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draw order in xref

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Rupert Penzinger

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Jun 5, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/5/98
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I know this has been covered before but I can't find the thread.

How do you get the draw order to display correctly when xrefed?

Thanks,

Rupert


Terry W. Dotson

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Jun 5, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/5/98
to Rupert Penzinger

Rupert Penzinger wrote:

> How do you get the draw order to display correctly when xrefed?

The text below was taken from the AutoCAD Readme:

----------------- BEGIN README -----------------

Using Xref Files and DRAWORDER

If you reference a drawing that has an attached image or other objects
that have been edited with the DRAWORDER command, the draw order within
the xref will not be in the correct draw order even after regenerating
the drawing. To correct this problem, use the following procedure:

1. Open the xref file.
2. Use the DRAWORDER command to set up the xref drawing.
3. Use the WBLOCK command to create a new drawing from the xref file.
Enter all when prompted to select objects.
4. Use the XATTACH command to attach the file created using WBLOCK in
step 2.

------------------ END README ------------------

If you want total control over object ordering, check out ToolPac's
Z-Ordering at the URL below.

Thanks, Terry

o--------------------------------------------------------o
| ToolPac 4.0, a 400+ function collection |
| of Power Tools for all AutoCAD users. |
| Visit http://www.dotsoft.com for details. |
o--------------------------------------------------------o
| CADENCE Magazine reviews ToolPac 3.0 in Jan98 issue! |
| http://www.cadence-mag.com/1998/0198/trialrun0198.html |
o--------------------------------------------------------o

Terry W. Dotson

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Jun 5, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/5/98
to Rupert Penzinger

Rupert Penzinger wrote:

> Terry are you referring to setting the z coordinate for my entities? And how
> does this affect plines over solid fill hatched with merging and overwriting.

No, I am referring to ToolPac's Z-Order Processing, a add-on tool to allow you to
assign an object to a level, the object then remembers the 'level' that is assigned
to. This means if you add a solid that blots out everything, you simply assign it
to a 'back' level and reprocess. Objects STAY in the order they are assigned.

The elevation or 'z' value of an object has no bearing over the order in which it
is drawn. AutoCAD typically generates objects in the order they were created.
Draworder suffers some serious limitations.

ToolPac users frequently manage dozens of logical levels, with solids over solids
over solids. In GIS and Mine Planning maps that typically start at 10mb. With
drawings that large, there is no time for HOOPS.

Regards, Terry

Rupert Penzinger

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Jun 5, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/5/98
to Terry W. Dotson

From what I understand you'll lose the draw order when you wblock a file.
(However the correct draworder is maintained in the preview). Which means
that the preview is what is used when the file is attached as an xref.
Based on this I should maintain a master file with correct draworder and
wblock a dummy file to be attached everytime I change or update the draw
order. Because, if I just open my wblock the draworder will not be
present. Correct?

Can you follow all that, and more importantly am I on the right page.

thanks

Rupert

Terry W. Dotson

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Jun 5, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/5/98
to Rupert Penzinger

Rupert Penzinger wrote:

> From what I understand you'll lose the draw order when you wblock a file.
> (However the correct draworder is maintained in the preview). Which means
> that the preview is what is used when the file is attached as an xref.
> Based on this I should maintain a master file with correct draworder and
> wblock a dummy file to be attached everytime I change or update the draw
> order. Because, if I just open my wblock the draworder will not be
> present. Correct?
>
> Can you follow all that, and more importantly am I on the right page.

In my opinion, you should use draworder to get things the way you want, then
wblock. The preview for the wblock won't look right, but when the drawing is
opened it will look right, so save it again to update the preview. Then XREF
it to the other drawing.

Feel like you are jumping through hoops?

Z-Ordering is a MUCH better way to handle this process. Assign it once, no
wblocking, no hoops, no headaches, no plotter surprises, NO PROBLEM!

Regards, Terry

Rupert Penzinger

unread,
Jun 5, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/5/98
to Terry W. Dotson

Terry are you referring to setting the z coordinate for my entities? And how
does this affect plines over solid fill hatched with merging and overwriting.

Rupert

Drew Fulford

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Jun 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/6/98
to

The easiest way ive found is to manually reorder using the following
sequence for bringing objects to front.

Command: copy

Select objects: 1 found (or as many as required)
Select objects: <RET>
<Base point or displacement>/Multiple: 0,0 (or random pick if not
automated)
Second point of displacement: @
Command: erase
Select objects: p
1 found
Select objects: <ret>


This nukes the old ones and leaves new ones on top. It is quite easy
to automate a button to do this "Copy to top" function. This order
carries thru to xrefs as expected.

Drew

On Fri, 05 Jun 1998 14:31:15 -0400, Rupert Penzinger
<des...@forrec.com> wrote:

>I know this has been covered before but I can't find the thread.
>

>How do you get the draw order to display correctly when xrefed?
>

>Thanks,
>
>Rupert
>

Drew Fulford, B.A.Sc., Systems Engineer, dful...@autodes.com
A.D.S. (Automated Design Systems),
Autodesk Authorized Systems Centers, Ontario, Canada
Visit our web site @ http://www.autodes.com/autodes

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