The topic today: How to use the XREF command in AutoCAD 2023?
Using the XREF (External References) command in AutoCAD 2023 allows you to link external files to your current drawing. This can be useful when collaborating with others or when you’re working on a project that relies on multiple drawing files that need to be connected. The XREFed drawing can appear in your current drawing as an underlay, and any changes made to the original external file automatically update in your current drawing.
Here’s a guide on how to use the XREF command in AutoCAD 2023:
1. Start your AutoCAD 2023 program and open the drawing file you want to work with.
2. Type “XREF” or “XR” in the command line and press Enter to open the External References palette. You can also access the External References palette by clicking Insert tab -> Reference Panel -> External References.
3. Click the Attach DWG icon under the Insert tab, which looks like a chainlink icon. This will open the “Select External Reference File” dialog box.
4. Browse and select the DWG file you want to attach as an external reference, then click “Open” to bring up the “Attach External Reference” dialog box.
5. In the “Attach External Reference” dialog box, configure the options according to your preference:
a. Scale: You can uniformly scale the XREF if needed.
b. Rotation: Set the rotation angle for the XREF.
c. Insertion Point: Select the point where the XREF is to be inserted in the current drawing.
d. Path Type: Choose between “Full Path”, “Relative Path”, and “No Path” for your XREF file.
e. Reference Type: Select “Attachment” to ensure layers from XREF appear in your drawing or “Overlay” if you don’t want the layers to appear.
6. Click “OK” to attach the selected DWG file as an XREF to your current drawing.
7. You can now see the attached XREF in your drawing as an underlay. You can click and drag the XREF to position it as needed.
Remember that external references update automatically when the source file is modified. If any changes are made to the original DWG file, just reload the XREF in the External References palette to see the update in your current drawing.
To manage or detach XREFs, you can right-click on the XREF file listed in the External References palette and choose options such as “Reload”, “Unload”, “Detach”, or “Open” to modify the references as needed.
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