How to Break a Symbol in Vectorworks?

Understanding Symbols in Vectorworks

Vectorworks utilizes symbols as a means to facilitate the reuse of objects within a design project. A symbol definition stores specific objects, which can be instantiated multiple times throughout a drawing. When you introduce a symbol to a drawing, you generate an instance of that symbol, allowing for efficient management and modification.

Steps to Break Down a Symbol in Vectorworks

If you need to disassemble a symbol into its individual components, the following detailed steps guide you through the process of transforming a symbol into a group, thus allowing for further modification of the individual elements.

1. Open Your Drawing: Start by launching Vectorworks and opening the drawing that contains the symbol you wish to break apart.

2. Select the Symbol Instance: Locate the symbol instance you want to disassemble directly in the drawing area. Make sure you click on the correct symbol, as this process will affect only the selected instance.

3. Convert the Symbol to a Group: Navigate to the top menu bar, then click on Modify. From the dropdown menu, hover over Convert, and select Convert to Group. This action will prompt Vectorworks to transform the symbol into a group of separate shapes.

4. Ungroup the Components: After converting to a group, you need to access the individual elements. Click again on the modified group to select it. With the group selected, return to the Modify menu and choose Ungroup. This will break down the group into all of its component shapes.

5. Edit Individual Elements: Once the items have been ungrouped, you can select and modify each element individually as needed. You can resize, reposition, or change the attributes of any of the parts that made up the original symbol.

Alternative Method for Modifying Symbols

If the goal is to adjust a symbol rather than dismantle it, consider these steps:

1. Access the Resource Manager: Open the Resource Manager panel to locate the symbol you wish to modify.

2. Edit the Symbol Definition: Right-click on the symbol’s name within the Resource Manager. Click Edit from the context menu that appears. Any changes made here will automatically update all instances of the symbol across your drawing.

3. Utilize Alternative Edit Options: Alternatively, you can edit a particular instance by double-clicking on it in your drawing area or by selecting it and using the Edit option from the top menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happens to the symbol’s elements after breaking it down?
When you explode a symbol, each element reverts to its original form, allowing you to edit or manipulate them separately. However, if the symbol is hybrid (containing both 2D and 3D elements), be aware that converting it will only retain the 3D components in the case of a conversion.

2. Can I undo the breaking down of a symbol?
Yes, after exploding a symbol, you can always use the Undo command (Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac) to revert the action, restoring the symbol to its original state.

3. Is there a way to keep a copy of the original symbol before breaking it down?
It’s advisable to duplicate the symbol before you begin converting it. Right-click the symbol in the Resource Manager and select Duplicate. This way, you retain the initial version for later use or reference.