Found a hidden feature or want to share a time-saving shortcut? Let us all know...
#62205 by wwwylie
Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:51 pm
Although there is not "make unique" command for symbols like Sketchup has for its components, I have found a short work-around to creating a symbol in the current drawing only, which is essentially a "make unique" type of command. It all comes from using the "Paste as Symbol" command (Shift+Ctrl+V). If you are trying to make a unique symbols of one that is in the drawing and currently unexploded, you can use either of the following 2 methods:

    1. Go to Edit > Clipboard Select (Ctrl + E)
    2. Choosing entity (F1), select the symbol you want to "make unique" and then hit copy (S5 or Ctrl+C)
    3. Select an insertion point (if you had that option set).
    4. Go to Edit > Paste as Symbol (Shift+Ctrl+V) and insert the symbol where you want it. You will be prompted to give the symbol a name (the default is a long number string which seems to be unique, probably related to the time that you inserted the new symbol).
    5. Double-Click on the new symbol (or use the cool new Shift+Right Click if you have Inferencing turned on and have installed the new Beta) to open up the symbol editor.
    6. Ctrl+Right click on the original symbol and select Symbol Tools > Explode > to Original Layers.
    7. Use the layer manager to delete the current layer (provided it has nothing on it).
    8. Edit the symbol to your liking.
    9. Close the symbol (File > Close or Ctrl+F4) and select YES to save changes.
    10. You now have a unique symbol based in the drawing only.

Alternatively you could...
    1. Double-Click on the symbol you want to "make unique"(or use the cool new Shift+Right Click if you have Inferencing turned on and have installed the new Beta) to open up the symbol editor.
    2. Go to Edit > Clipboard Select (Ctrl + E)
    3. Either choose area (F3) and select everything (with Layer Search on), or hit Ctrl+A (with Layer Search on) to select everything, then hit copy (S5 or Ctrl+C)
    4. Select an insertion point (if you had that option set).
    5. Close the symbol (File > Close or Ctrl+F4) and select NO to save changes.
    6. Go to Edit > Paste as Symbol (Shift+Ctrl+V) and insert the symbol where you want it. You will be prompted to give the symbol a name (the default is a long number string which seems to be unique, probably related to the time that you inserted the new symbol).
    7. Double-Click on the new symbol (or use the cool new Shift+Right Click if you have Inferencing turned on and have installed the new Beta) to open up the symbol editor.
    8. Edit the symbol to your liking.
    9. Close the symbol (File > Close or Ctrl+F4) and select YES to save changes.
    10. You now have a unique symbol based in the drawing only.

If you wish, you can Save-As the symbol and keep it on the hard drive as a DSF file for use in other drawings. You could also just use Clipboard Select to copy and paste it to another drawing, where it will be a unique symbol within that drawing alone.
#62207 by Neil Blanchard
Mon Nov 04, 2013 9:12 am
Wade, if I understand you correctly, this would be like exploding a symbol, but not having to exploded it. Changes to the one symbol would *not* affect the other instances of that symbol.

This could be useful. Maybe a way yo do it would be to have a Save As/Replace function all in one step?
#62210 by wwwylie
Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:35 am
This allows me to create a symbol that is unique to the drawing only without having to save it out to the hard drive. For example, I use bring in my standard details as unexploded symbols so I make changes to them on the hard drive I have to option to reload them in each drawing without having to duplicate the changes. If I have a drawing that needs a standard detail (say a footing for example) and then needs a second copy of it with a slight modification that I do not want to save out to a DSF file (soils engineer recommendations?), I can use this to create a "unique" copy of it and change that copy without affecting the original instance of the symbol within the drawing.

I find this to be similar to the way components work in Sketchup. I can now create symbols easily within the drawing for repeated information that I don't have to save out to my symbol library. I have also found this useful for posts that are of an odd dimension (that occur multiple times in one job), but that I don't foresee using all that often.
#62214 by joshhuggins
Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:19 pm
I use the Alt method you posted above which takes about 7 secs to Dbl Click, Ctrl+A, Pick insert point if turned on, close symbol, Ctrl+Shift+V. I try to copy the contents to my clipboard ahead of time before I leave the first symbol to save a step or two if I have enough forethought, but if there was a 'Save As New Symbol' option via the Ctrl+Right click 'Symbol Tools' context menu below the Save As, that would be pretty handy. Gets my vote. We use the heck out of the Ctrl+Shift+V. Would also love it if we could create multiple new symbols via Ctrl+Shift+V without it loosing the clipboard contents each time and having to go back to the source and re-copy and then Ctrl+Shift+V again to create the next unique symbol.
#62225 by wwwylie
Tue Nov 05, 2013 11:27 am
joshhuggins wrote:Would also love it if we could create multiple new symbols via Ctrl+Shift+V without it loosing the clipboard contents each time and having to go back to the source and re-copy and then Ctrl+Shift+V again to create the next unique symbol.

I had no idea this was the case, but if so then I second this idea.

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