Xref in CAD: Why you should use it & How to work with it

Xref is a shortened term for “external reference”. The Xref feature in CAD allows us to attach external references to our drawings and the attached Xref files can be used as reference to help us deal with our drawings with higher efficiency.

Why you should use Xref

Xref is a great feature that you can use in your drawing. There are many advantages in using Xref.

1.maintain consistency and help with collaborative projects

Changes made to the referenced drawing are automatically reflected in the current drawing.

2. Keep drawings organized and keep the file size down

3. Improve drawing efficiency

Xref command

Enter Xref command to open the External Reference dialog box, shown as below,

This dialog box displays reference name, status, date, save path, etc.

Attach command

Attached command is used to insert external references to the current drawing, after executing this command, you’re prompted to select the reference file.

After selecting the reference file, the following Attach external Reference dialog box will appear,

Xref is a very important tool and there are mnay tips & tricks you can find in the blog, such as how to clip Xrefs, convert block to Xref, etc.