By Martin Phelps
Accessing the “Count” Command.
This new feature allows the quick counting of blocks or other objects within the drawing. It will also display issues that may occur within the file, these can include overlapping objects and exploded blocks.
The count command can be accessed from the “Palettes” panel of the of the “View” tab of the Ribbon menu, as shown in Figure 1.
Or from the right click menu, as shown in Figure 2.
Or, by typing “CO” and selecting “Count” from the displayed List, as shown in Figure 3.
Selecting the “Count” command from the “Ribbon” will display the “Count” dialogue as shown in Figure 4.
Note: - The “Count” panel contains no contents since there are currently no blocks in this drawing example.
If the command is activated in a drawing containing “Blocks”, all the “Blocks” are listed as shown in Figure 5.
A scroll bar appears on the right side of the panel if the “block” list is greater than the displayable amount.
Like all panels of this type within AutoCAD, the “Count” panel can be changed in “Size”, “Docked” and “Anchored” depending on the user’s preferences.
The displayed “Block” list in the “Count” panel is dynamically linked to the drawing, so any additions or subtractions to the “Blocks” within the drawing will automatically update in the “Count” panel.
In the example below, two additional Armchairs have been added, making the displayable total to four and the Piano and the Plant “Blocks” have been removed so they are no longer displayed in the list as shown in Figure 6.
Note: - Since the number of “Blocks” in the drawing have been reduced, the length of the scroll bar is also reduced.