Renewing Xrefs
In response to my post a few weeks ago on 'Handling CAD drawing and Xref file exchange', a reader asked us whether collaboration systems support the automatic renewal of the Xref file, or whether manual action is needed to select which Xref files have to be updated?
We asked a member of our Industry Consultancy team for his view on current industry good practice and here's what he said...
Collaboration systems are the tool by which the Xrefs are transferred and therefore are not linked to the update of the Xrefs in anyway.
That said, the creator of the drawing, and therefore the Xrefs, are responsible for updating the required organizations using the Xrefs within the project. This is where collaboration systems provide the perfect tool, as there is a function that allows a user to quickly and effectively update documentation (the Xrefs) stored within the register and send them to the same organizations that received the previous revision.
As Xrefs are usually stored/managed in folders, the best format by which to transfer the Xrefs are in 'eTransmit' zip files which are created in AutoCAD and simply registered on the collaboration system for means of transfer.
The receipt of the eTransmit zip file simply downloads and extracts the contents to the local drive. As part of the function of the eTransmit zip file, the contents are routed and stored in the correct paths within the local folder structure.
The creator of the drawing/Xrefs would have an agreed project protocol for creating and storing the Xrefs but the best practice way to manage the Xrefs is the ensure that the path is relative. A relative file path means the recipient doesn't require the same drive letter as the creator of the drawing. So when the eTransmit zip file is extracted, the folder structure is mirrored on the recipients drive using the drive letters on the local system. When the recipient of the Xrefs opens the drawing in AutoCAD the 'relative file path' Xrefs are then picked up from the local folders and viewed as part of the drawing.
That process is all well and good but the recipient must be confident that they have the most up to date Xrefs which is where the collaboration system is used. It provides a means of determining the current Xrefs by means of a register that holds the current files by default for the user to download. Therefore a user need only check the current file on the collaboration system is the one that they downloaded (usually determined by the date) giving them confidence that they are using the most up to date Xrefs available to them.
Labels: Good practice, Technology
