Using Design Resources

Use the DesignResources command to access resources and contents from other drawings on your computer or network places to which you are connected. You can employ and import Blocks, Reference drawings, Layers, LineStyles, DimensionStyles, TextStyles, TableStyles, and layout Sheets into the current drawing.

From the Design Resources palette, you can drag and drop drawing contents, copy and paste them, and add, attach, or insert them. These procedures are discussed in Typical Procedures when Using Design Resources.

Additionally, you can add a set of Blocks on a tool palette in one step using the Design Resources. Options are available in context menus. Procedures are discussed in Using Blocks with Tool Palettes.

The palette contains two tabs:

• Computer: Displays resources and contents from your computer or network places to which you are connected.
• Opened files: Display contents from the opened drawings.

In addition, there is a toolbar at the top and a status bar at the bottom of the palette.

To show the Design Resources palette:

• Click Tools > Design Resources (or type DesignResources).

  - or -

• Press Ctrl + 2.

Design Resources Palette

Computer tab

The palette contains three sections:

• Resources tree view: Browses the disks, folders, network drives, and drawing files.
• Content list: Displays the contents of the selected item in the Folders tree view.
• Preview area: Displays previews of drawing files, Blocks, References, and image files.

Folders tree view

The Resources tree view lets you navigate to folders and files on your computer, network places you are connected to, and your system Desktop.

These file types are listed in the tree view:

• Drawing file (*dwg)
• Drawing exchange file (*dxf)
• Drawing template file (*.dwt)
• Drawing standards file (*.dws)

If the folder you select contains image files, these are listed in the Content list.

Note: Hidden folders or files are not displayed in the Design Resources palette.

Content list

The Content list area displays the contents of the item you selected in the Resources tree view.

• If you selected a folder, Content displays drawings and images contained in the folder and subfolders.

  Image files can be of type *.bmp, *.gif, *.jpg, *.png, and *.tif.

• If you selected a drawing file, Content displays a list of all categories of named objects contained in a drawing:
  • Blocks
  • Reference drawings
  • Layers
  • LineStyles
  • DimensionStyles
  • TextStyles
  • TableStyles
  • Sheets

  Note: You can also show these categories in the Resources tree view by clicking the plus sign (+) in front of a drawing file (which expands the categories list).

Preview area

The Preview area displays previews of drawing files, Blocks, References, and images.

Toolbar

Use the buttons in the toolbar at the top of the Design Resources palette for navigation and access options:

• Open : Opens a drawing or image file, sets the Resources tree view to the folder of that file, and highlights the file name in the Content list.
• Home : Displays the default folder or file you selected in the Resources tree view.

  To set the Home position, in the Resources tree view, right-click an item and click Set as Home.

• Favorites : Displays your favorite resources in the Favorites folder. You can bookmark resources you often use or want to quickly find.

  To add folders or files to the Favorites folder in the Resources tree view, right-click an item and click Add to Favorites.

  To remove folders or files from the Favorites folder, in the Content list, right-click an item and click Remove from Favorites.

  Note: The Favorites folder is not a physical folder on your hard drive. It is a list of links to folders and files on your system.

• Back : Displays the previously viewed folder or file.

  Click the arrow to show the list of the recently browsed folders and files.

• Forward : Displays the previously viewed folder or file if you clicked Back.

  Click the arrow to show the list of folders and files from which you stepped back using the Back button.

• Up : Moves one level up in the Resources tree view hierarchy.
• Tree View Toggle : Shows or hides the Folders tree view.
• Preview Toggle : Shows or hides the Preview area.
• Refresh : Refreshes the Resources tree view, Content list, and Preview area (for example, if changes were made externally to the selected folder).
• View : Changes the display of the Content list among list, details, thumbnails, and icons. Click the arrow to select one of these display modes.

Status bar

The status bar displays the full folder and file names of the selected item in the Resources tree view and the number of applicable items that are listed in the Contents list.

Opened Files tab

The palette contains three sections:

• Resources tree view: Browses the opened drawing files.
• Content list: Displays the contents of the selected item in the Resources tree view.
• Preview area: Displays previews of drawing files, Blocks, References, and image files.

Resources

The Resources tree view lets you navigate to opened files.

These file types are listed in the tree view:

• Drawing file (*.dwg)
• Drawing exchange file (*.dxf)
• Drawing template file (*.dwt)
• Drawing standards file (*.dws)

Content list

The Content list area displays the contents of the item you selected in the Resources tree view.

The Content list area displays a list of all categories of named objects contained in the drawing selected in the Resources tree view:

• Blocks

  You can group all Blocks of a drawing on a tool palette using the Create Tool Palette option from the context menu.

• Reference drawings
• Layers
• LineStyles
• DimensionStyles
• TextStyles
• TableStyles
• Sheets

  Note: You can also show these categories in the Resources tree view by clicking the plus sign (+) in front of a drawing file (which expands the categories list).

Preview area

The Preview area displays previews of the specified drawing file, Block, Reference, and image.

Typical Procedures when Using Design Resources

You can drag and drop drawing contents, copy and paste them, and add, attach, or insert them.

To drag content from other drawings to the graphics area:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file.
2. In the Resources list, double-click a category (Blocks, Layers, LineStyles, DimensionStyles, TextStyles, TableStyles, Reference, or Sheets).
3. In the Content list, drag an item from the list into the drawing.
4. If you drag a Block or a Reference drawing, specify the position of the Block or Reference. If the Block contains BlockAttributes, edit the attributes.

To copy and paste content from other drawings into the drawing:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file.

   Note: If you have already opened the drawing that contains Blocks, you can find it in the Opened files tree view.

2. In the Resources list, double-click a category (Blocks, Layers, LineStyles, DimensionStyles, TextStyles, TableStyles, Reference, or Sheets).
3. In the Content list, right-click an item and click Copy.
4. In the graphics area, right-click and click Paste.
5. If you paste a Block or a Reference drawing, specify the position of the Block or Reference.

To insert Blocks from other drawings into the drawing:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file that contains Blocks.

   Note: If you have already opened the drawing that contains Blocks, you can find it in the Opened files tree view.

2. In the Resources list, double-click the Blocks category.
3. In the Content list, specify a Block.

   The Block is displayed in the Preview area.

4. Right-click and click Insert Block.

   Note: If the specified Block has the same name as a Block used in the drawing, you can redefine existing Blocks using the following options:

   • Insert and redefine: Inserts the specified Block and replaces existing Blocks with the Block specified in the Content list, if the existing Blocks have the same name as the specified one.
   • Redefine only: Replaces existing Blocks with the Block specified in the Content list, if the existing Blocks have the same name as the specified one.
5. In the Insert Block dialog box, specify options and values as if you use the InsertBlock command.
6. Click OK.

  To insert Blocks from Design Resources you can also double-click a Block in the Content list.

To redefine existing Blocks to a Block from another drawing:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file that contains Blocks.
2. In the Resources list, double-click the Blocks category.
3. In the Content list, specify a Block.

   The specified Block is displayed in the Preview area.

4. Right-click and click Redefine only.

   Existing Blocks are replaced with the Block specified in the Content list.

   Note: The Redefine only option is available only if you have already opened the drawing that contains Blocks.

To insert a Block from other drawing and redefine existing Blocks:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file.
2. In the Resources list, double-click the Blocks category.
3. In the Content list, specify a Block.

   The Block is displayed in the Preview area.

4. Right-click and click Insert and redefine.

   Note: The Insert and redefine option is available only if you have already opened the drawing that contains Blocks.

5. In the Insert Block dialog box, specify options and values as if you use the InsertBlock command.
6. Click OK.

   Existing Blocks are replaced with the Block specified in the Contents list.

To attach References from other drawings to the drawing:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file that contains a referenced drawing.
2. In the Resources list, double-click the Reference drawings category.
3. In the Content list, right-click a Reference and click Attach Reference.
4. In the Attach Reference dialog box, specify options and values as if you use the AttachDrawing command.
5. Click OK.

  Attaching image files functions in a similar way.

To add Layers from other drawings to the drawing:

This procedure also works with LinesStyles, DimensionStyles, TextStyles, TableStyles, and layout Sheets.

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file.
2. In the Resources list, double-click the Layers category.
3. In the Content list, select one or more Layer names, right-click and click Add Layers.

   The Layers are added to the current drawing. Duplicate Layers are ignored.

  To add a single Layer from Design Resources, you can double-click a Layer name in the Contents list.

To add layout Sheet definitions from other drawings to the drawing:

1. In the tree view, browse to a drawing file.
2. In the Resources list, double-click the Sheets category.
3. In the Content list, select one or more Sheet names, right-click and click Add Sheets.

   The Sheets are added to the current drawing. Duplicate Sheets are ignored.

To insert drawings as Blocks, attach drawings as References, or open drawings from the Design Resources palette:

1. In the tree view, browse to a folder that contains at least one drawing file.
2. In the Resources list, select a drawing file.
3. Right-click and specify an option:
   • Attach as Reference: Attaches the specified drawing file as if you used the AttachDrawing command.
   • Insert as Block: Inserts the specified drawing file as if you used the InsertBlock command.
   • Open in application: Opens the specified drawing file as if you used the Open command.

  Attaching image files functions in a similar way.

To hide the Design Resources palette:

• Click Tools > Design Resources (or type HideDesignResources).

  - or -

• Press Ctrl + 2.

  If you frequently insert many Blocks, it is recommended that you collect Blocks of the same discipline or category in drawing files located in a specific folder. In Design Resources, these drawings can function as Block libraries. In addition, you can make them Favorites or group them on a dedicated tool palette.

Access

Command: DesignResources

Menu: Tools > Design Resources