New in AutoCAD 2021: Xref Compare
This is the second article in our series about new features in AutoCAD 2021, and is about how the platform streamlines tracking changes in DWG xref files.
As in the case of the compare function in the Drawing History palette described in our earlier article, when you open a host drawing, AutoCAD 2021 immediately tells you in the notification area of your screen if the xref that opened has changed from the last time you opened the host drawing.
The changed areas are outlined in amber, the changed xref details shown in green and the previous xref details shown in red, as in the screenshot below:
Source: Autodesk .com
You can separately turn off:
- the previous xref elements of difference
- the new xref elements of difference
- elements of the new xref where there are no changes
- elements in the new xref that are not being compared (honestly, we can’t figure out what those could be… )
Turning off areas where there are no changes and areas which are not being compared will result in a dispaly like this:
Source: Autodesk .com
Since you now know how the xref has changed, you can, without leaving the compare window, make changes to the host drawing so that it aligns with the new xref.
The Benefits
- The differences between xref versions are automatically identified, reducing errors that could arise from doing it manually to zero.
- Since the previous xref and the new xref elements of difference can be simultaneously displayed, and the host drawing changed from the same comparison window, there is no need to keep the host drawing open in a separate window and move back and forth between it and the comparison window.
These are small improvements, but together with the other small improvements in AutoCAD 2021, the total improvement in the program is truly significant.
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