
Such cross-checking also works between floor plans – allowing easy verification of whether, for example, elevators, mechanical shafts, and exterior walls align between drawings.īy default, AutoCAD will prevent other people on a network from opening a drawing if that drawing is XREFerenced into your drawing. This allows easy cross-checking of (for example) plans to sections by XREFing one into the other at (0, 0).


If you create a series of drawings such as floor plans, elevations, and sections, describing a single building, consider drawing each drawing such that the point (0, 0, 0) represents the same point in space in each drawing. In the XREF dialog box, double-click on the word Attach (or Overlay) next to the XREF drawing name to change its status. Overlaid XREFs do not nest: if, in a new drawing, you attach an XREF containing an overlaid XREF, the overlaid XREF won’t appear in the new drawing. Attached XREFs will “nest” into successive XREFs: You can XREF a drawing containing another overlaid XREF. Note: Plot sheets can be composed to show multiple XREFs at multiple scales.Įvery XREF is classified either as being attached or overlaid. (A title border is an AutoCAD drawing containing project-specific information.) Title borders typically contain space for sheet-specific information such as a sheet number and name. Use the XREF command to reference a copy of the architect’s title border into the layout space.In the layout space of the plot sheet, create a scaled viewport through which you can see the floor plan.Right-click in the empty area of the panel to reference (“Attach”) the floor plan drawing into the model space of the plot sheet. Save the drawing in an accessible location (e. Draw a floor plan using standard AutoCAD drawing commands.Plot sheets also usually contain an XREF of the architect’s title border. The concept is essential when you’re organizing a large set of drawings consisting (for example) of floor plans, ceiling plans, sections, title borders, etc.Ī typical application of the XREF command involves the creation of “plot sheets.” Plot sheets are AutoCAD drawings which contain an XREF’d base drawing, such as a floor plan, which is viewed through a layout space viewport. The referenced drawing is often called a base drawing or simply an XREF.

Use the XREF (eXternal Reference) command to reference one drawing into another.
