Malcolm Crowe Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 One of the strengths of DWG Editors (like CAXA, AUTOCAD, BRICSCAD, etc) is the ability to externally reference (XRef) other DWG files, in a similar way that we can externally reference other 3D Scene files within a 3D Scene. This is hugely beneficial when DWG files from multiple users (or engineering disciplines) are combined into a common layout. An example could be the layout of a machine or production line (designed in IRONCAD) that needs to be overlayed with a building layout (and other services). The attached video demonstrates how Generated Views in CAXA can be saved as a DWG file, that can then be externally referenced (XRef) into other DWG files, within another DWG Editor (in this case BRICSCAD). When the 3D Scene changes, the CAXA file needs to be opened so that it can be updated and saved. Then within the other DWG Editor the externally referenced CAXA file needs to be "Reloaded" to update the link. The XRef then needs to be "refreshed" by editing a property of the XRef (such as layer, color, etc.), so that any associated dimensions correctly update. Malcolm CAXA - Referencing Generated Views as XRefs within other DWG Editors.mp4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgjang Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Malcolm your tips are very helpful and I'm putting them to good use. I understand now why you are emphasizing the ODA(Open Drawing Alliance) Software toolkit and asking IronCAD to develop a 2D drawing tool using the ODA Software toolkit. ZWCAD, GstarCAD, BricsCAD, UniCAD, SMART CAD, etc. are late entrants to the market, but I think they have proven that they can quickly enter the market by using this toolkit, which is almost fully compatible with AutoCAD. A case in point is the rapid growth of AlternativeCAD's share in South Korea, from 10% in 2017 to 20% in 2020 and 30% in 2023. I'm looking forward to another great innovation from IronCAD. Thank you very much. Malcolm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertrand Kim Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 (edited) Thank you Malcolm, I guess using Xrefs is the best solution who want to make that multiple drawings in one DWG like below. When if you save files to DWGs not EXBs in CAXA, does everything works perfectly? Is there any reason that creating dimensions using BricsCAD? Kim Edited February 22 by Bertrand Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Crowe Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 (edited) Hi Kim, IRONCAD (CAXA) 2024 introduced the capability to have multiple "Papers" within a single tab. This was introduced specifically with the "Model" tab in mind (like the example in your image), but it is also applicable to the "Layout" tabs as well. Attached is a video demonstrating the principle of how this works. Regarding what file format to use in CAXA, we normally use CAXA's *.exb file format. We only save as *.dwg when we need to collaborate with other CAD software (like BRICSCAD that we also use). This might not be 100% correct, but I've noticed that when *.dwg files are used (instead of *.exb), then the dimensions applied to Generated Views within CAXA are not associative. That is, if the 3D Model changes and the Generated View updates, then the dimensions in CAXA don't follow as they do for *.exb files. It's more efficient to annotate drawings of IRONCAD Scenes within CAXA (with full access to 3D properties as well), rather than externally referencing into other software for this purpose. However, when you need to incorporate associated Generated Views from CAXA within 2D Models of other CAD software (like AUTOCAD, BRICSCAD, MICROSTATION, etc.) then externally referencing *.dwg files from CAXA is a good option to have. Malcolm CAXA - Multiple Papers within Model Space.mp4 Edited February 22 by Malcolm Crowe 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertrand Kim Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 10 hours ago, Malcolm Crowe said: IRONCAD (CAXA) 2024 introduced the capability to have multiple "Papers" within a single tab. This was introduced specifically with the "Model" tab in mind (like the example in your image), but it is also applicable to the "Layout" tabs as well. Attached is a video demonstrating the principle of how this works. That's a remarkable, Thank you so much Malcolm Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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