Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Layer-palooza
When you attach or overlay an xref, AutoCAD adds new layers to your current drawing
that correspond to the layers in the xrefed DWG file. The new layers are assigned names
that combine the drawing name and layer name; for example, if you xref the drawing
MYSCREW.DWG , which has the layer names GEOMETRY, TEXT, and so on, the xrefed lay-
ers will be named MYSCREW|GEOMETRY, MYSCREW|TEXT, and so on. By creating sep-
arate layers corresponding to each layer in the xrefed file, AutoCAD eliminates the po-
tential problem with blocks I warn you about in Chapter 17, when layers have the same
name but different color or linetype in the two drawings.
Creating and editing an external reference file
To create a file that you can use as an external reference, just create a drawing and save
it. That's it. You can then create or open another drawing and create an external referen-
ce to the previous one. The xrefed drawing appears in the host drawing as a single ob-
ject, such as a block insert. In other words, if you click any object in the xref, AutoCAD
selects the entire xref. You can measure or object snap to the xrefed geometry, but you
can't modify or delete individual objects in the xref — you open the xref drawing in or-
der to edit its geometry.
The XOPEN command provides a quick way to open an xrefed drawing for edit-
ing. You just start the command and pick any object in the xref. Alternatively, you can
select the xref in the External References palette and then right-click and choose Open
to open one or more xrefs for editing. See the “Managing xrefs” section, later in this
chapter, for more information.
An alternative to opening the xrefed file when you need to edit it is to use the
REFEDIT command. REFEDIT (short for Reference Edit) lets you edit the external
file from within the host drawing, rather than having to open the reference in its
own window. Look up REFEDIT in the AutoCAD online help system's Command Re-
ference.
With several xrefs attached to your drawing, it can be difficult to tell which objects be-
long to the drawing you're currently editing, and which are part of the xref. For several
releases it's been possible to fade a reference file while using REFEDIT. In AutoCAD 2012,
you can fade your xrefs at all times, not just when you're editing them, as follows:
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