Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
BLOCKS AND XREFS CAN'T HAVE THE SAME NAME
You can't use an Xref file if the file has the same name as a block in the current drawing. If this situ-
ation occurs but you still need to use the file as an Xref, you can rename the block of the same name
by using the Rename command. You can also use Rename to change the name of various objects
and named elements.
Another advantage of Xref files is that because they don't become part of a drawing's database,
drawing size is kept to a minimum. This results in more efficient use of your hard disk space.
Xref files, like blocks, can be edited only by using special tools. You can, however, use osnaps
to snap to a location in an Xref file, or you can freeze or turn off the Xref file's insertion layer to
make it invisible.
Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference
The next exercise shows how to use an Xref in place of an inserted block to construct the studio
apartment building. You'll first create a new unit file by copying the old one. Then you'll bring a
new feature, the Reference Manager palette, to the screen. Follow these steps to create the new file:
1.
Choose Window
07a-unit.dwg from the menu bar to return to the 07a-unit file.
2.
Choose File
Save As from the menu bar or press A-F-S to save it under the name
unitxref.dwg, and then close the unitxref.dwg file. This will make a copy of the
07a-unit.dwg file for the following steps. Or, if you prefer, you can use the unitxref
.dwg file for the following steps.
3.
In the 07b-plan file, choose Save As, and save the file under the name Planxref. The
current file is now Planxref.dwg.
4.
Erase all the unit plans. In the next step, you'll purge the unit plans from the file.
(By completing steps 2 through 4, you save yourself from having to set up a new file.)
5.
Type
PURGE
↵
ALL
↵ ↵
N
↵. This purges blocks that aren't in use in the drawing.
Now you're ready to use the External References palette:
1.
Type
XR
↵ to open the Reference Manager palette (see Figure 7.15).
2.
Click the Attach Reference button in the upper-left corner of the palette to open the Select
Reference File dialog box. This is a typical file navigation dialog box.
3.
Locate and select the unitxref.dwg file, and then click Open to open the Attach External
Reference dialog box (see Figure 7.16). Notice that this dialog box looks similar to the
Insert Block dialog box. It offers the same options for insertion point, scale, and rotation.
