You can attach an entire drawing file to the current drawing as a referenced drawing (xref). With xrefs, changes made in the referenced drawing are reflected in the current drawing. Attached xrefs are linked to, but not actually inserted in, another drawing. Therefore, with xrefs you can build drawings without significantly increasing the drawing file size. By using referenced drawings, you can
- Coordinate your work with the work of others by referencing other drawings in your drawing to keep up with the changes being made by other designers. You can also assemble a master drawing from component drawings that may undergo changes as a project develops.
- Ensure that the most recent version of the referenced drawing is displayed. When you open your drawing, each referenced drawing is automatically reloaded, so it reflects the latest state of the referenced drawing file.
- Keep the names of layers, dimensioning styles, text styles, and other named elements in your drawing separate from those in referenced drawings.
- Merge (bind) attached referenced drawings permanently with your current drawing when the project is complete and ready to be archived.
You can insert any drawing file as an external reference or xref in the current drawing. When you attach a drawing file as an xref, you link that referenced drawing to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced drawing are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded. A drawing file can be attached as an xref to multiple drawings at the same time. Conversely, multiple drawings can be attached as referenced drawings to a single drawing.
Tools for Attaching Xrefs
You can use several methods to attach an xref:
- Click View tabPalettes panelExternal References Palette.
- At the Command prompt, enter externalreferences
- At the Command prompt, enter xattach.
You can also use DesignCenter™ to attach xrefs to a drawing. Use DesignCenter for simple attachments, previewing drawing references and their descriptions, and quick placement by dragging. You can attach an xref by dragging it from DesignCenter or by clicking Attach as Xref on the shortcut menu.
The saved path used to locate the xref can be a full path, a relative (partially specified) path, or no path. If an xref contains any variable block attributes, they are ignored.