Slight Confusion Over XREF Working Structure

[hyposmurf]

How do most members deal with their XREFS in their system of drawing work?Do you have a base XREF, then a working XREF & final bound XREF?Or do you just bind the XREF straight in?I understand that its more efficient to have your drawings left as XREFS, right up until the last minute before issue,so that they can be updated or many users can use the same XREF at the same time.This is something I don't currently make enough use of,as I'm working in my own section of the company,but as I move on I will definately need to be familiar with.I usually bring my drawings in as XREFS and then bind them as soon as I can,this really isnt the way to go.Is it possible to unbind a XREF without exploding the drawing?

[taffyboy]

Good morning hyposmurf
just read your topic and thought it very interesting. i work in the oil business mapping the pipelines under the north sea mainly and we chart all these areas to see if anything has happened to the pipe. as you can probably tell at a decent scale we get throught maybe 20-30 charts per pipe. so in doing so i use xrefs constantly. i usually get the legend of the chart set up, ok'd by the boss and then xref it in everytime. saves time and effort i can tell you. then as the charts are generated for the final time after corrections made i then at the last minute bind my xrefs so the office back home has one drawing. i keep the original xref's and charts in my files but send the bound ones back to the uk/norway.
bizarre thing happened the other day though for the first time. went to bind followed everything down to the letter and then ok'd it but then found the drawing still as an xref. in the end to cut a long story short i copied everything that was an xref and copybase'd it in. no clue at all why this happened. any clue cheers

[hyposmurf]

I think the only way if determining the insertion point of a xref is to either draw a line at 0,0 or look at my UCS when at WCS.I thought there may have been a better way of doing it!If you bind an XREF can you actually unbind it afterwards?The XREF actually becomes a block,how would I turn it back to a XREF?Would it just be easier to delete the new formed block and insert a new XREF?

[Arizona]

The answer to your last question is yes. There is no way to "Unbind".

Round here, if you bind an xref, you will face the rath of the CAD God!
We're Civil Engineering.
Here's an example of a road widening project:
- Xrefs:
-- Existing Topography- edge of road, trees, buildings, utilities, etc....
-- Proposed Topography - new curb, sidewalk, striping, Lighting,etc.....
- Plan Sheets:
-- Construction
-- Striping
-- Erosion Control
-- Grading
-- Lighting plans
-- Utility Plans
-- Traffic Control
-- Etc, Etc, Etc.................

All of these plans reference the same Existing and Proposed drawings. Most Importantly, if a change happens in the proposed curb, for example, it immediately takes affect in ALL other places in the plan set (sometimes I'll have plan sets with over 100 sheets). If we "Bound" the refs, we'd be screwed!!!!

[hyposmurf]

Oh no,I suppose you wouldnt be too popular with your co-workers!When you issue a drawing do you bind it or send it over as a pack 'n go?I know you'd send it as a bound drawing when sending it to a client but to an architect or contractor,would you send it as a pack 'n go?Does anyone use pack 'n go?

[hyposmurf]

I'm back again with XREF questions .Does anyone use the overlay xref rather than the attach.Whats the + &- points of using each?Ive heard XREF tht are overlayed are usually when a number of people are working on drawing using the same xref over a network.Can anyone shed light on this,havent ever shared an XREF over a network like that myself only ever work on my own drawing.

[David Bethel]

Using overlays can be a fairly complicated procedure.

I don't know the disipline you are in but lets say architecture for an example.

The main xref contains another overlayed xref of say roof joists. Now you overlay the main xref into your drawing. The roof joists don't show up, but are there just the same.

As a small firm, I avoid them like the plague. 50 seat office may be another story all together. It would take a good CAD IT person to keep it all stright.

From the R14 help files:
>>

Displays a drawing as an external reference overlay. If you overlay a drawing that itself contains an overlaid xref, the nested overlaid xref does not appear in the current drawing. Unlike blocks and attached xrefs, nested overlaid xrefs are not displayed. The overlaid drawing is based on the most recently saved version.

Select file to overlay <default>: Enter a file name or press ENTER

For more information, see Attaching and Overlaying Xrefs.

<<

[randysanders]

hi There

Taffyboy

if xref1 has another xref say call it xref0
and xref2 calls in xref0 then when you go to your final dwg file

and multiple xrefs xref in the same (other xref) xref0 multiple Time
that is when (by personal experience) that ottercad wont BIND the

blinking xrefs

just an Idea but it could be something else , tho
but This is my personal experience to explain This

Thanks

Randy

[hyposmurf]

Theres also something called circular references.If drawing a includes drawing b & drawing b includes drawing a as an XREF,the circular reference is formed.