Referencing (Xref)
Referencing (Xref)
(OP)
I am trying to set up an orderly way to manage my referencing.
My question is:
How can I set it up so that my base drawings reference each other and when I reference the base drawing that I need for my sheet file, all the referenced files come in.
So, for example... I am doing Civil work
I want to have a TOPO base that is referenced into the SITE base and then have a Sediment Control base file that has both SITE and TOPO in it.
And then when I do a sheet file for Sediment Control, I just reference the Sediment Control base file and all three references come in.
The thing is that I am trying to do this and if I reference the SITE it comes in with the TOPO, but if I reference the Sediment Control it comes in by itself.
I don't want to bind or anything like that, but does anybody know how to do this?
Matthew Batcher
RJK Engineering
Cecil County MD
My question is:
How can I set it up so that my base drawings reference each other and when I reference the base drawing that I need for my sheet file, all the referenced files come in.
So, for example... I am doing Civil work
I want to have a TOPO base that is referenced into the SITE base and then have a Sediment Control base file that has both SITE and TOPO in it.
And then when I do a sheet file for Sediment Control, I just reference the Sediment Control base file and all three references come in.
The thing is that I am trying to do this and if I reference the SITE it comes in with the TOPO, but if I reference the Sediment Control it comes in by itself.
I don't want to bind or anything like that, but does anybody know how to do this?
Matthew Batcher
RJK Engineering
Cecil County MD





RE: Referencing (Xref)
____________________
Acad2006, Terramodel
RE: Referencing (Xref)
XREF's can be "chained" which can be helpful but can also be confusing. If your SITE dwg has a xref to the TOPO dwg (that is you open SITE and xref in TOPO) and then save SITE with the external reference.
Now, you open a third dwg your SEDIMENT file. If you xref in SITE, it will automatically load anything xref'd by SITE including TOPO.
If you open SEDIMENT and then xref in topo, it has nothing to do with SITE.
Does this help? or clear as mud?
As a rule of thumb, I lock down anything that should never be modified such as survey points, existing grade, etc. From there you just need to try and be logical about your work flow.
Another important thing to note- you can sometimes get in trouble doing an edit-in-place of an external reference. Especially if it from an older version of CAD.
I tend to keep things fairly "unlinked" until my project is near finish so that each piece can always reference any other piece and it only takes a minute to bring it in.
RE: Referencing (Xref)
Thanks again,
Matt
RE: Referencing (Xref)
Here is a question: Xrefs are Attached or Overlaid and then there is Bind and such.. How does that all relate to each other?
RE: Referencing (Xref)
____________________
Acad2006, Terramodel
RE: Referencing (Xref)
Your Site.dwg file will have the Survey.dwg and Bldg.dwg files referenced as "attachments" because we want them to show up in every drawing we reference the Site.dwg file to. The X.dwg file would be attached as an "overlay" just to move around and develop your site with.
When you reference in the Site.dwg into you sheet file C100.dwg, the Survey.dwg and Bldg.dwg file will also attach as nested xreferences but X.dwg will not be present.
I hope that makes sense.