Sharing Data Between AutoCAD Files

Do you ever find yourself in the position of not having the data you need in your current drawing or project? Copy and Paste is a viable choice, but most of the options users have in AutoCAD these days for sharing data is often over looked.

• Xrefs (External References) - Attach an entire drawing as a reference drawing. Using this option will allow users to make changes to the referenced drawing, and have those changed be reflected in the current drawing.

• Linking/Embedding Data (OLE) - Object linking allows users to combine data from different applications into a single file, but still maintain the ability to edit the info from the original application. (Example: An Excel spreadsheet that is linked into an AutoCAD drawing).

• Design Center - Click and drag blocks, styles, even layers from one drawing to another inside AutoCAD. Design Center can also be used for updating legacy drawings.

These are just a few examples of some of the methods of sharing data users can take advantage of. Using these methods make it easier to manage your data as well as being more productive, not having to worry about updating multiple drawings making the same changes.