Available in TurboCAD Pro an Deluxe only
An external reference (xref) is a kind of a block in that it is stored in the current drawing's block library. However, unlike a block, the objects associated with an xref definition are not stored in the current drawing; they are stored in another drawing file. When you create an xref, the entire contents of this other file are imported as a block. See Blocks.
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- To import another drawing as a block (xref), select Format Insert / Create External Reference.
- In the External Reference File Location window, select a file type and locate the desired file.
- If you want the path to the referenced drawing to be relative to the current drawing (as opposed to an absolute path), check .
- The selected file is added to the block library of the current file. You can view it and insert it using the Blocks Palette. However, you cannot edit an xref in the Blocks Palette - you must change the original file.
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Note: If you edit the original file from which the xref was created, the block in the current library will not change. You will need to recreate the xref.
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External References Panel
If you click on the External References button at the top of the Block palette you will see the External References panel at the bottom of the palette.
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Detach: will detach the referenced file, and any insertions of that file in the drawing will be deleted. You cannot detach nested xrefs. You must open the file to which they are attached to remove them.Bind
Bind: embeds the selected XREF as a Block in the drawing. All attachment to the external drawing is lost.
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Exploding XREFs: When an XREF has been bound to a drawing it becomes a block. Instances of that block in the drawing can be exploded so that you can edit the geometry directly in the drawing.