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.
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