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Technical Drafting 10
Quarter 2, Prepare Plan Using CAD
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer : Eduardo E. Ronsairo

Jose M. Bagayana (Technical)
Editor/s :
Reviewer : Virgilio R. Cestina Jr. (Validator)
Illustrator : Edison P. Clet, Eduardo E. Ronsairo
Layout Artist : Eduardo E. Ronsairo
Management Team : Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Dr. Aurelio G. Alfonso
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Dr. Victor Javeña
OIC – Chief Curriculum Implementation Division
Wilma Q. Del Rosario
Division EPS In Charge of LRMDS

Education Program Supervisors:

Librada L. Agon EdD (EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE)
Liza A. Alvarez (Science/STEM/SSP)
Bernard R. Balitao (AP/HUMSS)
Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde EdD (MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
Ma. Teresita E. Herrera EdD (Filipino/GAS/Piling Larang)
Perlita M. Ignacio PhD (EsP)
Dulce O. Santos PhD (Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao EdD (Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools

Division of Pasig City
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Quarter 2
MODULE 4
IMPORTING EXTERNAL
REFERENCES
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Introductory Message

For the facilitator:

Welcome to the TLE 10 – Technical Drafting Module on Preparing

Plan Using CAD!

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed
by its Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou
Concepcion A. Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig
through its mayor, Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized
the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential
Learning Competencies (MELC) in developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and

independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also
aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5
Cs, namely: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and
Character while taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box
in the body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use

this module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while
allowing them to manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to
encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
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For the learner:

Welcome to the TLE 10 – Technical Drafting Module on Preparing

Plan Using CAD!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time.
You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while
being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and

skills that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the

lesson at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of

concepts and skills that you already know about a previous
lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to

perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in

the lesson.

Posttest - This measures how much you have learned

from the entire module.
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EXPECTATION

Upon completion of this lesson, you are expected to:

 identify different terms used in managing XREF drawings;
 follow the procedure in inserting XREF drawing into the current
drawing; and
 appreciate XREF drawings as one of the important parts of a drawing.

PRE–TEST

Directions: Read each statement carefully and write your answer on the
space provided before each number. Choose from the selection given below.

ATTACH CLIP MP4 FRAME XREF

______ 1. A type of file that is imported in a current drawings but keeps

independent of current drawing is called ______.
______ 2. To hide the clip frame, type ______ command and change the value
of this system variable to 0.
______ 3. If you want to clip an Xref in such a way that only a portion of the
drawing remains visible, this command is used.
______ 4. Which one of the following files cannot be imported as xref? DWG,
IMAGE, DGN, POINT CLOUD, MP4, and PDF.
______ 5. ______ command is used to insert an Xref in a drawing.

RECAP

Directions: Kindly read each item carefully and draw a check mark (/) on the
column that corresponds to your answer.
Not
Skills A lot A little
much
I can enumerate the Mode panel options in the
Attribute Definition dialog box.
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I can identify the different step by step procedure

in setting up Attribute Definition.
I appreciate the importance of attributes
definition in a drawing.

REMINDERS:
Remember these things before during and after you work on your computer.
 Handle computer with extra care;
 No foods or drinks near the computer;
 Keep your files in good order;
 Log off properly every after use;
 Unplug the computer when not in use;
 Always save your work from time to time.

LESSON

LO2 PREPARE PLAN USING CAD

LO2.1 SET UP DRAWINGS ACCORDING TO STANDARD DRAWING SCALE
AND PAPER SIZE

LO2.1.4 IMPORTING EXTERNAL REFERENCES

In AutoCAD, you can import drawings in a way that keeps imported drawings
independent of current drawings. This type of file is called an external
reference or Xref. The Xref file does not become part of a drawing database
and it is loaded simultaneously with other drawings in which it is imported.
You can import not only DWG, but also image, DGN, DWF, point cloud and
PDF files as Xref. Since an Xref does not become part of drawing database, it
helps in keeping the file size of the current drawing small as well.

INSERTING XREF IN A DRAWING

To insert an Xref in a drawing, go to the Reference panel of the Insert tab and
click on the Attach icon. Another option is by using its command equivalent,
ATTACH and press enter key. After clicking the Attach icon, the Select
Reference File window will appear.
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In this window, you can locate the file you want to insert (xref) to the drawing
such as: DWG, images, DGN, point cloud and PDF files. If you know the
filename, you may type it in the File name text field. If you cannot see the files,
you may click on the downward arrow of Files of type field and choose All
files. Choose the file and click open.

Figure 1. Select Reference File window.

After locating the file and clicking the OK button, a new Attach External
Reference window will appear with a preview of your Xref in the Preview panel.
If you want to select an external reference file and all its nested files, then
select Attachment from the Reference Type panel as shown in Figure 2 below.
If you want to ignore the nested files of the selected Xref, then select the
Overlay radio button.
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Figure 2. Attach External Reference window.

Select Full path and keep other default settings selected in this window and
click on OK. Click on a location point in the drawing area to specify a base
point and the Xref will be loaded automatically in the current drawing.

Note: Xrefs and blocks can’t have the same name in a drawing, so make sure
you rename any conflicting Xrefs or blocks before attaching.

Figure 3. Original drawing value vs. Xref with faded transparency.

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When the Xref file is attached, you will notice that its transparency is faded
to 50 percent of its original value. This change is automatically applied to the
attached Xrefs to distinguish them from other parts of the drawing. To change
the amount of fading applied to Xref, expand the Reference panel on the Insert
tab and change the value in the Xref fading slider.
Note: In a drawing with an Xref, you will also see an Xref icon on the lower right
side of the status bar. This icon can be used to identify drawings containing
Xrefs and it can also be used to manage the External References palette.

MODIFYING EXTERNAL REFERENCES

An attached Xref remains independent of the currently open drawing; to
modify an Xref, you can directly open an attached drawing and make changes
on it. Once you are done with the changes, save your drawing. On saving the
attachment drawing, a balloon will pop up in the current drawing, indicating
a change has been made in the Xref file. You can click on the Reload link in
the balloon to make changes to the Xref visible in the current drawing.

Figure 4. Reload Xref balloon

When modifying an Xref, it is not always necessary to open the reference

drawing. You can also open an Xref in the open drawing in which it is
attached. Click on the Xref that you want to modify and you will notice that a
new External Reference tab will appear. Click on the Edit Reference In-Place
icon on the Edit panel of the External Reference tab.

Figure 5. External Reference tab.

This will open the Reference Edit window, which will show a preview of the
Xref that you have selected for editing and a hierarchical tree containing a list
of all nested Xrefs and blocks. Select your Xref file and click on OK to open
the reference in the current session of the drawing.
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Figure 6. External Reference tab.

Now the transparency of the drawing will change to the normal value,
indicating that the reference drawing is open in the current session of
AutoCAD. Make the required modifications in the drawing and click on the
Save Changes icon of the Edit Reference panel on the External Reference tab.

ORGANIZING XREF WITH CLIPPING

Clipping an Xref will help you organize drawings on a sheet more efficiently
by hiding unnecessary parts and details.
Let’s assume that we want to clip an Xref in such a way that only a portion of
the drawing remains visible. For that, you can select the Clip option from the
Reference panel of the Insert tab or you can also use its command equivalent,
CLIP.
After invoking the clip command, select the Xref that you want to clip from
the drawing area. Your cursor will change into a point selection cursor and
the command line will prompt you to make a clipping boundary.
Press Enter and select Polygonal from the command line as shown in Figure
7 below. Now create a polygon around the Xref and press Enter when you are
done making the clipping boundary.

Figure 7. Polygonal option in the CLIP command.

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The clipped geometry will become visible in the drawing area and the
remaining portion of the Xref will hide from view.
If you also want to hide the clip frame, then type “FRAME” and change the
value of this system variable to 0. To completely remove clipping from the
Xref, select the clipping boundary or Xref and click on the Remove Clipping
option on the Clipping panel of the External Reference tab.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES PALLETE

Type “XREF” or “ER” on the command line and press Enter to open the
External References palette. This palette will contain a list of all attached Xrefs
and enables you to attach more Xrefs. This palette can also be used to control
many Xref settings, such as attaching an Xref as a block and deleting an Xref.
When you select an Xref in this palette, its details, such as the saved path
and file size, appear in the Details panel.

To attach an Xref as a block in a current

drawing, right-click on the name of the
Xref that you want to use, select Bind
from the contextual menu and click on
OK in the next prompt window. You will
notice that the selected Xref will be
removed from the list of Xrefs and it will
be converted into a block with the same
name.
In order to temporarily hide an Xref from
the drawing, select Unload from the
contextual menu of the External
References palette. To make it visible
again, select Reload. To delete an Xref
completely from your drawing, select
Detach from the contextual menu of the
External References palette.
External references are very helpful in
work-group projects where several
people are working on different parts of
a drawing and these drawings are
attached in other files. In these
situations, several files are updated
simultaneously and the changes are instantly reflected in the main drawing
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by simply reloading all of the reference files. Xref also helps in keeping
drawings organized and free of unnecessary details.

A. Directions: Enumerate at least 5 different files that can be imported as

an Xref files.
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
4. ____________________________
5. ____________________________

B. Directions: Below are the jumbled procedure of inserting an Xref in a

drawing. Using letters A-G, arrange these procedure in its proper order.

_____ 1. Type the file name in the File name text field;
_____ 2. Check Attachment from the Reference Type panel;

_____ 3. Go to the Reference panel of the Insert tab and click on the Attach
icon or type the ATTACH command;
_____ 4. Select Full path and click on OK;
_____ 5. Click on a location point in the drawing area to specify a base point
and location of the Xref.
_____ 6. The Select Reference File window will appear;
_____ 7. After clicking the OK button, a new Attach External Reference

window will appear;

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WRAP–UP

What are the advantages of having an external reference drawing?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

VALUING

External references are very useful in serving as a safe drawing guide without
fear of damaging it unintentionally while working on your complex drawing.
As a learner, what good values do you possess that even sometimes when you
make mistakes you still manage to recover from it?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

POST TEST

A. Directions: Read each statement carefully and write TRUE if the

statement is correct, and FALSE if it is incorrect. Write your answer in
the space provided before each number.

______1. External reference is a type of file that is imported in a current

drawings but keeps independent of current drawing.
______2. FRAME command is used to hide the clip frame when the value of
this system variable is change to 0.
______3. If you want to clip an Xref in such a way that only a portion of the
drawing remains visible, RELOAD command is used.
______4. ATTACH command is used to insert an Xref in a drawing.
______5. All of the following files can be imported as xref: DWG, IMAGE, DGN,
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POINT CLOUD, MP4, and PDF

______6. Xrefs and blocks can have the same name in a drawing.
______7. External references files are updated simultaneously and the
changes are instantly reflected in the main drawing by simply reloading
all of the reference files.
______8. An unloaded xref drawing cannot be loaded again.

______9. UNLOAD option in the contextual menu of the External References

palette can temporarily hide an Xref from the drawing.
______10. When the Xref file is attached, you will notice that its transparency
is faded to 50 percent of its original value.

KEY TO CORRECTION
10.TRUE
9. TRUE
8. FALSE
7. TRUE 7. D
6. FALSE 6. B 6. Point cloud
5. FALSE 5. G 5. DWF 5. ATTACH
4. TRUE 4. F 4. Image 4. MP4
3. FALSE 3. A 3. PDF 3. CLIP
2. TRUE 2. E 2. DGN 2. FRAME
1. TRUE 1. C 1. DWG 1. XREF
POSTTEST ACTIVITY B ACTIVITY A PRE-TEST

REFERENCES:

https://www.engineering.com/DesignSoftware/DesignSoftwareArticle
s/ArticleID/12429/Using-and-Modifying-External-References-in-
AutoCAD.aspx?e_src=relart

AutoCAD 2018