You can attach one or more reference templates to an AutoCAD Civil 3D drawing so it will be updated on an ongoing basis with changes to the styles in the templates.
Standard template process
When you create new a drawing based on a drawing template, the new drawing gets a copy of the styles in the template, but it is a one-time copy. The connection is not maintained. In the past, if you updated the styles in your template, and you wanted your drawings to get those same updates, you needed to manually copy or import those changed styles into your drawings.
Reference template process
When you attach a reference template to a drawing, the AutoCAD Civil 3D styles that are in that reference template are copied into the drawing, and the connection between the drawing and the reference templates is maintained. Drawings can be updated on an ongoing basis either automatically or manually with changes to the styles in the templates.
Then, on an ongoing basis, changes to the reference templates are pushed to the drawing so it is kept up to date:
- New or changed styles in reference templates are copied to the drawing.
- Styles that are deleted from reference templates are removed from the drawing if the styles are not in use. If a style is in use, a local copy of the style is made in the drawing.
In addition, you can have multiple reference templates attached to a drawing. For example, you might have templates for state, company, and project standards:
You can specify a hierarchy so that the template with the highest priority takes precedence if there are duplicate styles.
New or edited styles that are saved to the reference templates are updated in the drawings when the drawings are reopened or when the templates are manually reloaded.
For example, if you update a style or add a new style to the project standards template, those changes are pushed to the drawings that reference that template.
Styles that are imported and referenced by a reference template
The following AutoCAD Civil 3D styles are imported and referenced by a reference template.
- Object styles
- Label styles
- Table styles
- Quantity takeoff criteria
- Alignment and profile design check sets
- Pipe and structure rule sets
- Pressure network parts lists
Note: In order for an imported pressure network parts list to work correctly in the drawing it is imported into, the part catalog that was used to generate that parts list must be set as the current part catalog. Use the Set Pressure Network Catalog command to specify the current part catalog.
In the Toolspace Settings tree, styles which have been referenced into the drawing are marked with a paper clip icon:
Drawing items that are included in styles are also imported. For example, if a style includes layer definitions, blocks, fonts, linetypes, and so on, those related items are also imported but not referenced.
Styles that are imported by a reference template, but not kept updated
Property sets are imported into a drawing from a reference template, but are not updated if the source template is changed. In addition, you are not prevented from updating a property set in a drawing that has been imported.
Updating referenced styles
After you reference a template into a drawing, styles should be edited in the source template rather than in the drawings to which the reference template is attached. If you edit a referenced style, a task dialog box is displayed with choices you can make. You can save a copy of the style, keep the changes temporarily until the drawing is re-opened, or cancel the change.
Managing links to reference templates
If you open a drawing whose reference templates cannot be found, for example, if they are on a network location that is not currently accessible, or if the reference templates are moved, renamed, or deleted, a Path Not Found notification is displayed in the Status column in the Attach Reference Templates dialog box:
If the reference template cannot be found, the styles are still available in the drawing that references them, but the styles will not be updated until the path is restored.
- If the name or location of the template has changed, you can change the path in the dialog box by directly editing the path in the Saved Path column or by using the browse button to reselect the template.
- If you are temporarily not able to access the path, the styles will still be available in the drawing that references them but they will not be updated until your connection to the path is restored.
- If the reference template has been deleted, the styles will remain in the drawing that references them .