Xrefs are external drawing files that are attached to the current file. They are frequently used as backgrounds over which you can add additional information. For example, suppose you want to add a furniture layout to a floor plan, but you want to keep the layout as a separate file from the floor plan. Just create a new furniture layout file, and then use the AutoCAD® Xref feature to attach the floor plan to the layout file.

The floor plan appears in the furniture layout file and you can begin to add the furniture. Once you save the layout file, AutoCAD software "remembers" that you attached the floor plan to it as an xref. So the next time you open the furniture file, you see the floor plan as a background just as you had left it in the previous editing session. If in the interim the floor plan file has changed, you'll see those changes in the xref of the floor plan the next time you open the furniture layout.

By using xrefs in this way, you can organize your drawings into meaningful groups and reduce file sizes. Xrefs also let you divide work among a group of people. In a large project, for example, several people can work on the furniture layout using the floor plan file as an xref. Since everyone is using the same floor plan as a background, you ensure design consistency.

Editing Xrefs
When a drawing is used as an xref, the xref behaves as a single object. The entire xref can be scaled, moved, or mirrored, but the objects that make up the xref are not directly accessible.

What do you do when you want to make changes to the xref while editing the current drawing? You may spot an error in the xref, for example, and want to make corrections then and there. Or you may want to transfer an object from the current drawing to the xref, as the person asking this month's question wants to do.

In these situations, use the REFEDIT command in AutoCAD. With REFEDIT you can edit individual objects within an xref. (REFEDIT also works on AutoCAD blocks.) You begin by invoking the REFEDIT command which places you in what I'll call the Refedit mode. While in this mode, you are able to access and edit objects in an Xref. When you're finished making changes to your Xref, you exit the Refedit mode and your changes are saved to the Xref file. Here's how to use REFEDIT to make changes to an Xref from the current drawing:

1. Open a drawing file containing an xref and then choose Modify > In-place Xref and Block Edit > Edit Reference. You can also enter Refedit at the command prompt.

2. Select the xref you want to edit. The Reference Edit dialog box opens (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Reference Edit dialog box.

3. Click OK. The dialog box closes and you are prompted to Select Nested Object.

4. Select the object or set of objects in the xref that you want to edit and press the Enter key. All of the xref objects, except the ones you selected, are shaded and become unavailable, and the Refedit toolbar appears (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: The Refedit toolbar.

The objects you select in Step 4 become part of what is called the working set of objects. Once the Refedit toolbar appears, you are in the Refedit mode and you can edit or delete xref objects in the working set.

Understanding REFEDIT and the Working Set
You might think of the Refedit mode as a mode where you have temporarily suspended the editing session of your current drawing to focus solely on the Xref. The working set is the set of objects that you have temporarily extracted from the Xref in order to edit them. While in the Refedit mode, you can begin to make changes to the objects in the working set. You may also add objects to or delete objects from this working set. Any new objects you create also become part of the current working set of objects. You may also move or copy objects from the current drawing to the working set. Once you have completed your changes to the working set, you can exit the Refedit mode and all of the contents of the working set are saved back to the Xref. Or, if you decide that you don't want to save your changes, you can exit the Refedit mode and discard your changes.

Now, to answer the original question, let's continue exploring the REFEDIT command by moving existing objects from the current drawing to the working set.

1. Click the Add Objects to Working Set tool on the Refedit toolbar (see Figure 3). Or you can choose Modify > In-place Xref and Block Edit > Add to Working Set.

Figure 3: The Add Objects to Working Set tool.

2. At the Select Object prompt, select the objects in the current drawing that you want to move to the xref. The selected objects are no longer shaded, which means you can now edit them.

Remember that objects in the current working set are considered part of the xref, so when you add objects to the working set, you are essentially queuing up objects to be added to the xref.

 

When you are finished editing, save your changes back to the xref file. Here's how:

1. Click the Save Back Changes to Reference tool on the Refedit toolbar (see Figure 4). Or you can choose Modify > In-place Xref and Block Edit > Save Reference Edits. A prompt appears asking you if you want to save your changes to the xref (see Figure 5).

Figure 4: The Save Back Changes to Reference tool.

Figure 5: The prompt asking you if you want to save changes to the external reference.

2. Click OK. The xref file is updated with the changes you have made to the current working set of objects, including any new objects you have created.

Once you have saved your xref changes, you exit the Refedit mode and return to the standard mode of editing in AutoCAD software. If for some reason you decide to discard the changes you've made to the xref working set, use the Discard Changes to Reference tool (see Figure 6). You may also choose Modify > In-place Xref and Block Edit > Discard Reference Edits.

Figure 6: The Discard Changes to Reference tool.

Conclusion
Xrefs are an excellent tool for organizing your work, but they can be a bit cumbersome to work with. The REFEDIT command provides an easier way to work with xrefs by offering a kind of gateway to them from the current drawing. REFEDIT may not be the most intuitive command, but once you get used to it, you'll find it indispensable. And don't forget that REFEDIT also works on blocks. With REFEDIT, you can modify a block without having to explode and redefine it. So if you are not familiar with REFEDIT, give it a try!