 3ds Max.
• One way is by means of the block’s name. When
you link a drawing to 3ds Max, file linking
creates a name such as
Block: ConferenceTable
.
Thefirstpartofthenameidentifiestheobject’s
type,
Block
. The second part of the name
indicates the block name,
ConferenceTable
.
With this sor t of naming breakdow n, you can
easily find a block using the Select Objects
dialog.
• Another select ion method uses the Layer
or Color setting you made for your block
when you created it in Architec tura l Desktop.
Because layer and color data is also linked to
3ds Max, you can select ent ire groupings of
blocks using Select By Color or Select By Layer.
• Finally, you can select blocks by the type of
material that’s applied to them. Take care when
selectingblocksthiswaybecausethematerial
assigned to the block may also b e a ssigned to
other objects in the scene.
Once a block or set of block instances is
selected, you can isolate them from the
remainder of the model to work on them more
efficiently.
To select block by color:
1.
Choose Ed it menu > Select By > Color.
2. Select a block in the scene.
All blocks that share that color are selected.
To select blocks by name:
1.
Choose E dit menu > Select By > Name, or press
the H key to open the Select Objects dialog.
Alternately, you could use the Selection Floater,
accessed from the Tools menu. While similar to
the Select Objects dia log, the Selection Floater
is modeless and can remain on-screen while
you’re working.
2. WhileholdingdowntheCTRLkey,select
blocks with common names.
You can also enter the block name in the name
field at the top of the dialog .
3. Click Selec t.
All blocks that share the specified name are
selected.
To select block s by layer:
1.
Choose Edit menu > Select By > Layer.
2. Select a block in the scene.
All the blocks sharing that layer are selected.
To isol ate selected obj ects:
1.
Using one of the previous selection methods,
select s ome blocks.
2. Choose Tools menu > Isolate Selected.
All objects are hidden except for the selected
blocks. A dialog is displayed, indicating that
isolation mode is active.
Styles
Styles are sets of parameters that you can assign
to objects in Autodesk Architectural Desktop
to determine their appearance. This means
an Architectural Desktop object references a
style in order to determine certain aspects of
its appearance. For example, a door style in
Architectural Desktop determines the type of
door represented in the drawing, such as single or