AutoCAD 2025/2026: Smart Blocks: Detect and Convert

By John Flanagan

Introduction

In AutoCAD 2025, the primary “convert” functionality for turning geometry into blocks is the BCONVERT command, which is part of the new Smart Blocks feature. BDETECT, uses Autodesk AI to identify and group similar objects in a drawing for easy block conversion. Now you can easily convert multiple instances of repeated geometry into blocks.

BCONVERT COMMAND

In the floor plan below, we are going to convert the ceiling light into a block using the BCONVERT command. First select one of the light objects and press enter. Notice all instances of the same geometry are highlighted.

Press enter again. In the convert dialogue box, you can choose to replace the highlighted elements with an existing block or convert them into a new block. Select the new block option and give it a name. Call it Pendant Light and click the Convert tab.

Convert to Block Dialogue Box

All the highlighted geometry has been converted to blocks. This smart block function provides a more efficient method to organise our drawings.

AlI drawings that have been created without the use of blocks such as those imported from other sources can now be scanned and potential block objects can be identified once the groups of recognized objects have been examined they can be quickly converted to new instances of either a new block or an existing suggested block vastly speeding up this previously time consuming process.