Can I count how many times a specific Block is used in BricsCAD?

ByCADbrief Staff

Short Answer

Yes — you can count how many times a specific block is used in BricsCAD, and the most reliable professional method is DATAEXTRACTION. It lets you list block references and total their occurrences in the current drawing. Limitation: it may not count blocks inside unloaded Xrefs or blocks not selected during extraction.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Dynamic blocks and anonymous block names can make counts look wrong if you expect all variations to report under one visible block name. Also, blocks inside external references are often missed unless you include those sources in the extraction scope.

How to Count a Specific Block in BricsCAD

  • Command: DATAEXTRACTION

  • Shortcut: No default alias

  • Quick Steps:

    1. Run DATAEXTRACTION, then create a new extraction file. In the dialog, choose the current drawing from the drawing selection step.
    2. In the object filter step, keep only Block references and, if available, enable the option to show only used objects or clear unwanted object types.
    3. In the properties step, include Name and Count, finish the extraction, then sort or filter the table by your block name to see how many times it is used.

Variables & Settings

  • Key Setting: Display count column / Combine identical rows

  • Expert Setting: Turn on the option that combines identical block rows so repeated instances of the same block name are grouped into a single total. If this is off, each insertion may appear as a separate row, making the block count harder to read.

Why it Fails

  • Cause 1 (Geometry): Dynamic blocks may generate anonymous references, so visually similar inserts do not always report under the block name you expect.
  • Cause 2 (layers/Locks): Blocks inside frozen, off, or externally referenced content may be excluded from the extraction scope, depending on what drawings or objects you include.
  • Cause 3 (Command/Logic): If you extract all object types instead of filtering to block references, the results become cluttered and the count is easy to misread.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

  • Quick Fix: Re-run DATAEXTRACTION, filter to Block references only, and enable grouping so identical block names return one total count.
  • Manager’s Verdict: Use DATAEXTRACTION when you need a dependable block count for schedules, QC, or deliverables. Avoid manual counting except for very small drawings.

FAQ

Can I count blocks inside Xrefs?
Yes, but only if you include the referenced drawings in the extraction.

Will dynamic blocks count correctly?
Usually yes, but anonymous or variant references can split the totals.

Can I export the block count to Excel?
Yes, DATAEXTRACTION can output the results to a table or external file.

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