To Work With Surface References

There is a command setting which controls whether the geometry of reference surfaces is saved in the drawing.

Note: When you create references to objects other than surfaces, the geometry of those objects is always saved in the drawing.

To specify the data reference status for new surface references

1. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab, expand the Surface Commands collection.
2. Double-click CreateSurfaceReference to display the Edit Command Settings - CreateSurfaceReference dialog box.
3. Expand the Surface Creation collection.
4. For the Store Reference Surface in Drawing setting, specify one of the following options:
   • Yes: Saves the geometry of reference surfaces in the drawing. The drawing will become larger, but will open more quickly unless the source surface has changed. The referenced surfaces will be visible even if the source drawings are not available.
   • No: Does not save the geometry of reference surfaces in the drawing. When set to No, the reference is checked every time the drawing is opened. The drawing will be smaller, but will open more slowly.
5. Click OK.

To change the data reference status of existing surface references

After you have inserted a reference to a surface data shortcut, you can change the manner in which the surface data reference is stored in the drawing.

To change the surface reference status from Prospector

1. Open the drawing that contains the surface reference.
2. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab, select the Surfaces collection.
3. In the Toolspace list view, for the value in the Data Reference Status column, specify one of the following options:
   • Geometry Stored In Drawing: Saves the geometry of reference surfaces in the drawing. The drawing will become larger, but will open more quickly unless the source surface has changed. The referenced surfaces will be visible even if the source drawings are not available.
   • Reference Only: Does not save the geometry of reference surfaces in the drawing.

To change the surface reference status from the ribbon

1. Open the drawing that contains the surface reference and select the surface reference in the drawing.
2. On the Surface Data Reference ribbon tab, click Modify panel Surface Properties drop-down Convert DREF Status.
3. Press Enter to change the data reference status.