topic Re: File too huge, ref edit issues in AutoCAD Forum

File too huge, ref edit issues

manavtyagiV2UKB — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:43:31 GMT

RIght could someone help me out with the files. I cant chansge the layout as its associated with ref drawing. The pdf's are coming out to 20+mb. Purge, overkill, audit all done. Could someoone have a look and let m know. The files itself are more than 50mb.

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

CGBenner — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 16:31:23 GMT

@manavtyagiV2UKB

Hello, and welcome. Thank you for sharing the file. Can you tell us what version of AutoCAD this is, and share a little more detail about what is not working?

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

imadHabash — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 02:35:54 GMT

Hi and Welcome to AutoCAD Forum,

After opening the files, I found that the problem lies in the contents of both files. There are many graphics in a disorganized manner and at different scales!!! The file should be organized and contain only the information you need, and not be in such a complicated format. Thousands of unwanted registry items found in your CAD file!!! this is the biggest number that i have ever seen in one file.

I suggest to REALLY start clean ALL of your files with -PURGE command in addition for the previous commands that you used.

-PURGE command >>RegApps - Removes RegApps from the drawing (available from the command line only). >> CLICK <<

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

CGBenner — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:59:06 GMT

@manavtyagiV2UKB

Hello, do you still need help with this question?

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

manavtyagiV2UKB — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 14:04:39 GMT

Hello, yes. How do i clear unwanted registries. I have used Overkill, Purge, -pu, audit..its just not working.

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

imadHabash — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 14:18:44 GMT

>> How do i clear unwanted registries.

_pu >> r >> * >> No .

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

pendean — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:10:00 GMT

@manavtyagiV2UKB Help yourself wih the files (and to do the best you can with these posted "top" files and those missing XREFs):

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Optimizing-the-AutoCAD-drawing-file-Purge-Audit-Recover.html

But you do have quite a lot of content, so your PDFs will likely always be huge and your posted DWG files can only be sized down only marginally: do your PDF editors have an option to reduce the PDF sizing? That's your next step.

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

J-Porter — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:32:00 GMT

I've only looked at the BSA* drawing so far. I recovered the file and it had 7 errors in it. I then did the initial purge or the regapps and removed 5,787 of them. I then removed all the xrefs to make sure they weren't playing into this. After I did that I ran the xref command again and saw this at the command line:

I thought, "this has to be nested data somewhere". I deleted your two largest blocks and I think that is where the issue lies. You have a block with hundreds (more like thousands)of nested and unnamed blocks. I would show you, but there are way too many to list. This tells me that blocks have been copied and pasted from drawings to drawings and then other blocks were made from multiple blocks. Once I deleted and purged out the blocks from your drawing down to 33.6 MB:

Jumping to your other drawing now.

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

J-Porter — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 20:44:38 GMT

I got similar results. I think you need to clean up those two big blocks you have in the drawing. When I recovered the EFL* file, it had 6 errors in it. This time I used a different tool I downloaded it from the Autodesk App Store to purge the file. I got these results:

I then deleted the blocks and ran the purge again and got these resulsts (937 blocks were embedded in these overall block):

I then saw drawing size decrease significantly:

So the issue is not your drawings, but rather the blocks within the blocks (and possibly within those blocks) of your drawings.

Re: File too huge, ref edit issues

CGBenner — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:50:46 GMT

@manavtyagiV2UKB

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