Downloded .dxf file, How do I create a new Block?

[RayArdia]

Lenovo V110 laptop 4GB RAM 500GB HDD running Ubuntu 16.04

I have downloaded and extracted a .dxf file ( plan of a bath) to /home/ray/Sureste-N 1700x750 wo-Massage.dxf
QCAD is at /home/ray/ qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32.
Can someone point me in the right direction please?

[Husky]

Lenovo V110 laptop 4GB RAM 500GB HDD running Ubuntu 16.04

I have downloaded and extracted a .dxf file ( plan of a bath) to /home/ray/Sureste-N 1700x750 wo-Massage.dxf
QCAD is at /home/ray/ qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32.
Can someone point me in the right direction please?

Where will you use the block(s)?
- in the source drawing (Sureste-N 1700x750 wo-Massage.dxf)?
- in ONE floor plan? (maybe a currently building/renovation project)
- in MANY floor plans? Use of the QCAD Library ...

[RayArdia]

Ubuntu 16.04, QCAD pro version 3.23.0.0
Sorry for delayed answer.
Block will be used in more than one floor plan
Regards, Ray

[Husky]

Block will be used in more than one floor plan

It that case I recommend to work with library items. This is a block storage system by QCAD which is accessible by all drawings.
Basically you created a block which is saved on your system, outside the QCAD installation paths and every drawing can import those blocks.

To get you started: Create a folder on your system, outside the QCAD installation, which has permission to write and read. This folder will be used to store your blocks.

Please check this old but still actual tutorial which was used on a Window system. Follow the steps to create a library item (Block) and learn how to insert the library items into a drawing.



If you stuck at any step please feel free to ask.

[RayArdia]

Working through the video I have got to this point:-

Screenshot from 2020-03-18 11-07-24.png (220.65 KiB) Viewed 9124 times

When I select the RH of the two bottom boxes 'create library item from selection' I get no response. I have the proposed block drawing open and the item selected.
BTW the video is not of the highest quality, it's just a little difficult to see clearly.
Sorry that I'm a bit slow in responding to your kind help, but life, under the restrictions imposed by COVD-19, has to go on!
Regards, Ray

[andrew]

QCAD is asking you for a reference point at that stage:

Screenshot 2020-03-18 at 11.23.05.png (70.17 KiB) Viewed 9122 times

[RayArdia]

Thank you,
Ray

[RayArdia]

I'm nearly there. I created the Block in Libraries/default/Bathroom Fittings but can't insert it into a new drawing, screenshot below:-

Screenshot from 2020-03-18 13-18-28.png (200.92 KiB) Viewed 9118 times

The block is shown in Block List but doesn't appear under Bathroom Fittings in Library Browser.
Ray

[andrew]

Try syncing the DB:

Screenshot 2020-03-18 at 13.29.37.png (44.49 KiB) Viewed 9116 times

[RayArdia]

Tried via 'Block/Attributes/Synchronise attributes' but nothing happened. Also when I clicked 'Update DB from file system' the Progress window shows VERY briefly showing 0 or 1% then dissappears. What am I doing wrong?
Ray

[andrew]

Please check on your file system (e.g. with Windows Explorer) if there's a DXF file under your QCAD installation directory and then "Libraries/default/Bathroom Fittings". If not, you didn't actually create the library item or you might have created it somewhere else on disk.

[Husky]

I don't know how it works below Ubuntu but below Windows QCAD has no default permission to save Library items in the QCAD installation path.

[RayArdia]

From Terminal:-

ray@ray-Lenovo-V110-15IAP:~$ ls
Br Bathroom Empty.dxf Online enquiry State Pension 20 Jan 2015.odt
Calibre Library Pictures
deja-dup Public
Desktop qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32
Device infor router.odt snap
Diagrams Sketches etc Sureste-N 1700x750 wo-Massage.dxf
Documents sureste-n 1700x750 wo-massage.dxf.tar.gz
Downloads Templates
Dropbox Term 7 Mar early am.odt
Mail Videos
Music
ray@ray-Lenovo-V110-15IAP:~$ cd qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32
ray@ray-Lenovo-V110-15IAP:~/qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32$ ls
adinit.dat libQt5Qml.so.5
assistant libQt5QuickParticles.so.5
bbox libQt5Quick.so.5
cc-by-3.0.txt libQt5QuickTest.so.5
doc libQt5QuickWidgets.so.5
dwg2bmp libQt5Script.so.5
dwg2dwg libQt5ScriptTools.so.5
dwg2maptiles libQt5Sensors.so.5
dwg2pdf libQt5Sql.so.5
dwg2svg libQt5Svg.so.5
dwghatch libQt5WebChannel.so.5
dwginfo libQt5WebKit.so.5
examples libQt5WebKitWidgets.so.5
fonts libQt5WebSockets.so.5
gpl-3.0-exceptions.txt libQt5Widgets.so.5
gpl-3.0.txt libQt5X11Extras.so.5
lgpl.txt libQt5XcbQpa.so.5
libicudata.so.54 libQt5XmlPatterns.so.5
libicui18n.so.54 libQt5Xml.so.5
libicuuc.so.54 libraries
libqcadcore.so libspatialindexnavel.so
libqcadecmaapi.so LICENSE.txt
libqcadentity.so linetypes
libqcadgrid.so merge
libqcadgui.so patterns
libqcadoperations.so platforminputcontexts
libqcadsnap.so platforms
libqcadspatialindex.so plugins
libqcadstemmer.so qcad
libQt5CLucene.so.5 qcad.1
libQt5Concurrent.so.5 qcad-bin
libQt5Core.so.5 qcad_icon.png
libQt5DBus.so.5 readme.txt
libQt5Gui.so.5 revision.txt
libQt5Help.so.5 scripts
libQt5MultimediaQuick_p.so.5 Sureste Bath 1700x750.dxf
libQt5Multimedia.so.5 Sureste-N 1700x750 wo-Massage.png
libQt5MultimediaWidgets.so.5 svg2dwg
libQt5Network.so.5 themes
libQt5OpenGL.so.5 ts
libQt5Positioning.so.5 xcbglintegrations
libQt5PrintSupport.so.5
ray@ray-Lenovo-V110-15IAP:~/qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32$

So, it does appear to be there - or am I still barking up the wrong tree?
Ray

[RayArdia]

I think my question should be
:-
How do I make 'libQt5MultimediaQuick_p.so.5 Sureste Bath 1700x750.dxf' perform as a Block?

[andrew]

Your DXF file is saved as:

~/qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32/Sureste Bath 1700x750.dxf

While it should be:

~/qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_32/libraries/default/.../Bathroom Fittings/Sureste Bath 1700x750.dxf

The "..." part is part of your folder structure and unknown to me from previous posts.