Blocks

You can make, save, edit, and insert blocks for drawing items and sketch entities that you use often, such as standard notes, title blocks, label positions, and so on. You can attach blocks to geometry or to drawing views, and you can insert them into sheet formats.

NOTE: You can import legacy 2D CAD software blocks, including title blocks, to use directly in the SolidWorks application. You can also copy and paste 2D CAD software entities into SolidWorks documents.

Blocks can include the following items:

• Text (Notes)

• Dimensions

• Sketch entities

• Balloons

• Imported entities and text

• Area hatch

To create blocks, select items (from the list above) in the graphics area and click Tools, Block, Make. You can save a sketch directly to a block file. Click Save Sketch as Block (Blocks toolbar) or Tools, Blocks, Save.

When you insert blocks into drawings, you insert instances of the block definition, which you can modify as follows:

• Scale

• Rotate

• Add leaders

• Edit values of attributes

Additional functionality for blocks includes:

• Dynamically edit block definitions, including file definitions

• Editing is in-place (no separate block editor window)

• You can add or remove entities while editing

• Explode blocks in the graphics area

• Move, copy, and paste block instances

• Save blocks to file, or create and use in a drawing without saving to file

• Use part or drawing blocks interchangeably

• Change block base points

• Change leader attachment points and leader anchor points

• Reference external definitions, including existing DXF/DWG file blocks

• Snap to and infer from sketches to block points on a drawing sheet

• Add dimensions and constraints between sketch entities of two block instances

• Move block instances to and from layers

• Once a block (instance) is moved to a layer, all entities inside the block take the layer properties.