A group is a collection of geometries that can be selected, moved, copied, and transformed as a single unit. This is a powerful organizational tool that simplifies complex scenes by allowing related objects to be manipulated together, but it also allows for individual object editing within the group. Groups help streamline workflows, make complex scenes manageable, and allow for a single transform (like scaling or rotation) to be applied to all members of the group at once.
Use groups to quickly manipulate geometries that go together, like
Site areas
Buildings
Parklet designs
and more!
A Group vs a Block?
A group is a temporary, flexible collection of objects, while a block is a reusable, permanent master object. Both combine multiple objects to be selected and moved as one, but they serve different purposes in a workflow.
| Group | Block |
Primary Use | Ad-hoc, temporary organization for a single, unique assembly. For example, arranging a set of furniture in one room. | Reusable, standardized parts for repeated objects. For example, every identical window in a building. |
Editing Behavior | Edits to one grouped instance do not affect other copies of that group. The copies are unique, distinct objects. | All instances are linked to a single "definition." Editing one instance automatically updates all other instances of that block. |
File Size | Creates a complete copy of the geometry for each instance, which increases the overall file size. | Stores the geometry only once and references it for each instance. This significantly reduces file size, especially for complex or frequently repeated objects. |
Library Management | Not easily shared between projects or stored in a library. When copied to a new drawing, the group structure is lost. | Can be stored in a library for reuse across different projects. Block definitions can also be external files that are linked to the current drawing. |
Complexity | Simple in nature. Used for quickly assembling a few objects to move together. Can be nested within other groups or blocks. | More robust and complex. Can have additional attributes, like text or scaling behavior, and are organized in a centralized block manager |
Modifications | Easy to "ungroup" and re-group on the fly. Designed for flexibility. | Requires a specific "block editor" mode to modify the definition. Modifications are intended to be less frequent. |