The right portion of
the DesignCenter window operates on the content displayed.
Double-clicking
an item in the content area displays successive levels of detail.
For example, double-clicking a drawing image displays several icons, including
an icon for blocks. Double-clicking the Blocks icon displays images of
each block in the drawing.
Add Content to a Drawing
You can add content from
the content area into your current drawing using several methods:
- Drag an item to the graphics area of
a drawing to add it using default settings, if any.
- Right-click an item in the content area
to display a shortcut menu with several options.
- Double-click a block to display the Insert
dialog box; double-click a hatch to display the Boundary Hatch and
Fill dialog box.
You can preview graphical
content such as a drawing, xref, or block in the content area, and
you can display a text description if available.
Update Block Definitions
with DesignCenter
Unlike
xrefs, when the source file of a block definition is changed, block
definitions in the drawings that contain that block are not automatically updated.
With DesignCenter, you decide whether a block definition should be
updated in the current drawing. The source file of a block definition
can be a drawing file or a nested block in a symbol library drawing.
From the shortcut menu
displayed when you right-click a block or drawing file in the content
area, click Redefine Only or Insert and Redefine to update the selected
block.
Open Drawings with DesignCenter
With
DesignCenter, you can open a drawing from the content area using
the shortcut menu, pressing Ctrl while dragging a drawing, or dragging
a drawing icon to any location outside the graphics area of a drawing
area. The drawing name is added to the DesignCenter history list
for quick access in future sessions.
Add Items from DesignCenter
to a Tool Palette
You
can add drawings, blocks, and hatches from DesignCenter to the current tool
palette.
- From the DesignCenter content area, you
can drag one or more items to the current tool palette.
- From the DesignCenter tree view, you
can right-click and, from the shortcut menu, create a new tool palette
from the current folder, drawing file, or block icon.
When you add drawings to a tool palette, they are
inserted as blocks when you drag them into the current drawing.
NoteYou can select multiple
blocks or hatches from the content area to add them to a tool palette.
To create a tool palette
containing DesignCenter content
To load the content area
from the DesignCenter Search dialog box
- Click View tab
Palettes
panel DesignCenter. 
- In DesignCenter, use one of the following
methods:
- Drag the item from the search results
list into the content area.
- Double-click the item in the search results
list.
- Right-click the item in the search results
list. Click Load into Content Area.
- In the DesignCenter content area, double-click
the Blocks icon.
To load the content area
of DesignCenter with hatch patterns
To open a drawing from
DesignCenter
- Click View tab Palettes
panel DesignCenter.
- In DesignCenter, do one of the following:
- Right-click the drawing icon in the DesignCenter
content area. Click Open in Application Window.
- Press Ctrl and drag the drawing icon
from the DesignCenter content area to the drawing area.
- Drag the drawing icon from the DesignCenter
content area to a location anywhere outside the drawing area of
the application window. (If you drag the drawing icon into the drawing
area, a block is created in the current drawing.)
To update a block definition
with DesignCenter
To open a block from the
DesignCenter window in the Block Editor
- Click View tabPalettes panelDesignCenter.
- On the block icon’s shortcut menu, click
Block Editor.
CommandsADCENTER
Manages and inserts
content such as blocks, xrefs, and hatch patterns.
ADCNAVIGATE
Loads a specified DesignCenter
drawing file, folder, or network path.
System VariablesADCSTATE
Indicates whether the
DesignCenter window is open or closed.
