AutoCAD 2025/2026: Smart Blocks: Object Detection

By John Flanagan

Introduction

AutoCAD 2025 includes a technology preview that uses machine learning to scan your drawing for objects that can be converted into blocks (see also the Detect and Convert feature). This feature can analyse drawing geometry for objects that can be converted to blocks. On any floor plan, use the Detect tool to identify objects such as doors, sinks and other fixtures that can be converted from individual objects into blocks.

Tech Preview Dialogue Box

With the objects detected, click Review Objects and use the arrows in the Detection Toolbar to move from one set of objects to the next.

Click the box around the Primary object and select Convert. In the floor plan shown here the door has been selected as the Primary object. Click Convert.

In the Convert to block dialogue box, convert the detected door made up of lines and arcs into a new block called door. All the detected objects in the set have been converted to a new block.

This functionality be useful when importing a PDF file. When a PDF file is imported with the geometry to create the objects, it often consists of lines, arcs, circles, and text. Working with individual objects is often not an efficient way to edit a drawing.

Object detection is a technology preview with enhancements in functionality planned for future releases.

While introduced in 2025, the feature was updated in the 2025.1 update to include a more robust "Convert to block" dialog box and improved zoom capabilities to visualize search results.

AutoCAD 2026: Smart Blocks: Search and Convert (BSEARCH)

Introduced in AutoCAD 2026, Smart Blocks: Search and Convert (BSEARCH): Unlike the broad scan of BDETECT, this tool lets you select a specific piece of geometry first. It then searches for all exact matches within the drawing to convert them into instances of a single block.

In the 2026 version, the BSEARCH command was updated to detect and convert text (Mtext/regular text) into blocks. 

BSEARCH will be the focus of my next blog.