Grouping Drawing Objects

When you group objects, you combine them into one object called a group. Any operation which can be performed on the group is actually performed on all the objects in the group. If you move a group, all the objects in the group move by the same amount. If you copy a group, the new group contains a copy of each object in the original group.

An example of a group might be a narrative, with the title "Narrative" and a line above the narrative text. By grouping title, line and text, you can move them on the drawing more efficiently.

Narrative
group -----------------------------------------
This is the narrative text

Group Objects command

Choose Edit | Group Objects.
Select the objects to include in the group.

A new group object will be created and the selected objects placed in it.

Right click the objects to group

Select the objects you want to include in the group.
Right click any selected object and choose Group from the context menu.

A new group object will be created and the selected objects placed in it.

Editing objects within a group

Place the cursor over any object in a group, then right click and choose Properties.
Edit the object settings and choose OK. The group will be redrawn to reflect the changes you made in that object.

Ungrouping objects

Any group can be ungrouped. Ungrouping replaces the group objects with the individual objects in the group.

Right click the group object and choose Ungroup (Explode).

Saving a Group as a Block

Right click any object in the group and choose Save as Block… TPC will display the Block Reference dialog in which you can enter the new block name and filename, specify a color, size and paper space to use when saving the block.

Using groups in Templates

Groups are ideally suited for storing objects in templates. A title block is a good example. If you create the title block as a group and store it in a template, you can later edit the title block information about who drew the drawing and what revision it is, but you can still move the title block as a group.

Accenting Groups

Drawing View can accent the object under the cursor. Accents make it easier to identify which object the cursor is over. When you accent an object in a group, the whole group is accented.

Tool Tips

When you position the cursor over an item in a group, TPC displays the Tool Tip for just that item, not the entire group.

Editions

Premium, Professional