Xref has multiple references. Not detached.

[Anonymous]

Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer guidance on this issue. I am a fairly new AutoCadd user, I come from using primarily Microstation and Geopak. I have a reference file that is no longer being used, and is directly attached as an xref (not nested). I'm trying to clean up my dwg, but when I try to detach this xref, I get the following message in the command line: "Xref klm drainage has multiple references. Not detached."

[MikeEvansUK · Accepted solution]

Its sounds like it has been inserted into a block that is referenced in the file (can happen when using edit in place) or it is being referenced by another xref (nested) or referanced by multiple xrefs.

This normally occurs if you attach xrefs as attachments rather than overlays. Attachments will propagate throughout the drawings in which the original is xreffed. I never use attachments for this reason, its quite easy to get multiple nesting levels in one file.

eg: Xref name 1 has B attached.

Xref the file name 1 in a new drawing B comes with it. So you can see if I xref 1 in many files as an attachment and xref that file into a new drawing one by one each file will bring xref named B with it.

If B is as an Overlay then it will not come with 1 when 1 is attached. Check the xref dialogue and swap the view to tree view, this will show if a file is nested.

See if the xref is as an attachment in the other xrefs if so change them to overlay, reload all xrefs then you should be able to remove the Xref from the file as it will be now unreferenced.

Always use Overlay it causes less hassle in the long run..

Hope this makes sence?

[Anonymous]

Thanks, that makes perfect sense and solved the problem. I will always use overlay in the future.

Have a great day!

[Anonymous]

Kmanning,



Just an aside to what the two of you were talking about. It's important to know the difference between overlay and attachment, and to use them as they are intended. Attachments can be very useful if used correctly. Just be aware of the file your xreferecing and know what files are attached or overlayed.



I just recently had the same problem with a file i got from a client. two seperate files had a imbedded file and would not let me switch to overlay. I had to detach the parent file and re-xref it as an overlay to clear up the duplicity. Unfortunately if any layers had been altered, I would loose the changes by detaching.



anyway, let me give an example of a useful attachment. for instance, lets say you had to rotate and scale a xref into a drawing. This might be very painful to replicate. So an attachment might be useful if these two drawings needed to be xref'd into a new drawing. Also in the case of multiple layer edits to the xref.



Well, that's thoroughly confusing.....



Glad I could help with that 🙂



Dan

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I have tried as many ways as I knew like running FIND command and QSELECT command, went for finding manually if there I could find some. But unfortunately of no use at all.

Can any one please record a video that can us solve this issue. I am sure there are lots of users who haven't solved this issue yet. I am really getting frustrated.

Cheers,

Saboor