Copies linked, so modifying one modifies all?

Please excuse if this shd be in Beginners. Acad 2006

 

In 2D Model space, got building floor plans and multiple elevations and sections. Copies of the floor plans, rotated to suit various elevations' orientations. Projecting from plans in order to construct elevations; projecting back from elevations and modifying plans. So I get multiple copies of any one plan in various states of modification - hard to be sure of consolidating subtle (invisible at a glance) changes back onto a master copy of the plan.

 

Any way to set up multiple (rotated) copies (viewports?) of a plan, within the one Model space, so they're linked? and modification to any one of them will simultaneously (or later) modify all the other copies? Can't seem to do it with xrefs.

You can convert a plan to block and insert it multiple times, each insertion can have any rotation angle. Edit any of the inserts and all the others will follow it.

This if you don't wish to use xrefs...

I think you can do that with viewports in Paper Space. Just double-click inside the viewport to activate it in Model Space, the changes you make will appear in all other viewports and Model Space.

... convert a plan to block and insert it. Edit any of the inserts and all the others will follow it.

This if you don't wish to use xrefs...

Thanks. But how do I edit blocks? Seems all I can do is select the entire block, then what? Do I have to explode it before editing? My hope is to edit a floor plan, which is inserted as a block, as easily as if it was just an average bit of Model space.

Maybe the multiple plans should be inserted as multiple xrefs? but the system seems to refuse to insert a file (or part of) as an xref into itself - says 'circular reference' or similar.

Thanks. But how do I edit blocks? Seems all I can do is select the entire block, then what? Do I have to explode it before editing? My hope is to edit a floor plan, which is inserted as a block, as easily as if it was just an average bit of Model space.

Maybe the multiple plans should be inserted as multiple xrefs? but the system seems to refuse to insert a file (or part of) as an xref into itself - says 'circular reference' or similar.

 

To Edit a block, just type BEDIT and click the block or double-click and select your block.

 

I would start a new drawing and XREF everything into that.

I see. But that's quite cumbersome, to go into block Editor so you can't see the elevation(s) that are driving the modification to the plan (block).

 

Sorry to be ungrateful, but any way the editing can be done more transparently e.g. fuccaro mentioned xrefs? if the copy plan was installed as an xref - how would an xref edit? Can I xref (part of) a file into itself?

One way to avoid circular refference would be to x-ref plan & elevations in each other as an 'overlay'.

 

Prioer to learning to use named ucs & rotate ucs i use d to work same like you. but now the best way to do this is.

have a floor plan in one drawing.

x-ref the floor plan as an 'overlay' in elevation drawing than draw a pinwheel arround it draw all four elevations around it. you can save named ucs for each elevation to switch between them.

also x-ref this elevation drawing file in floor plan as an 'overlay'. & creat four directional named ucs in this fie also to modify plan in respect to each elevation.

Wow

Thanks Dipali, have to get my head round that!

Before spending lots of time, are xrefs transparently ediitable i.e. without going away into something like Block Editor? and does the modification to the xref show up immediately in its origin file?

Is 'overlay' a variant/option within xref?

Do you mean each of the 3 floor plans is in a separate .dwg file and has all the elevations/sections pinwheeled as xrefs around it - and each of the elevations and sections is in a separate .dwg file with all the plans rotated/aligned below/above it as xrefs?

Sounds like a lot of setup but cd be worth it.

Wow

Thanks Dipali, have to get my head round that!

Before spending lots of time, are xrefs transparently ediitable i.e. without going away into something like Block Editor? and does the modification to the xref show up immediately in its origin file?

Is 'overlay' a variant/option within xref?

 

x-ref'r edited with in place ' option transperantly but it is recomended to got ot original file to ammend it. that is why i asked you to x-ref your elevation file back in floorplan. you can keep both the drawings open & when you do changes in 1. sacve it & then go to other file & relaod it.

 

Yes 'overlay' is option within x-ref. you can attch file using x-ref in 2 diff. ways. overlay & attched.

 

I would recommend to you to read similar threads listed below your post or do search & read related threads to understand. also read help menu of auotcad on x-ref & named ucs.

 

We all are too happy to help you but you have to do some reserch yourself also to learn new things.

 

than you can come back here & ask questions or clarifications of the things you don't understand about them.

Yes I'll do my homework but just to get clear:

Do you mean each of the 3 floor plans is in a separate .dwg file and has all the elevations/sections pinwheeled as xrefs around it - and each of the elevations and sections is in a separate .dwg file with all the plans rotated/aligned below/above it as xrefs?

Sounds like a lot of setup but cd be worth it.

Wow

 

Do you mean each of the 3 floor plans is in a separate .dwg file and has all the elevations/sections pinwheeled as xrefs around it - and each of the elevations and sections is in a separate .dwg file with all the plans rotated/aligned below/above it as xrefs?

Sounds like a lot of setup but cd be worth it.

 

Yes each floor plans in seprate dwg file.

You can have one file for elevations & one file all sections.

all elvation can be in one file arranged in pinwheel around the floor planas an x-ref. x-ref each floor plan & keep it on seprate layers i.e x-ref1, x-ref2 & so on. so that you can freeze other 2 plans while checking alignment with one plan.

It is a lot of set up but once achived, the job becomes very easy.

you try it out & can ask me questions whereveer you get stuck.

You can use in-place editing on blocks and xrefs with _REFEDIT. You can also Bind an XREF to a drawing, to make it a part of the drawing similar to making it a block in the drawing. You can also use _XCLIP to only show a defined area of the block or xref.

Thanks for the brilliant replies - I have learned a lot I didn't know this morning.

In the end I have set it up as Blocks, not Xrefs. File attached, hopefully. Now to bed, tomorrow will carry on, editing elevations in Model space and the multiple plans with REFEDIT.

 

What specifically will I find would have been better if I'd done it with Xrefs?

 

PS can't attach - too big.

 

I haven't done the pinwheel thing because I need all the elevations to align horizontally so I can project between them. 5 elevational directions, 3 plans, so I have 5 Xrefs of each plan, rotated and placed in sets of 3 to suit each elevation, 15 Xrefs in all.

Thanks for the brilliant replies - I have learned a lot I didn't know this morning.

In the end I have set it up as Blocks, not Xrefs. File attached, hopefully. Now to bed, tomorrow will carry on, editing elevations in Model space and the multiple plans with REFEDIT.

 

What specifically will I find would have been better if I'd done it with Xrefs?

 

PS can't attach - too big.

 

I haven't done the pinwheel thing because I need all the elevations to align horizontally so I can project between them. 5 elevational directions, 3 plans, so I have 5 Xrefs of each plan, rotated and placed in sets of 3 to suit each elevation, 15 Xrefs in all.

 

As long as you are the only person working on the project, it will be ok.

It takes time to understand & figure out the best set up for your specific project but if you need more persons working on the project, its worth it.

Also the file size will be too big in your method if the project is large size.

With x-ref set up, more than one people work on the project simultaneously.

Where I learned the setup & methods explained above, we were doing detail documentation for multi-unit residential projects. we had diff. person working on unit plans, floor plans, elevations, sections & roof plans for detail documentation of the project & my job was to superwise the co-ordination of the whole projects. I learnt the set up by studying the drawings provided by original designer company & than modified it a bit with my experiance on working.

Right, file size, and multi-user would favour Xrefs. With Blocks it's made it a 1.04MB file but my machine's OK with that so far. With Xrefs you'd still have similar total file size, but distributed over several .dwgs, only computing on one at a time?

Absolute magic - thanks.

another alternative to BEDIT is REFEDIT - which I am sure is available in 2006 (full). Give it a try. Unlike BEDIT yu are kept in the drawing but all non block parts are shown faded. You can add and remove from your selection which makes the command versatile. One drawback is that you can't use it on blocks with dynamic attributes though.

Yeah that's what I'm doing, it's great, on SWL's advice. REFEDIT's not included in Help User Manual under Blocks, only under Xrefs, so I didn't know till he told me. Haven't found a reason yet, why I'd want to add or remove from the Working Set.

Yeah that's what I'm doing, it's great, on SWL's advice. REFEDIT's not included in Help User Manual under Blocks, only under Xrefs, so I didn't know till he told me. Haven't found a reason yet, why I'd want to add or remove from the Working Set.

 

for example you draw constrcuction lines for refference while in ref edit to co-ordinate plans & elevations & you don't want to delete those lines but want to keep it for future refference (in not to be ploted layer) than you can use remove from working set option.

Also during refedit, some itmes you have some objects on the screens which are not part of block but you need to copy it in your block, than you can temporarily add them to your working set & after making copy you can remove them from working set.

This has worked a dream - radical improvement in accuracy and security, and error tracing, when almost every element and every 'copy to' destination can now be placed by projection off other views. Thanks. Wish I could post the file to show how I've laid it out (not the pinwheel way) but the file's over 1MB, with all the big blocks. Anywhere else (like Photobucket) I can upload a .dwg, where you can link to, to view it?