Transitioning from 2D to 3D AutoCAD drawings 111

When I left off last week, I had 3D diffusers on the floor. Did you think about how I might move them to the ceiling?

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are many methods for selecting and moving the geometry in 3D space. I decided to use the Quick Select tool to select the objects and the standard MOVE command (rather than the 3DMOVE) to move the selected objects along the Z-axis.

1. In the drawing, right-click and choose Quick Select from the right-click menu.
   
   
2. In the Quick Select dialog box, set the Object Type to the type of object you want to move. Since I want to move blocks, I’ll set the Object Type to Block Reference.
3. Set the type of property for which you want to filter the selection. The property you choose depends on the drawing. In my example, I could filter on the block name. However, I have several different diffuser blocks so I would have to perform multiple sets of filters in order to select all of them. All of the diffuser blocks are on the same layer and they are the only blocks on that layer. So, in my example, the easiest method for selecting all the diffuser blocks is to filter on the layer.
4. Ensure the Operator is set to Equals.
5. Set the Value to the proper layer name. In my example, I set it to the M-HVAC-CDFF; the layer on which all my diffusers are inserted.
   
   
6. Choose OK. All block objects on the specified layer are selected and ready to be moved.
7. Right-click and choose Move.
8. Specify the basepoint by picking in a blank area in 3D space. This is no different than how you might move objects in a 2D drawing.
9. Ensure that polar tracking is enabled (POLAR toggle on the status bar). If polar tracking is enabled, you will see the Z tracking vector when you drag the cursor in the direction of the Z-axis.
10. Drag the cursor up along the Z-axis and enter the displacement distance. The displacement distance is 8’ in my example.
    
    

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