Subtitles of the Movie

External references continue to be the best example of the team approach to completing architectural CAD projects. I will now focus on why you should use XREF, instead I would like to suggest when to use XREFS. In my opinion you can always use external references, if you begin a project by yourself and it is relatively small in scope, such as a kitchen remodel you can find an alternative to XREFS, since you are the only person who is currently managing the project, there may not be a need to think of a team approach. The question is how long will you continue to work on projects individually or how long will you continue to work on small projects. Why not plan for future growth now? A few months down the road you may be asked to work with other drafters or you may find yourself working on large commercial, educational or residential projects. To limit the use of XREFS, ask yourself if you will need to use or reference the drawing file more then once during the many phases of the drawing project. In this example I have the floor plan and I am referencing it multiple times. Here for example I am referencing to create a furniture plan. In this example I am also referencing the floor plan so I can place my architectural dimensions and notes. Here I am referencing the floor plan, I have turned off some layers and I'm using it to create the reflected ceiling plan. Since this project contains many XREFS, it was decided to prefix all reference files with an X. The XREF files were then shared via an FTP server with the structural and mechanical engineers who are an integral part to the successful completion of the project. Notice how the files that begin with an X are listed toward the end of the directory and these files are then being referenced to the architectural sheets, such as the A1 and the A2 and so on. Another use for XREFS include the creation of 3D models based on the 2D plans and elevations and I will be demonstrating this later in the tutorials. Suffice to say, XREFS are really the way to go with all architectural projects.