Creating plots from components on X-REFs

I've been working on one main project for several months. Thus far, I have only done the solid model. It is about to be finished, and I then have to get all my output into the Layout tab, dimension it, and get it to plot successfully. I have the next eight days to get this done or I risk that the client will say I've defaulted on the deliverables of my contract. That said, I've never created plots the "right" way in AutoCAD.

To this point, I've been trying to do things in an efficient way. By that, I mean, should this project turn into other projects, I want to have the blocks ready for re-use and want to have learned the methods of using X-REFs and such.

Today, I plotted the current display just for some hand sketching and calculations I wanted to do on some of my components. When it plotted, any components that were an X-REF did not show up on the plot. This set off a little alarm (and panic ), as I have been reading up on the forum here, and recalled that Layer 0 is one that does not print. I've got all my blocks as separate .dwg files with all the work on Layer 0. I've X-REF'd them back in onto the appropriate layer (not Layer 0), but I'm wondering if I will have any problems when I set up all my viewports and such.

Also, my plan was to take each individual block component .dwg file and use that to make the component (dimensioned) prints. I'm thinking all my effort to come up with a good file management system might come back and bite me.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Today, I plotted the current display just for some hand sketching and calculations I wanted to do on some of my components. When it plotted, any components that were an X-REF did not show up on the plot. This set off a little alarm (and panic ), as I have been reading up on the forum here, and recalled that Layer 0 is one that does not print. I've got all my blocks as separate .dwg files with all the work on Layer 0. I've X-REF'd them back in onto the appropriate layer (not Layer 0), but I'm wondering if I will have any problems when I set up all my viewports and such.

Layer 0 will print, unless you have it set to not print in your layer manager.

you are absolutely correct. I could swear that I had read that Layer 0 will not print. So in an effort to freeze/lock as many layers as possible to speed things up, I went ahead and clicked the printer icon on the Layer 0. I recall that I had the exact thought "if Layer 0 can never be printed, I wonder why it has the printer icon next to it?" I thought that, then clicked it off anyway, and forgot about it.... until yesterday.

I just changed the setting now back here at work and plotted and it worked fine.

That's a load off my mind