Add Objects to Symbol Definition Relative to Symbol Instance?

[Pat Stanford]

Does anyone have a script to add items to a symbol definition? But the trick is that these are 3D elements that are correctly placed relative to a symbol instance.

 

Basically the situation is a complicated imported drawing. I have grabbed a bunch of parts and converted them to a symbol and then reused that symbol in multiple places throughout the drawing.

 

But now I have realized that there are additional pieces that should have been part of the symbol definition. This is for about 20 different symbol definitions and 100s of instances. And there might be 10 to 100s or parts that need to be added to the symbol def.

 

If I try and Cut and Paste in Place, the part does not go to the correct location because the symbol definition uses local coordinates.

 

So what I am looking for is a script that will correct for the difference between the global coordinates and the symbol def local coordinates.

 

Select and object or objects, run the script. Script asks to pick the symbol instance the parts are aligned too. Set Parent on the parts to the symbol definition and then moved them in X/Y/Z to the correct local coordinate.  Not sure if I also need to work on rotation for this particular case, but handling rotation for the long term would be good also.

 

Ideas before I roll my sleeves up and try and make this work?

 

@Sam Jones @michaelk @MullinRJ

[michaelk]

In the drawing can you identify the insertion point of each symbol?

[michaelk]

The answer is no.  🙂  I don't have a script that can do that.

[D-Dubs]

Something like this example might help?