To Work with Comparing XREFs in AutoCAD

To Work with Comparing XREFs in AutoCAD

Use various commands and display options in the Xref Compare toolbar to review the differences between the attached xref and the referenced drawing file.

Compare the Xref Changes

  1. Click View tab > Palettes panel > External References Palette.   Find
  2. In the External References palette, right-click the DWG reference you want to compare.
  3. Click Compare and choose one of the following options.
    1. Recent Changes. Compares the selected xref with the latest version of the referenced drawing file.
    2. Select File. Opens a standard file navigation selection dialog box, in which you can select another drawing file to compare with the specified xref.

Change the Display Settings for the Xref Comparison

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click Settings.
  2. In the Settings panel, click the controls that you want to change.

For frequent changes, you can pin the Settings panel for convenient access.

Change the Visibility of Objects in the Xref Comparison Result

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click Settings.
  2. In the Settings panel, click the light bulb icon for objects that you want to turn on or off in the comparison result.

Change the Draw Order of the Compared Objects

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click Settings.
  2. In the Settings panel, click Draw Order to reverse the draw order between overlapping objects in the xref and the referenced drawing file in comparison.
    3. By default, the objects in the host drawing are displayed above the objects in the referenced drawing file. 

Change the Visibility, Color, and Shape of the Revision Clouds

Revision clouds are used to highlight the differences between an attached xref and the referenced drawing file.

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click Settings.
  2. In the Settings panel, do any of the following:
    1. Click the light bulb icon to toggle the visibility of the revision clouds.
    2. In the Revision Clouds drop-down list, select Rectangular or Polygonal.
    3. Move the Size slider to change the offset distance between the change sets and the revision clouds.

Exclude Text or Hatches From the Comparison

Filters provide a way to hide the comparison results for the text or hatch objects.

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click Settings.
  2. In the Settings panel, click any of the following:
    1. Hatch
    2. Text

Temporarily Turn Off the Comparison Results

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click the light bulb icon.
  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click the right and left arrows to zoom into the next or previous change set.

End the Comparison

  1. In the Xref Compare toolbar, click Exit Compare.
Powered by  AutoCAD ®

    • Related Articles

    • About Comparing Differences Between Drawings in AutoCAD

      Compare the current drawing either to a different drawing or compare it to a previous version of your drawing as maintained on a supported cloud account. As your design progresses, it becomes more difficult to remember what was changed from one ...

    • AutoCAD Keyboard Commands

      Learning how to use AutoCAD keyboard commands can help you work faster and improve your efficiency. This article lists the abbreviated commands that can be used in AutoCAD (Toolbox). Toggle General Features Ctrl+G Toggle Grid Ctrl+E Cycle isometric ...

    • Custom Hatches for Section Drawings

      Toolbox provides users the ability to assign a hatch pattern to materials for 2D section drawings.  To improve the flexibility of this feature, we have added the ability to attach a hatch pattern of your choice to each material.  This hatch pattern ...

    • Microvellum Commands vs AutoCAD Commands

      Toolbox, as an OEM based on AutoCAD, possesses the full range of AutoCAD commands for use in accessing AutoCAD functions, such as drawing shapes, opening menus, altering the dimensions of polylines, etc. However, it should be noted that when working ...

    • 2D Drawings

      2D Drawings To access the 2D Drawings, click on the Draw tab, then select the 2D Drawings tab. Draw 2D Wall Elevation – Allows you to choose a 3D wall and create a 2D elevated wall, including the products that are associated with the wall. Draw 2D ...

    • Recent Articles

    • Toolbox Release Notes: Year of 2024

      This document will catalog all releases for Microvellum Toolbox software builds that were released in the year 2024. This encompasses builds 24.1.0104.641 to 23.1.1206.641. Toolbox Release Notes | Build 24.1.1206.641 The following release notes apply ...

    • Toolbox Release Notes | Build 25.1.0129.641

      The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 25.1.0129.641. SMA Fixes A wide variety of issues with the Solid Model Analyzer have been resolved. Multiple modifications to existing interfaces or settings have been made to improve precision and ...

    • Microvellum Foundation Library Release Notes | Build 25.0124

      The following release notes apply to Microvellum Foundation Library build 25.0124. Additions Added Century Components Waste Bins, Vanity Organizers, and Base Cabinet Organizers. 11”, 14”, 17” Signature Series Bottom Mount 34qt & 50qt. 4”, 5”, 6”, 9”, ...

    • SQL Server Backups

      This article will list out the various types of backups you can create for databases hosted on an SQL Server, explore methods for creating backups manually and automatically, as well as list software/services that may assist you with backing up your ...

    • Toolbox Release Notes | Build 25.1.0114.641

      The following release notes apply to Toolbox build 25.1.0114.641. UI Fixes Several issues were reported and discovered within the OEM 2025 user interface. The following issues have been resolved: Fig. 1: Excess commands on the tool strip being ...