xref alignment labels changing colours

[randyspear6624]

My alignment ticks use the stanard Aecc Tick block. It is on layer 0/bylayer/bylayer etc and the style is set by layer. They display correctly in the source drawing but when I xref that drawing into others, the ticks change colour based on what every the current layer is in the host drawing. If the current layer is 0 they dispaly correctly, if my current layer has a colour 5 associated with it then my xref ticks regen to blue.  This only happens with the tick not the text.

Bug?

[KirkNoonan]

There is a bug with blocks in labels in xref'ed drawings. The blocks take on the color of whatever layer is current in the drawing. I've never noticed it with alignment ticks, but we have some point label styles that have blocks in the labels and the same thing occurs. Try changing the tick in the style from the 'tick' block to a small line instead.

[troma]

And if your current layer is set to 'no-plot', guess what?  

Definitely a bug.

I've speculated that a workaround might be to make a new block with the layer embedded in it, rather than on layer 0.  But I haven't tested that.

If the block is a simple 'tick' then it is probably simpler to use the previous suggestion and just use a line instead.

[wetsnow13]

I haven't checked this but I would imagine that you can go into the style for the alignment label component and change the color from BYLAYER/BYBLOCK to the specific color you would like.

[mathewkol]

Bug's been around for quite a while now.

[randyspear6624]

Thanks guys, I'll change it to a line in the style.

One other related issue... my line and curve labels show up as "label contains broken reference" when xrefed into another drawing. Is this a bug too?

We are constantly told to keep things in 3D or as intelligent objects for the greater good (BIM propoganda). We've been using C3D for several years now and we've tried sharing our designs with other disciplines for the purpose of production drafting but we always go back to just using it as a design tool and exporting back to autocad for production. So frustrating... our reseller believes that everyone should be using c3d and utilizing data shortcuts instead of xrefs but besides the cost, have you ever tried to teach an environmental biologist how to use c3d? Ugh...

[KirkNoonan]

If you are successful in getting your environmentalists to use C3D, please let me know. I have several I'll send your way!
The easiest way to deal with the labels is to label the xref'ed lines in the drawing that you are using for plan production. C3D will label most things in an xref without needing a data shortcut

[randyspear6624]

Yeah, thats what I did, but other disciplines need to reference my plan into their drawings and that's where the label gets "broken".

[castled071049]

Another workaround to the block-color-in-xrefs problem is to make a custom command that sets the current layer to "0", the current color to BYLAYER, saves the file, then closes the file. Use this command for closing out your files and they will always open (and publish) correctly.

[Yunlena]

Hi there!

In the alignment style you could always force the color attribute - I may need to do that with my alignment styles, because I'm having the same issue and at this point work arounds are just not an option - it needs to work! 

It is also the layer that you attach it with. You can try and reattach on a layer that has the color '0' - that worked for me. Once you attached it, and it's wrong, it won't change the color. Bad news bears, but true. My station and tick style are on bylayer (it used to be a forced color... ).

HTH!

[Hidden_Brain]

in addition to what you stated, I also recently found that if the block definition layer is the current layer in the host drawing (say layer zero), the blocks will not plot! a big pain in the rear.

[governorbob]

I am glad to have found this post.  I had the same issue, which no amount of digging through label styles or changing layer colors would fix.  As mentioned earlier, label tics inherit the color of whatever layer was current when the xref was inserted.  I discovered detaching & reattaching the xref allowed me an opportunity to update the color.  Alternatively, setting the desired color in a current layer, then saving & closing the drawing also refreshed the tic mark's color.  We are in Civil 3D 2014 and this is still and issue.

[troma]

@governorbob I see the problem slightly differently. It's not the layer that's current when the x-ref is attached, but whatever layer is current at the time of opening or plotting the drawing. I don't have 2014, but here's what works for me in 2013:

Make layer 0 current, and rengenall. Then the blocks go back to the colour they should be. No need to detach the x-ref.

[cwr-pae]

I haven't had this problem over several versions (2017 currently). It could be because of different installation factors but, I have all label styles set to their own layers internally, which also allows changing the plot color, line weight, etc. by changing the layer color when xref'd.

[kcobabe]

Hmm I have never had this happen.  Then again I do not use bylayer with 0 because when using 0 and bylayer it will always accept the layer it is on in whatever drawing it is on.  I use byblock and 0 as it locks it to the layer, color and line type you place it on.

As for handling non C3D user deal.  Have them install the object enabler for C3D.  This will allow them to see the object and label data.

As for the XREF vs Data Shortcut deal.  Your re seller is very wrong.  What happens when you add data shortcuts to everything is the drawing and system has t o work harder to find everything before you can fully open and work.  When it's an xref it handles it like any xref.  I only use data shortcuts for allowing data to be applied to objects like profile views, sections views, etc..  In the plan view I place it on a non display style.  For some reason this works and drawings load much faster.  I have tested this on several massive projects and the less data shortcuts their are the better.