Transitioning from 2D to 3D AutoCAD drawings 109

Okay… so you don’t want your light fixtures on the floor?!? 

There are many methods that enable you to change the position of objects in 3D space. Most of them are the same methods you use to change the position of objects in 2D! But, if you are new to working in a 3D environment, you might need to think a little more about which option to choose. For example, how should I select the orange light fixtures that I want to move? I could pick them one at a time but that sounds like a lot of work.

I could change to a plan view and then use several window/crossing selections just as I might do in 2D.

I could change to a front or side view and then use a window selection to choose just those objects (the light fixtures) that are at the floor level.

Or, the method that I’m going to use is the Properties window. Since all the objects that I want to select are blocks and because the light fixtures are the only visible blocks, I can select all the objects on my screen and then use the Properties window to select only the object type (Block references) that I want. This capability has been around since AutoCAD 2000 (if my memory servers) and it can be very useful whether you are working in 3D or 2D.

So why did I choose to use the Properties window for selection? Because, I can also use the Properties window to “move” my light fixtures to a new height.  Rather than using the MOVE or 3DMOVE commands, I can simply change the Z position of all the blocks to the proper value.

1. Select all the objects.
2. Right-click and choose Properties from the menu.
3. In the Properties window, select Block Reference from the drop-down list.
4. For the Z Position, enter the proper value. In my drawing, the bottoms of the light fixtures were originally inserted at a Z Position of 0 but I want them to be located at ceiling height which is 8’.
   

This method was the quickest in my situation because 1) it was easy for me to select all the right blocks and 2) I knew at what height (Z Position) the blocks should be. If I didn’t know the exact Z Position for the blocks, I would probably use a different selection method and then use the new 3DMOVE grip tool to move the blocks along the Z-axis at a relative distance (8').

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