Transcript External_References_Shortened.ppt

External References
Chapter 24
Sacramento City College
EDT 310
EDT 310 - Chapter 24 - External References
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Objectives
 Define
the function of external
references.
 Reference an existing drawing into the
current drawing using the XREF
command.
 Bind external references and selected
dependent objects to a drawing.
 Edit external references in the current
drawing.
EDT 310 - Chapter 24 - External References
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Objectives
 Use
external references to create a
multi-view layout.
 Control
the display of layers in
viewports using the Layer Properties
Manager.
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Scenario
EDT 310 - Chapter 24 - External References
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Scenario
A
design firm has a team of designers.
 Architect.
 Mechanical.
 Electrical.
 Civil.
 Structural.
 Landscape.
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Scenario
 Each
member of the team must have
access to the building information and
drawings that are prepared by the
architect.
 Building
floor plan
 Site plan.
 Etc.
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Scenario
 The
team could share information like
this:
 Architect
prepares work.
 Architect WBLOCKS information to FIVE
diskettes and distributes the diskettes to the
project team.
 Each team member would have a copy of the
architect’s work and could INSERT the
information into their own drawing files.
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Original Distribution
Electrical
Mechanical
Architect
Landscape
Structural
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Civil
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Scenario
 Everyone
is happy.
 Each has a copy of the architect’s work.
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Scenario
 The
architect then goes to a progress
meeting with the client.
 The
client wants many changes made to
the building floor plan.
 The
architect complies and makes
changes to his drawing.
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Scenario
 The
architect then changes the shape
of the floor plan, because project
requirements change.
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Scenario
 BUT,
to give the changes to the team,
the entire process must be repeated.
 WBLOCK
floor plan to diskette.
 Distribute diskette to team members.
 Team members delete old BLOCKS
 Team members INSERT new revised
BLOCKS.
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Revised Distribution #1
Electrical
Mechanical
Architect
Landscape
Structural
EDT 310 - Chapter 24 - External References
Civil
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Scenario
 Everyone
is once again happy.
 They
work on their plans using WBLOCK
copies of the architect’s work.
 However…
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Scenario
 The
architect once again, goes to a
progress meeting with the client.
 Again,
client.
 So…
changes are requested by the
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Scenario
A
week later, the architect AGAIN
changes the shape of the floor plan.
 The entire process must be repeated a
THIRD TIME (!)
 WBLOCK
to diskette.
 Distribute diskette to team members.
 Team members delete old BLOCKS
 Team members INSERT new revised
BLOCKS.
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Revised Distribution #2
Electrical
Mechanical
Architect
Landscape
Structural
EDT 310 - Chapter 24 - External References
Civil
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Scenario
 Clearly,
an easier method must be found
to distribute information to team
members.
 The
XREF ability of AutoCAD is the
“easier” method.
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Scenario
 You
can reference, one or more existing
drawings into the current drawing
without adding them to the contents of
the current file.
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Scenario
 XREFs
are not added to the current
drawing.
 The
drawing is just displayed on screen.
 The architect’s MOST CURRENT version can
be displayed on EVERYONE’s screen !
 This
makes for
 Much
smaller files.
 Increased accuracy (information is latest).
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Scenario
 The
XREF is “linked” or “attached” to
your master file.
 The
linked information is NOT part of
your drawing.
 You
just see the information as a
“picture” or “link”.
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Scenario
 Several
people can reference the same
drawing file.
 Mechanical
engineer
 Electrical engineer
 Civil engineer.
 Any
revisions to the referenced drawing
will be displayed in any drawing where it
is used.
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Scenario
 Think
of an XREF as just a “picture”
being displayed behind your current
drawing.
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Original Distribution
Master
Mechanical file for
Mechanical
Electrical
Master
file for
Electrical
Architect
Master
Landscape
file for
Landscape
Structural
The XREF’d
Architectural file
Civil
Master
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file for Structural
Master
file for
Civil
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Revised Distribution #1
Master
Mechanical file for
Mechanical
Electrical
Master
file for
Electrical
Architect
Master
Landscape
file for
Landscape
The XREF’d
Architectural file
Structural
Master
file for
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Structural
Civil
Master
file for
Civil
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Revised Distribution #2
Master
Mechanical file for
Mechanical
Electrical
Master
file for
Electrical
Architect
Master
Landscape
file for
Landscape
Structural
Master
file for
EDT 310 - Chapter 24 - External References
Structural
The XREF’d
Architectural file
Civil
Master
file for
Civil
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Benefits of External References
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Benefits of External References
 The
“Master Drawing” is the drawing to
which that you have attached XREF
files.
 The
“Master Drawing” is YOUR drawing.
 The “XREF Drawing is your teammate’s dwg.
 Remember
YOU are the MASTER of your
own fate. (Master drawing belongs to you).
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Benefits of External References
 1.
Whenever the Master Drawing is
opened, the latest versions of the
attached XREF’ed files are displayed.
 You
see your teammate’s latest revisions.
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Benefits of External References
 2.
XREF’s are automatically updated
 AutoCAD
reloads each XREF whenever the
Master Drawing is loaded.
 AutoCAD updates each XREF before plotting
the Master Drawing.
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Benefits of External References
 3.
You can also “Force an XREF update”
at any time.
 Architect
makes changes.
 Calls teammates
 Teammates do a RELOAD of the XREF file.
 Teammates see the latest changes !
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Benefits of External References
 4.
XREFS can be nested.
 “A picture
inside a picture.”
Master File
1
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Benefits of External References
 5.
You can use as many XREFS as
needed for any drawing.
 A detail
referenced to the Master Drawing can
be composed of smaller details that are
themselves XREFS.
Detail Library on File Server
Detail 1
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2
1
Master
Drawing
File
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Benefits of External References
 5.
You can use as many XREFS as
needed for any drawing.
 ONE
CORRECT copy is stored on the server.
 Avoids duplication of details that could be
wrong.
Detail Library on File Server
Detail 1
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2
1
Master
Drawing
File
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Benefits of External References
 6.
Multiple XREFS can be attached to
your drawing.
Civil Sheet
Architectural Sheet
Master
3
21
Drawing
File
Mechanical Sheet
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Benefits of External References
 All
referenced drawings can be set to
update automatically when your master
drawing when it is opened.
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The XREF Command
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The XREF Command
 To
access the XREF command:
 Pick
the External Reference button from
either the Reference or Insert toolbar
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The XREF Command
 To
access the XREF command:
 Pick
Xref Manager... from the Insert pull-down
menu
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The XREF Command
 To
access the XREF command:
 Enter
 This
box.
XREF or XR at the Command: prompt.
displays the Xref Manager dialog
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Attaching an External Reference to
the Current Drawing
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Attaching an External Reference
 The
XREF command functions very
similar to the INSERT command.
A
Referenced Drawing that is “XREF’d”
into the current drawing is said to be
“attached”.
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Attaching an External Reference
 Enter
the XREF command from
 The
INSERT pull-down menu.
 Typing “XREF” or “XR” at the Command:
prompt.
 Selecting the “External Reference” button on
the INSERT toolbar.
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Attaching an External Reference
 To
attach the reference to the current
drawing,
 Enter
the XREF command
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Attaching an External Reference
 Pick
the Attach... button in the Xref
Manager dialog box.
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Attaching an External Reference
 The
Select Reference File dialog box is
displayed.
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Attaching an External Reference
 Select
the desired drawing file to
attach.
 Pick Open.
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Attaching an External Reference
 XREF
screen is similar to INSERT.
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Attaching an External Reference
 XREF
screen differences to INSERT.
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Attaching an External Reference
 The
External Reference dialog box is
displayed
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Attaching an External Reference
 This
dialog box is used to indicate how
and where the reference is to be placed
in the current drawing.
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Attaching an External Reference
 The
name and path of the currently
selected XREF are shown in the upperleft comer of the dialog box.
 Use Browse... to change the drawing to
be attached
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Attaching an External Reference
 Set
the insertion point, scaling, and
rotation angle.
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Attaching an External Reference
 Click
the “Retain Path” check box.
 This saves the file path with the
Master Drawing.
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File Locations of External
References
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Attaching an External Reference
 When
the path is not included, AutoCAD
searches
 Support
File Search Path
 Project Files Search Path
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Attaching an External Reference
 Specify
the Support File Search Path in
the Files tab of the Options dialog box.
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Project Files Search Path
 AutoCAD
searches for XREF files in all
paths of the current project name.
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Project Files Search Path
 Project
Files Search Path are listed in
the Files Options dialog box.
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Project Files Search Path
 Create
a new project as follows:
 1.
Pick Project Files Search Path to highlight
it, and then pick the Add... button.
 2. Enter a project name if desired.
 3. Pick the plus sign icon (+), and then pick
the word “Empty”.
 4. Pick the Browse... button and locate the
folder that is to become part of the project
search path.
 5. Pick OK.
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XREF’s Compared with INSERT
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XREF’s vs Insert
 XREF’s
are similar to INSERT as far as
 Rotation.
 Insertion
Point.
 Scaling.
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XREF’s vs Insert
 XREF
files are different from INSERT
 XREF’ed
 Are
files
NOT ADDED the current drawing file.
 INSERT’ed
 Are
files
ADDED to the current drawing file.
 XREF’s
 Can
be automatically updated.
 INSERT’ed
 CANNOT
be automatically updated.
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XREF’s vs Insert
 XREF
files are different from INSERT
 XREF’s
 Show
the most current information.
 INSERT’ed
 May
NOT show the most current information.
 XREF’s
 ONE
COPY of the original exists.
 INSERT’ed
 MULTIPLE
copies of original file exist.
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Overlaying the Current Drawing
with an External Reference
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Overlaying With XREF
 Overlaying
 Allows
you to temporarily view the xref without
attaching it.
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Overlaying With XREF
 To
overlay:
 Activate
the Overlay option button in the
External Reference dialog box after selecting
an XREF.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 When
a Master Drawing is opened
 The
XREF is also loaded
 The XREF appears on screen.
 This
attachment remains permanent
until you remove or detach it.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 To
remove or detach:
 Highlight
the reference name in the XREF
Manager dialog box.
 Pick the Detach button.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 When
detached:
 All
instances of the XREF are erased.
 All referenced data is removed from the
current drawing.
 All XREFS nested within the detached file are
also removed.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 The
actual detachment does not occur
until you press OK and close the dialog
box!
 This
is helpful if you accidentally detach
an xref,
 You can simply press Cancel to prevent
the detachment and return to the
drawing.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 To
update or reload an xref file
 Highlight
the reference name in the Xref
Manager dialog box
 Pick the Reload button.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 Reload
 Forces AutoCAD
to read and display the most
recently saved version of the XREF’ed
drawing.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 Unload
 Is
a temporary removal of an XREF.
 The XREF is NOT actually detached.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 Unload
 Highlight
the reference name
 Pick the Unload button.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 When
an XREF is unloaded, it is not
 Displayed
or
 Regenerated.
 AutoCAD's
performance is increased.
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Detaching, Reloading, Unloading
 To
display the XREF again:
 Access
the Xref Manager dialog box
 Pick the Reload button.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Use
the Xref Manager dialog box to
access current information about any
referenced file in the Master drawing.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 File
names:
 Display
in list view or tree view.
 The list view display mode is the default.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Reference
Name.
 This
column lists the names of all existing
external references.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Status.
 This
column describes the current status of
each xref.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 The
XREF status:
 Loaded.
The xref is attached to the drawing.
 Unloaded. XREF not displayed or regenerated.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 The
XREF status:
 Unreferenced.
The XREF has nested XREFS
that are not found or are unresolved.
 An unreferenced XREF is not displayed.
 Not Found. The xref file was not found in valid
search paths.
 Unresolved. The xref file is missing or cannot
be found.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Orphaned.
The parent of the nested xref was
unloaded or cannot be found.
 Reload. The XREF is marked to be reloaded.
 Loading and unloading both occur after the
dialog box is closed.
 Unload. The XREF is marked to be unloaded.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Size.
 The
file size for each XREF is listed in this
column.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Type.
 This
column indicates whether the XREF was
attached or referenced as an overlay.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Date.
 The
last modification date for the file being
referenced is indicated in this column.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 Saved
Path.
 Lists
the path name saved with the XREF.
 If only a file name appears here, the path has
not been saved.
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The Xref Manager Dialog Box
 The
column widths can be adjusted.
 To
show a listing of externally
referenced files that shows nesting
levels:
 Pick
the Tree View button
 OR
 Press
the [F4] key.
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Tree View Display Mode
 The
XREF icon can take on different
appearances, depending on the current
status of the xref.
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XREF icon
 Unloaded
= is grayed out.
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XREF icon
 A question
mark = the file was not found.
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XREF icon
 An
upward arrow = the xref has just been
reloaded
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XREF icon
 A downward
arrow = the xref has just been
unloaded.
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Updating the XREF Path
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Updating the XREF Path
 If
an XREF file is not found in the
Saved Path location when the master
drawing is opened, AutoCAD searches
 The
library path.
 The current drawing folder.
 The Support File Search Path locations set in
the Files tab of the Options dialog box.
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Updating the XREF Path
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Updating the XREF Path
 To
update the Saved Path location, pick
the Save Path button.
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Updating the XREF Path
 When
a referenced drawing cannot be
found, AutoCAD lists its status is
indicated as Not Found.
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Updating the XREF Path
 Update
the path to refer to the new
location of the XREF by:
 Selecting
the Browse... button in the Xref
Found At area.
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Updating the XREF Path
 Go
to the new folder
 Select the desired file.
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Updating the XREF Path
 Press
Open to update the path.
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Updating the Xref Path
 Pick
OK.
 The
XREF is automatically re-loaded into the
drawing.
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Binding an External Reference
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Binding an External Reference
 An
externally referenced file can be
made a permanent part of the Master
Drawing.
 The
result is the same as if it had been
inserted with the INSERT command.
 This
is called binding an XREF.
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Binding an External Reference
 Use
binding when you need to send the
full drawing file on disk to a plotting
service, or to a client.
 BINDING
an XREF = INSERT
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Binding an External Reference
 When
an XREF is bound,
 Objects
are renamed
 Blocks
 Dimension
styles
 Layers
 Linetypes
 Text
styles
 By AutoCAD.
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Binding an External Reference
 When
an XREF is attached,
 Dependent
objects in the XREF are renamed.
 XREF name precedes the actual object name.
 The names are separated by a vertical bar
symbol (|).
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Binding an External Reference
 Example:
 File
named TITLE has layer named NOTES.
NOTES
TITLE
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Binding an External Reference
 When
attached as an XREF
 Title
comes into the Master Drawing as
 Title l Notes.
Master Drawing
TITLE|NOTES
TITLE
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Binding an External Reference
 The
vertical bar distinguishes the
 XREF-dependent
layer name from the
 Same layer name in the Master drawing.
 Master
Drawing Layer List would be:
 Notes
 TITLE|NOTES
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Binding an External Reference
 When
an XREF file is bound,
 The
dependent objects are renamed AGAIN
 This shows that they have become a
permanent part of the drawing.
 There
are different renaming methods,
depending on the type of binding that is
performed.
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Binding an External Reference
 To
bind an XREF using the Xref
Manager dialog box:
 Highlight
the XREF to bind
 Select the Bind... button.
 The Bind Xrefs dialog box is displayed.
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Binding an External Reference
 The
Insert option brings the XREF into
the drawing as if you had used the
INSERT command.
 All
instances of the XREF are converted to
normal block objects.
 The
drawing is entered into the block
definition table.
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Binding an External Reference
 All
named objects such as
 Layers
 Blocks,
and
 Styles
 are
incorporated into the Master
drawing as named in the XREF.
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Binding an External Reference
 Example
 An
XREF named PLATE is bound
 It
contains a layer named OBJECT
 The xref-dependent layer PLATE | OBJECT
becomes the locally defined layer OBJECT.
 All other XREF-dependent objects are
stripped of the XREF name.
 They assume the properties of the locally
defined objects with the same name.
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Binding an External Reference
 The
Insert binding option
 Provides
the best results for most purposes
 The
Insert binding option is commonly
used
 When
you need to send the ENTIRE file to a
client or plotting service.
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Binding an External Reference
 The
Bind option
 Brings
the XREF in as a native part of the
Master drawing.
 Converts all instances of the XREF to blocks.
 The XREF name is kept with the names of all
dependent objects.
 The vertical line in each of the names is
replaced with two dollar signs with a number
in between.
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Binding an External Reference
 Example:
 A layer
named Title l Notes is renamed to
Title$0$Notes when the xref is bound using
the Bind option.
 The
number inside the dollar signs is
automatically incremented if a local object
definition with the same name exists.
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Binding an External Reference
 If
Title$O$Notes already exists in the
drawing.
 The layer is renamed to:
 Title $ 1 $ Notes.
 Unique names are created for all xrefdependent object definitions that are
bound.
 Rename objects as desired using the
RENAME command.
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Binding an External Reference
 In
Summary – External References
 Have
many benefits for design offices.
 XR’s are used extensively
 Are very important!
 Caveats:
 Correct
path names
 BIND XR to
Archive Master File
 Ship file to client
 Send to a plotting service

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Binding an External Reference

For assignment
 We
will create the “C” size drawing two ways
 1. INSERT
 2. XREF

Files can look EXACTLY the same.
 However,

they are substantially different!!
Compare and understand
 Size
of files
 Effect of layers
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Binding an External Reference
 Create
both versions of the “C” size
composite drawing of the
 ARM,
PIN, PLATE, MOUNT and PULLEY.
 1.
INSERT version
 2. XREF version
 Submit
both for grading.
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