AutoCAD 2009, Explode, gone?

Where’s the Dynamite?  Has Explode gone?

While many CAD Managers may prefer it was gone, Explode is still there in 2009. What’s missing is that iconic, umm, icon! For as long as I can remember, to create havoc in an AutoCAD file you just clicked on the Dynamite.

In AutoCAD 2009 it’s been replaced with an icon showing a collection of faces “flying away” from each other. It kind of represents a real world explosion but for AutoCAD it’s a little misleading. When you explode something in AutoCAD, it breaks into components but they don’t go anywhere!

I’m not sure why it was changed. Maybe, like the 3D Viewcube/Wheels, it’s shared by other products and is part of Autodesk’s drive for a more unified interface? Perhaps the “dyna’mighty redness” of the old icon was just too bright for the rather monotone 2009 colour scheme? Or maybe it just didn’t work? If you “2009’ify” the old icon it does look more like a bug on the windshield!

Boom, Boom, to edit AutoCAD Architecture Multiview Block components.*

We use AutoCAD Architecture Multiview Blocks extensively so Explode is actually a handy tool for updating library parts. The nested blocks in MV Blocks can’t be edited directly. You could insert the correct block (then refedit it) but that gets tedious, especially in a standards or project file with hundreds of blocks. An quick alternative is to use explode to expose it;

• Copy the MV Block (you’re going to destroy it soon so don’t use the original)
• Set the view/display to show nested block you want to edit
• Explode shatters the MV Block leaving an anonymous (unnamed) block
• Explode again to reveal the correct component block for the current view, ready to refedit.

* Blame watching too much Basil Brush as a kid for this line.