• Desktop Connector

Utilize Reference Explorer within Desktop Connector

Utilize the Reference Explorer to view all referenced files in a dataset and their relationships.


00:03

Within the Desktop Connector, Reference Explorer lets you visualize all referenced files in a dataset and their relationships.

00:13

Right-click the Desktop Connector tray icon, and click Reference Explorer.

00:19

You can drag and drop a file from your network or the Autodesk cloud into the Reference Explorer dialog to view its references.

00:29

For example, when an AutoCAD parent drawing file is dropped into the Reference Explorer dialog,

00:35

after a few seconds, a list of files appears with the number of references in each.

00:42

From the Reference Explorer toolbar, you can choose to display the reference data as a List, Tree, or Graph.

00:50

Here, Graph is selected.

00:53

When the graph displays, an “X” above each file name identifies it as an Xref file.

01:01

To change the graphical layout, expand the Graph Layout drop-down, and select from Hierarchal, Organic, Orthogonal, or Circular.

01:13

Looking at another example of a Civil 3D drawing file, one of the DWG files is an overlay,

01:20

indicated by the label “X – Overlay”, and the other is labeled “D” for data shortcut.

01:29

As before, you can use the Graph Layout drop-down to switch among the different layouts.

01:36

The final example involves a circular file reference.

01:40

This time, when the parent drawing file is loaded, the Reference Explorer shows one reference missing, regardless of the layout.

01:49

From the toolbar, switch to the List view to check the reference file Status.

01:56

In this case, the file displays as “Missing”.

01:60

To fix this issue, return to the source folder, where you see that the file is incorrectly named.

02:07

Rename the file, and then click Close.

02:11

Open the Reference Explorer and reload the updated drawing file.

02:16

Now, when you click through the views, you see that the problem has been resolved.

02:23

Using the Reference Explorer to visualize all referenced files in a dataset, as well as their relationships,

02:30

is helpful for troubleshooting potential problems.

02:33

You can also click Export to share these images with colleagues or coworkers.

Video transcript

00:03

Within the Desktop Connector, Reference Explorer lets you visualize all referenced files in a dataset and their relationships.

00:13

Right-click the Desktop Connector tray icon, and click Reference Explorer.

00:19

You can drag and drop a file from your network or the Autodesk cloud into the Reference Explorer dialog to view its references.

00:29

For example, when an AutoCAD parent drawing file is dropped into the Reference Explorer dialog,

00:35

after a few seconds, a list of files appears with the number of references in each.

00:42

From the Reference Explorer toolbar, you can choose to display the reference data as a List, Tree, or Graph.

00:50

Here, Graph is selected.

00:53

When the graph displays, an “X” above each file name identifies it as an Xref file.

01:01

To change the graphical layout, expand the Graph Layout drop-down, and select from Hierarchal, Organic, Orthogonal, or Circular.

01:13

Looking at another example of a Civil 3D drawing file, one of the DWG files is an overlay,

01:20

indicated by the label “X – Overlay”, and the other is labeled “D” for data shortcut.

01:29

As before, you can use the Graph Layout drop-down to switch among the different layouts.

01:36

The final example involves a circular file reference.

01:40

This time, when the parent drawing file is loaded, the Reference Explorer shows one reference missing, regardless of the layout.

01:49

From the toolbar, switch to the List view to check the reference file Status.

01:56

In this case, the file displays as “Missing”.

01:60

To fix this issue, return to the source folder, where you see that the file is incorrectly named.

02:07

Rename the file, and then click Close.

02:11

Open the Reference Explorer and reload the updated drawing file.

02:16

Now, when you click through the views, you see that the problem has been resolved.

02:23

Using the Reference Explorer to visualize all referenced files in a dataset, as well as their relationships,

02:30

is helpful for troubleshooting potential problems.

02:33

You can also click Export to share these images with colleagues or coworkers.

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