Updating House Model Space Entity and Xref Management in AutoCAD

Optimizing Xref Management and Model Space Entity Integration in AutoCAD

This article delves into the process of updating a house model in an architectural project, including the handling of xrefs, layer management, and the rotation of the model. The author provides detailed instructions on how to manipulate the model space entity, insert the floor plan file, and manage the layers for a smooth drafting process.

Key Insights

  • The author highlights the importance of layer management when updating a house model in a project. Specifically, the author instructs on how to detach and reattach an xref, handle the scale factor, and undo model placements.
  • Instructions on how to manipulate the layer properties, such as turning off unnecessary layers and freezing layers for better data management, are also given. This includes turning off the 'no plot' layer and coloring the roof ridge lines.
  • Lastly, the author guides the reader on how to rotate the house model and adjust its position in accordance with the project's requirements. This involves controlling the rotation of the xref and managing the roof outline in the layers.

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The last thing I would like to do is to update the house. So again, it's a model space entity. I'm going to go back to the model space environment.

If I zoom in, and if I pick on the block, you can see that right there is where the base point of the xref is. And if you remember, in our floor plan model file, we had the model presented horizontally. But we're showing it at an angle which is appropriate for our use on the project itself.

So I'm going to begin by drawing a line from the insertion point of the xref to the end of the wall right here. So again, when we bring the xref in, we'll pop it in down there. And we have the rotation guideline to show us the back corner of the house.

But what I'd like to do is to show you something. I'm going to go open, and I'm going to open my floor plan file. Here's my floor plan file as it exists right now.

And so if I were to go in and detach the xref and bring it in, it's going to look like that. So let's go do that. I'm going to go to xrefs.

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I'm going to go to plan model. Pick left button, right button, detach. I can also do right button, attach drawing, and I'm going to attach the floor plan.

I'm going to pop it in, specify on screen, scale factor of 1 as an attachment, and it will pop it in right there. Well, think of all the layer management issues we have to deal with. So I'm going to undo the model placement.

I'm going to go back into my floor plan file, and I'm going to go to layer properties, and I will go to the layer states manager. I'm going to say roof plan and restore it. So I'm restoring the roof plan.

But you can see that there are still other layers that I need to turn off. I'm just going to type layoff, L-A-Y-O-F-F, and I'm going to select on the entities I want to have turned off. The symbols, some text, the gutter blocks.

And I'm going to go in and also turn off the gutter itself. Here's the outline of the building. Control S to save.

Now, if I go layoff right now, again, that it would be turning off layer 0 because these blocks were drawn. The original geometry was drawn on layer no plot, but the blocks were brought in on layer 0. If I go layoff, it's going to turn off layer 0, not what I want to do. So I'm just going to go into layers, take the no plot, and turn that off.

Control S to save. Now, right now you can see that the roof ridge lines are colored yellow. The outline is the cyan.

But you may or may not remember, but in our deliverable sheet file, the roof was color 81. So I'm going to save this file. I will go back into my site plan, and I can just go to reference attach, right button attach.

I'm going to choose my floor plan. Specify insertion point on screen. Keep the rotation as it is.

Go okay. Pop it in at the end of the line. Now, do you see the drags going on? See the drags going on? Okay.

Once it's dragged into place, it goes away. I'm going to undo this, though. When I go back to my floor plan file itself, and if I go to layers, you're going to see I have a whole bunch of layers that are off, but they are thawed.

I'm going to sort by on off, and I'm going to take all the layers that were off and also freeze them. So I'm going to take AWallMasonry, slide all the way down to the Anodims 12, and I will freeze those layers. So the presentation does not look any different there.

Save the file. If I now go back into the AS100 and go to the XRF Manager, again, I'm just going over the bar, getting under the screen, right button, attach drawing, and I attach the floor plan, you'll notice this time that when it's brought in, specify insertion point on screen, and I go okay, I don't have the draggies going on. That's because the data was off before.

Now it's off and it's frozen. And frozen means don't see, don't calculate. We've just made it easier for the drawing to manage the data.

So I'm going to pop it in at the end of this line over here, and then I'm going to rotate. Rotate, R for rotate, pick on the house, the base point will be the end of here, R for reference. It currently goes from the end of here to the end of here, rotate it into position there, control S to save.

Now I want to turn off the outline of the building that came in with the XRF. I'm going to go to layers. Here's my floor plan.

You can see what's frozen. There's the roof. I have the roof outline.

I'm going to take that roof outline that was in the XRF, turn it off and freeze it. Now I will be using the outlines that we have here on this drawing. I'm now going to erase out the angled line we had.

I'm going to go back to layers. Again, you can see that by reconstructing, we now have the newly appropriately named file being XRF'd in. I'm going to take the layer A roof, and I will change its color to 81.

Back off, go to paper space, control S to save, and so now we have a totally newly reconstructed sheet. This file is now completely conforming to our standards. So please get this done, and then we will go on to our next project.

photo of Al Whitley

Al Whitley

AutoCAD and Blueprint Reading Instructor

Al was the Founder and CEO of VDCI | cadteacher for over 20 years. Al passed away in August of 2020. Al’s vision was for the advancement and employment of aspiring young professionals in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries.

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