X-Ref type of query

[conor_kelly]

Hi, 

I'm looking for ideas/suggestions in setting out a series of factory equipment layouts during a construction phase.

What I would like to be able to do is start with the current factory layout, (X-Ref -A) with equipment (X-Ref-B) in Dwg 1.

Then copy Dwg 1 as Dwg 2 (Bind x-refs) and edit the factory layout & equipment layout, by moving some walls and equipment etc, without effecting Dwg 1, and so on with Dwg 3, Dwg 4 etc.

So far I can arrange this if everything is going forward in one direction. The problem I have is when I have to go back to Dwg 2 and make more edits, I then have to manually carry out these edits on all Dwgs above the one I have edited. 

My hope is that someone can give me a suggestion to set up my drawings that an edit will ripple through the drawings going forward and not effect the drawings before the edit.

Hope this makes sense,

Conor. 

[dmfrazier]

"Then copy Dwg 1 as Dwg 2 (Bind x-refs) and edit the factory layout & equipment layout..."

Why bind the xrefs?

Sounds like you just need to keep versions (revisions?) of your xref files.

[conor_kelly]

Thanks for reply,

"Why bind the xrefs?

Sounds like you just need to keep versions (revisions?) ......"

I was binding the x-refs so as any changes would not effect the previous drawings only the drawings going forward.

I was hoping that there might be a way (that I was not aware of), of that would allow me to (for example) edit an X-Ref in Dwg 4, these edits would be automatically loaded into Dwg 5, 6, 7.....etc but not effect Dwg 3, 2 or 1.

What I'm currently having to do is, if I make and edit in Dwg 4, I have to manually edit all subsequent drawings above 4, this can be upwards of 20 drawings.

[dmfrazier]

"I was binding the x-refs so as any changes would not effect the previous drawings only the drawings going forward."

So, this makes it sound like you are binding the x-refs that were attached to DWG-1 after copying DWG-1 to DWG-2.  That means DWG-1 now has "fixed" versions (so to speak) of the x-ref info, while DWG-2 still has "live" versions of that info.  I assume you continue this process for subsequent "versions".

But...

"The problem I have is when I have to go back to Dwg 2 and make more edits, I then have to manually carry out these edits on all Dwgs above the one I have edited"

It would be helpful to understand what are the circumstances that make it necessary to "go back" and edit DWG-2 (which presumably now has had its x-refs bound, if I understand your process)?  Why would this process not be handled the same way you went from DWG-1 to DWG-2, to DWG-3, etc?  Isn't DWG-2 "obsoleted" (so to speak) by your process of creating DWG-3, and so on?

[conor_kelly]

The background to this query is:-

I need to create a set of Facility / Manufacturing "Staging" drawings to take us from our current state to the planned desired future state. To start off with I create a sequential sequence of drawings showing how everything will progress, all these tie into an agreed Project Schedule. When these get presented for review to various stakeholders a lot gets changed, and that's when I need to go back and make edits to particular stages.

[dmfrazier]

I will admit that the "process" is still a little unclear (not necessarily any fault of yours), but it sounds like you probably shouldn't be binding the xrefs.  What does binding them do for you?

[conor_kelly]

The only reason I Bound the X-Ref's is that it allows me to manually go in and edit the Drawings with out effecting the others. (left as X-Refs, the edits would show up not only in the sequence of drawings going forward, ie. Dwg-5, 6, 7...etc. which is fine, but also the edits will show up in Dwg-3, 2..., where I do not want them to appear.)

Using versions of X-Ref's will help, but with this project it will require a version for each drawing, so I reverted back to using Bound X-Ref's and Blocks.

[Bob_Zurunkle]

OP I am not sure if this will help, but why not XREF the overall layout into a drawing (as an overlay) of, say, area 1 proposal 1. Next, XREF Area 1 Proposal 1 back into the overall layout as an overlay (thus eliminating the circular reference) -- but put it on a layer called Proposal 1. Do the same for the rest, with each proposal having its own number, and a correspondingly named layer in the parent drawing. Don't want to see Proposal 3? Freeze its layer. You can always crop XREFs (areas) as you wish, if they overlap each other.

Once a proposal is accepted and built, then it can be bound into the parent drawing and exploded (I prefer to use identical layer conventions in all, and bind it so it adopts the parent drawing's layers).