xref problem

[TP000]

Hi All,

I have autocad 2012 LT.

My colleague has made xrefs for the first time. She can edit them - no problems. When I try and select a line the whole plan is selected with blue squares, then crashes. Its like it is locked. I have tried:

* updating all service packs

* edit in place

I do not know how to edit anything in the xref file.

I am new-ish to CAD so please if you have a solution please spell out all the steps for me.

Any help gratefully recd.

Thanks N

[Charles_Shade]

You don't make XREF's.

These are nothing more than a drawing file temporarily inserted into another file so that you may reference the drawing to the one you are working on.

The revisions would need to be made to the drawing being XREF'effed and then in the Target Drawing (the one that has the XREF in it) would need to have the XREF updated to see those revisions.

Unload and Reload of the XREF are two items that you need to address.

The XREF is not meant to be revised in the target drawing; only in the source drawing (Source drawing = The drawing that is the XREF.)

If your system is crashing on the overload of information that the graphics card is trying to handle then that is another question.

What are you system specs including the graphics card?

[drjohn]

---

@Charles_Shade wrote:

The XREF is not meant to be revised in the target drawing; only in the source drawing (Source drawing = The drawing that is the XREF.)

---

That's ludicrous ... what do you think the edit in place is for.  I've ccreated massive air force base drawings distributing power to the base and used xrefs exclusivley and never had an issue using EIP with it.

Why on earth would I want to open a second drawing file just to change the spelling of a word.

That's just an outlandish statement.

Regards,

DJ

[TP000]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply.

My computer spec is:

Fujitsu
Processor Intel R Core TM i7 CPU
870 @ 2.93GHz 2.93GHz
Installed memory (RAM): 64-bit operating system
Windows 7 Professional

And I attach an image about where the graphics card is.... Do I even have one??!!!

Best wishes, N

[TP000]

Thanks DJ.

My colleague can just highlight a line in the xref and she can edit away. I cant. There must be a tick box unchecked somewhere?

N 😉

[sthompson1021]

Can you edit in place with LT? I know you can with full but not sure about LT.

[TP000]

Thank you for your reply.

My colleague has the same CAD version as me and she can edit in place by just clicking on a line.

Best wishes, N

[sthompson1021]

Been awhile since I used LT. Never really had a need to edit xrefs then. Looked it up in help and sure enough you can do it. Type in REFEDIT at the comand line and follow the prompts

[TP000]

Hi there,

I tried that and get:

Xref cannot be checked out for editing:
O:\etc... *where our files are saved on the O drive*
X Ref\name.dwg
A file lock already exists on the drawing.

When I touch one of the lines.

Thanks for your help so far, N

[Charles_Shade]

My apologies to you for the statement. If I could remove it I would.

What would be the reason the OP cannot edit thier XREF's then?

REFEDIT does work in LT and was added in 2010

[drjohn]

As Charlie would say, SWAG ....

First check to see if anyone else has that dwg checked out for xref .... if not, try going to the dir they are stored in and if there are dwl files there, delete them.  Sometimes if a dwg crashes AutoCAD does not clean up after itself and it leaves the dwl files that are lock files.

Maybe ... just a shot in the dark.

Regards,

DJ

 [edit]

@Charles:  sometimes you don't know if you don't use it much. 

[/edit]

[TP000]

Hi DJ,

Right yes thank you, I seem to be 'making' dwl files almost before Ive even done anything to a file. Is my computer powerful enough to cope with xrefs? I am deleting them as soon as I can when I see them, and am having more success with edit in place now. I have to wait for the computer to catch up with what I am doing.

Its still not perfect. Could the server be slow too? When I say delete image files from a folder it takes a while for the changes to be visible. So when someone else checks something back in it takes a few mins to become fully avail for edit???

All the best, Naomi

[pendean]

If after closing a file the associated DWL files remain, this old tip may help:

http://www.cadforum.cz/cadforum_en/qaID.asp?tip=3186

[drjohn]

---

@TP000 wrote:

Hi DJ,

Right yes thank you, I seem to be 'making' dwl files almost before Ive even done anything to a file. Is my computer powerful enough to cope with xrefs? I am deleting them as soon as I can when I see them, and am having more success with edit in place now. I have to wait for the computer to catch up with what I am doing.

Its still not perfect. Could the server be slow too? When I say delete image files from a folder it takes a while for the changes to be visible. So when someone else checks something back in it takes a few mins to become fully avail for edit???

All the best, Naomi

---

Well, don't go overboard on this. A DWL (and DWL2 depending on ACAD version) file is created as soon as you open the drawing file.  You don't want to delete DWL files that are there for a DWG that is open.  Especially in a multi-user environment.  They are intended to keep "Bill" from opening a file that you are working on cause the last person to save wins . Only delete the DWL files that are not protecting open drawings.

If they are becoming an issue or the IT department has set your server working dir so that you cannot delete from there then talk to them or follow the tip Dean posted. You may need to have full admin on your box to make those changes, though.

Regards,

DJ

[edit]

One other thing to try with the Edit In Place issue is to select the xref and rather than double clicking to edit it, select the EIP icon (a paper with a pencil and a paperclip) and see if that works.

There is a switch/option also for using double click to EIP but for the life of me I can't remember it .  Charlie?  Dean?

[/edit]

[Charles_Shade]

Could it be XEDIT?

And to the OP: Is this set to 1 in your drawing? It is Drawing specific.

Open the Help file and type XEDIT. The second item should be Commands for Editing External References.

There are several there you should become familiar with (As I am now DJ )

[TP000 · Accepted solution]

Hi Charles & DJ,

I think the combination of deleting stuck dwl's, opening files from the programme not explorer have helped me thank you. The OP was set to 1 already.

Ive looked at XEDIT now too.

Its not perfect - Ive only crashed out once today 😉

So thanks again, Illl muddle on now.

Best wishes, N

[loon_boy_95]

I doubt this will help you, but we just had issues with issue similar to this in our office recently.  

Could not DETACH or UNLOAD ... ANY XREFS, jpeg, PDF, didn't matter what.  Had been having issues with the Sheet Set Manager last couple weeks.  Can't seem to get that to function correctly at all now, have given up at this point.  FOUND OUT THAT THE "SSMAUTOOPEN" system variable was set to 1, set it back to 0.  Problem solved, now any XREFs can be detached.  

What's funny is that even though the SSMAUTOOPEN was set to 1, the Sheet Set Manager was not opening.  We are all on AutoCAD LT 2014 in this office.

It was pretty scary there for a while.  Too bad the office we are teamed with... I think they are on AutoCAD 2016, their Sheet Set Manager does not appear to be compatible with ours at all.  VERY Frustrating.