You can convert a complex entity, such as a block or polyline, from a single entity into its component parts. Exploding a polyline, rectangle, donut, polygon, dimension, or leader reduces it to a collection of individual line and arc entities that you can then modify individually.
Blocks are converted to the individual entities, possibly including other, nested blocks that composed the original entity. When exploding blocks, you can also use the Explode Attributes command to ungroup blocks, creating separate entities for each element and converting attributes to text. The resulting exploded entities are placed on the block layer (not the layer of the original entities) while the exploded attributes are placed on the layer of the original attribute. The Explode Attributes command is best used if you want to explode a block with attributes and have it retain the same visual appearance for properties and text. However, if you want to explode the block to modify the block definition and redefine it, you should use the Explode command, not Explode Attributes.
Exploding remote text (rtext) entities from drawings created in another CAD program converts them to multiline text entities.
Exploding multiline text or single-line text using the Text Explode command reduces the text to polylines.
With the following exceptions, exploding an entity usually has no visible effect on a drawing:
• If the original polyline had a width, the width information is lost when you explode it. The resulting lines and arcs follow the centerline of the original polyline.
• If you explode a block containing attributes, the attributes are lost, but the original attribute definitions remain.
• Colors, linetypes, lineweights, and print styles assigned BYBLOCK may be different after exploding an entity, because they will adopt the default color, linetype, lineweight, and print style until inserted into another block.
To explode an entity
1 Do one of the following to choose Explode (
):
• On the ribbon, choose Home > Explode (in Modify) or choose Edit > Explode (in Modify).
• On the menu, choose Modify > Explode.
• On the Modify toolbar, click the Explode tool.
• Type explode and then press Enter.
2 Select the entities to explode.
3 Press Enter.
To explode multiline text or single-line text
1 Do one of the following to choose Explode Text (
):
• On the ribbon, choose Express Tools > Explode Text (in Text).
• On the menu, choose Express Tools > Text > Explode Text.
• Type txtexp and then press Enter.
2 Select the text to explode.
3 Press Enter.
To explode a bock and its attributes
1 Do one of the following to choose Explode Attributes (
):
• On the ribbon, choose Express Tools > Explode Attributes (in Blocks).
• On the menu, choose Express Tools > Blocks > Explode Attributes.
• Type burst and then press Enter.
2 Select the blocks that have attributes you want to explode.
3 Press Enter.
To explode an entity and specify properties of the resulting entities
1 Do one of the following to choose Xplode (
):
• On the ribbon, choose Edit > Xplode (in Modify).
• On the menu, choose Modify > Xplode.
• On the Modify toolbar, click the Xplode tool.
• Type xplode and then press Enter.
2 Select the entities to explode.
3 Choose an option:
• All — Displays prompts for specifying all available properties: color, layer, linetype, and lineweight.
• Color — Enter a color. You can enter an index color, true color, or color from a colorbook.
• Layer — Enter a layer for the resulting entities.
• LType — Enter a linetype for the resulting entities.
• LWeight — Enter a lineweight for the resulting entities.
• Inherit — Explodes selected entities and assigns the same color, layer, linetype, and lineweight properties to sub-entities as the parent entity if the sub-entity layer is 0 and other properties are BYBLOCK.
• Explode — Explodes selected entities in the same way as the Explode command.
