Attach External Reference dialog box

The Attach External Reference dialog box allows you to attach externally referenced drawings to the current drawing.

It is opened with the XATTACH command, after selecting a Reference file.

  1. Help
  2. Name
  3. Browse
  4. Path
  5. Path type
  6. External reference
  7. Insertion Point
  8. Scale
  9. Rotation
  10. Block Unit
  11. Insert as anchor

Help

Opens the Bricsys Help article about the XATTACH command.

Name

Specifies the name of the DWG file attached to the current drawing.

Browse

Opens the Select Reference File dialog box to allow you to choose a different DWG file

Path

Displays the path of the drawing file.

Path type

Determines how much of the path is stored:

Full path
Stores the drive and folder names of the DWG file as an absolute reference, such as c:\cad\dwg\filename.dwg
Relative path
Stores the path from the parent drawing’s location to the referenced drawing's location, such as ..\filename.dwg. The .. refers to the folder above the current one. The drawing must be saved before you can use this option.
No path
Strips the drive and folder names, leaving just the DWG file name, such as filename.dwg.

External reference

Specifies how the external reference is to be attached.

Attachment
Attaches the xref and nested xrefs.
Overlay
Attaches only the first level of xref.

Insertion Point

Specifies the location of the xrefs lower-left corner:

Specify On-screen
Determines how to specify the insertion point.
  • On: specify the insertion point in the drawing after the dialog box is closed.
  • Off: specify the insertion point in the dialog box using the X, Y, and Z fields.
X, Y, or Z
Specifies the x, y, and/or z coordinates for the xrefs insertion point. Use 0,0,0 to insert the xref at the drawing's origin.

Scale

Specifies the size of the xref.

Specify On-screen
Determines how to specify the scale factors.
  • On: specify the scale factors in the drawing after the dialog box is closed.
  • Off: specify the scale factors in the dialog box using the X, Y, and Z fields.
X, Y, or Z
Specifies the x, y, and/or z scale factors of the xref in the x, y, and z directions. Use 1,1,1 to keep the xref at its original size.
Uniform Scale
Makes the y and z scale factors equal to x.

Rotation

Specifies the rotation angle of the xref.

Specify On-screen
Determines how to specify the rotation angle.
  • On: specify the angle in the drawing after the dialog box is closed.
  • Off: specify the angle in the dialog box using the Angle field.
Angle
Specifies the rotation angle about the insertion point. Positive angles rotate the xref counterclockwise. Negative angles rotate the xref clockwise. Use 0 to keep the xref at its original orientation.

Block Unit

Specifies the units with which the drawing will be inserted, usually a form of Imperial or metric units, such as inches or mm:

Unit
Reports the INSUNITS setting of the drawing being attached.
Factor
Reports the calculated scaling factor with respect to the INSUNITS setting of the drawing being attached and the current drawing.

Insert as anchor

Anchors an external reference to a face of a solid. This anchor links the external reference to the face. The external reference will stay on the face when the host solid is moved or edited.