Help to discover xref filepaths from a huge dwg colletion

[Anonymous]

Hi Experts, my name is Joao.

We have a collection of thousands DWG files.

Most of these files point to a raster TIFF file using the External Reference (XREF) autocad's fearture.

The problem is, we have to organize these collection, renaming the DWGs files and separate them in different folders...

Off course, the reference between DWG and TIFF will be lost when we do that...

Unfortunatly i dont know nothing about AutoCAD.. I just know how to open a DWG file and see the filepath to the xref file, one by one.

SO, I HAVE 2 QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

1 - How can i extract these xref filepath from thousands DWG files automaticaly... ?

Is there any API available to obtain this parameter or any Programming Language that i can develop a routine to open Autocad automatically and discover this information ? I really appreciate any guide, or clue that direct me towards to solution, sure if is there one solution.

2 - I think that AutoCad Designers use XREF to put the Raster image as Background Image inside DWG and drawing "above" it, making modifications in different layer. We do that here...

Is possible to Designer set the background image without use XREF ?? Something embeeded in a only one DWG file ??? 

I'm asking if is there another option beside use XREF... We can easily set a rule to Designers adopt it... but im need to be sure if is there another option.

Thank a lot for you attention.

Joao Clemente

Brazil, RJ.

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

welcome @Anonymous!

To your primary question: how to replace a path (XRef-path) for multiple files you can use the external tool: Reference-Manager (>>>more details<<<).

That gives you the choice to replace paths.

>> Is possible to Designer set the background image without use XREF ?? Something

>> embeeded in a only one DWG file ??? 

Please, don't do that! It has really good reasons why your drafters have used these TIFF-files as external files and the workflow (and also the filesizes) would change dramatically if you embedd the raster-data.

- alfred -

[neaton]

I agree with Alfred. If that TIFF file ever changes then it needs updated in every one of your drawings. Example is if the TIFF file is the company logo with address and the company moves then the TIFF needs updated in every file. This would be very time consuming to change if it is embedded in each file.

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>> Is possible to Designer set the background image without use XREF ?? Something

>> embeeded in a only one DWG file ??? 

Please, don't do that! It has really good reasons why your drafters have used these TIFF-files as external files and the workflow (and also the filesizes) would change dramatically if you embedd the raster-data.

- alfred -

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