A better question is what are the differences between blocks and symbols. Groups are nothing more than geometry in your drawing that has been bound so it can be selected and moved as a single unit. Blocks and Symbols are more intelligetn with Blocks being the most powerful.
Go to Help-Index tab. Type "blocks, using" and you will find an in depth description of Blocks and how they differ from other elements like Symbols.
ksudavid got a great point! What is the difference between symbols and block... From my point of vue (without any research) I guess that if it wasn't for autocad user their wouldn't be any blocks and the symbols would do the trick but since it is so important to be marketable for the AutoCad user base, SE just had to bring in the block functionnality.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good thing because SE made a lot of improvement on the 2D drafting. but still you find yourself with two different things that are in facts not so different.
Blocks and symbols are different with blocks being the more powerful. Again, it would be worthy of your time to read about blocks in the help menu.
A few key differences
- Symbols are embedded draft docs with each symbol having an entirely different file. A single draft file can contain several blocks that can be used invidividually in a draft file
- Blocks can have differenct views. For example you can have a front, side or top view of a block and choose which view you want to place in a file. Symbols are all or none.
- Blocks can have attributes attached them that can be used, for example, in callouts. A block may have a part number attribute that you can use to create a parts list
- Blocks have "keypoints" around the block that can be used for attaching flowlines as in a flow diagram.
You are right about the fact that I should read more about them and I agree with you... but my point was more about the facts that those two "different" functionnality could have been all under the same function. but since it was called Symbols not Blocks it was too much of a change for autocad users. Because from the definitions you just reported, there are no or not many uses for Symbols.
In my experience, working with blocks in schematics has a serious issues. When trying to copy and paste from one sheet to the next, the connectors splash from the block to 0,0. Then all the connectors need to be reattached to the block, huge waste of time. When calling in this issue, UGS has stated that they know there is a serious flaw with the blocks, and until they get that fixed, for our application, we should explode our blocks and make them groups until V21 comes out and they have it fixed.
