Home » Technology » AutoCAD Design » Xref in practice

Xref in practice

© Jonathan Jonas

Today's topic: Xref's. (Note: all information is based upon the usage of r14)

XREF Commands:
Xref (dialog box version)
-Xref (command line version)
?/Bind/Detach/Path/Unload/Reload/Overlay/: (Xref subcommands)
Xclip (allows the cropping of a Xref, saving memory)
ON/OFF/Clipdepth/Delete/generate Polyline/: (Xclip subcommands)
Xbind (gives many more options for binding)
Xattach (same as Xref and the subcommand Attach)

Variables You Should Know:
Visretain (does drawing remember layers that are on/off, froze/thaw lock/unlocked, also VISRETAIN must be On to save nested Xref path)
Xclipframe (on/off for clip frame)
Xrefctl (0= no log file, 1=log file)
Xloadpath (if XLOADCTL=2 then you can use XLOADPATH to specify where the temp Xref directory will be, which is useful when working over a slow network)
Xloadctl (0= r13 Xref loading, 1 = r14 loading, 2=r14 will load a temporary copy of the Xref.)

For those who don't know what they are, this will hopefully be a primer to get you started saving time in your drafting schedules.

For those who have worked with them for a while, I'll show you a few neat tricks, and go over some of the more interesting aspects of 14's enhanced usage of Xref's.

First off, what is a Xref?
Xref is the command, the method and the ability to link drawings together. Let's say you are drawing a building. In this building there are restrooms. If you draw the floor plan, you should be done drawing it. But along comes those detail pages where you must have enlarged plans of the restrooms. So here comes the 2-hour question. Do you redraw the plan enlarged? That would work if you have a client who doesn't mind how much you charge them, or if you don't want to make money. Your other options include creating in Paper Space several different Mviews. One mview will be for the plan and one for the enlarged plan. But, like most of us, you don't have room on your plans for that. So, maybe you create a wblock, or if you know how, you copyclip the plan onto another sheet, but in these two scenarios, what happens to your enlarged plans when the drawing changes? You have to re-block or re-copyclip the plan into the enlarged plans, and then re-arrange all the information on the detail. These solutions will work, but they take too long. Your best solution is to use a Xref. How it works is you open the drawing where the detail is to be placed, and then you perform the Xref command. This places the drawing information from the plan that is on the hard drive into the file you are working on.

Note: When you perform a Xref there are some things to be aware of

The copyright of the article Xref in practice in AutoCAD Design is owned by . Permission to republish Xref in practice in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.