Block replacement Utility for AutoCAD

By Dennis Collin

For many years AutoCAD has come with a suite of additional utilities known as the Express Tools. These tools are very useful in doing anything from bespoke hatch patterns to editing keyboard shortcuts.

I sometimes get asked does AutoCAD have a replace block command? The answer is yes, provided you have a copy of full AutoCAD. Unfortunately, AutoCAD LT does not have API support.

All that is needed is to have the new block loaded into the drawing where the old block definition needs to be replaced. Consider the situation below in a typical building layout plan. Incorrect chairs have been positioned by the desks. Whereas the correct chair is located at the top of the drawing.

Click on Replace Block and either choose from a list or pick the block that needs to be changed.

Then AutoCAD will ask for the replacement block which also can be picked from a list or selected graphically.

Once selected, the routine asks if it should purge the block from the drawing and then replaces the old block definition with the new one as shown in the image below.