Those using AutoCAD and its verticals for many years probably remember the old VISRETAIN workflow used to reset the layer state of an xref drawing. The issue with that workflow is that if you forgot to reset VISRETAIN back to 1, the next time you opened that drawing, every xref layer would revert to the current setting of the xref source drawing.
Allow me to introduce you to the Reset Xref Layer Properties tool.
The Reset Xref Layer Properties tool is a powerful feature that can reset layer properties globally or individually as needed. Selecting an option in the list will reset those layer properties to match the current saved state of the xref source drawing. Options include All Properties, On, Freeze, Lock, Plot, Color, Linetype, Lineweight, Transparency, Plot Style, New VP Freeze, and Description.
All Layers in a Single Xref:
In Layer Properties Manager, right-click on the Xref name in the Xref filter. Choose Reset Xref Layer Properties and select which property to reset from the list. This workflow will reset the properties of layers in the selected xref drawing.
All Layers in Multiple Xrefs:
In Layer Properties Manager, select the Xrefs filter. Right-click on any xref layer, choose Reset Xref Layer Properties > All layers, and then select which property to reset from the list. This workflow will reset the properties of all xref layers in the drawing.
Selected Layers in One or More Xrefs:
In Layer Properties Manager, select the xref layers to be reset. Right-click on one of the selected layers, choose Reset Xref Layer Properties > Selected layers, and select which property to reset from the list. This workflow will reset the property of all selected xref layers in the drawing.
Xref Overrides:
If any layer property does not match the current saved layer state of the xref source drawing, a filter named Xref Overrides will appear in the Layer Properties Manager. This filter lists only layers whose properties don't match the xref source drawing layer state. If all xref layers match the saved source drawing layer state, then this filter will not be visible similar to the Unreconciled New Layers filter. A right-click on one or more layers in this filter, or the filter name itself, will also provide access to the Reset Xref layer Properties tool.
IMPORTANT:
If you modify the layer state in the source xref drawing and then save it, you will need to reload that xref in the current drawing for the Reset Xref Layer Properties to access the revised layer state.
I hope you see the value in using the Reset Xref Layer Properties tool instead of the VISRETAIN system variable to reset the layer properties of an xref.
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