Insert

The Insert command inserts an internally stored block object or an external file as a block, group, or individual objects. The Insert command lets you pick a specific insertion point and apply a scale and rotation to the objects when inserting.

• Insert a block
• Insert options

Insert blocks

Steps to insert a block:

1. Select a block name
2. Pick a location in a viewport.

Steps to insert a model file

1. Click the file explorer button to insert an external file as a block, group, or individual objects.
   Or, Drag any supported geometry file format from File Explorer, and drop it onto a Rhino viewport. In the dialog box, click Insert file.
2. Set insert file options.
3. Pick a location in a viewport.

Insert options

Name
Lists the names of blocks defined in the model.

Insert as

• Block instance: Inserts the model as a block instance.
• As Group Inserts the model as a group.
• Individual objects Inserts the model as individual geometry objects.

Insertion point

• Prompt: Prompts to pick an insertion point.
• X/Y/Z: Type the x, y, and z coordinates.

Scale
Scales the objects.

• Prompt: Prompts to pick a scale.
• Uniform: Sets the same scale for the x, y, and z directions.
• X/Y/Z: Sets a separate scale for each direction.

Rotation
Rotates the objects.

• Prompt: Prompts to pick a rotation angle.
• Angle: Sets a rotation angle.

Insert from file options

file
Click to insert an external file.

External file

Block definition type

• Embedded Inserts geometry into the current file. This will not update if the external file changes.
• Embedded and linked Inserts geometry into the current file and maintain a link to the external file. Linked geometry can be updated when the external file changes. See: BlockManager. If the external file cannot be located, the geometry is still defined in the current file.
• Linked Maintains a link to the external file only. Linked geometry is updated when the external file changes. See: BlockManager. If the external file cannot be located, the geometry will not appear in the current file.

Layer style (Linked blocks only)
A linked block definition references an external file. Each time a model containing a linked block definition is loaded, Rhino reads the referenced file to create the contents of the linked block definition. When you create a linked block definition, specify one of two linked block definition layer styles.

• Active: All layers for the linked block definition are saved in the active model. All layer attributes, including rendering material, can be edited and are saved. For each layer in the linked model, if there is a layer in the current model with a matching short name, that layer is used, otherwise a new layer is created.
• Reference: The layer tree from the linked model is added to the current model as reference layers under a "grandparent" layer with the same name as the linked file. All of the added layers are reference layers. Only the on/off, locked/unlocked states and the layer color can be modified.

Description
The description attached to the block definition.

Hyperlink
Adds hyperlink information to a block definition.