Category Archives: Multi-View Parts

There are two types of parts in an Autocad MEP MvPart Catalog.  A block based MvPart and a Parametric MvPart.  Block based parts are created from 3D solids or Mass Elements.  Additional sizes that are added to the part are done by creating a new block and adding it to the catalog drawing file.  Parametric parts are created using dimensions and constraints.  All sizes are modeled from a single part that is ‘flexed’ by its parameters to create a almost unlimited amount of size combinations.  Even though each part type is created using content builder, the interface to do so is decidedly different for a block based part than that for a parametric part.  The main advantage of a parametric based part is that it is quite easy to create new custom sizes as long as the model is built correctly.

How do you tell when adding a part if it is parametric or block based?  It is quite easy by looking at the icon of the part in the Add Multi-View Parts Dialog.  The picture below is worth a thousand words.

Block vs Parametric Based Multi-View Part