Utilities panel > Utilities rollout > File Link Manager
File menu > File Link Manager
The File Link Manager utility allows you to work in either another design software's environment (such as AutoCAD) or in Autodesk VIZ while maintaining a single design database. If you use AutoCAD drawings, this feature works with drawings from AutoCAD Release 12 through AutoCAD 2005, including the AutoCAD Mechanical/Architecture and Revit applications.
You can establish, refresh, and break links to any number of linked files. You can also edit out unnecessary information by using layers and other filters. The File Link Manager defines which geometry is included in the Autodesk VIZ scene from the linked file, how the geometry is organized, and when it's regenerated.
The objects that you bring in from linked files behave just like any other object created in Autodesk VIZ. You can scale, rotate, and move them, as well as attach modifiers and materials.
You can also refresh or break links to linked files. When you refresh a linked file, any changes you've made to the linked file are applied to geometry in your scene. Note, however, that Autodesk VIZ won't edit or change your original linked file. The integrity of your other software's design database is never compromised with the File Link Manager.
Finally, if you decide to break a link to a linked file, you can either keep the objects from the linked file in your scene or have them removed along with the link.
Tip: For optimal speed when bringing a DWG file that contains a lot of text into Autodesk VIZ, use Import rather than File Link.
To link a drawing file:
You can link drawings in the form of DWG or DXF files. A DWG is the native file format for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture, but you must first export a DWG when working from a Revit project. The File Link Manager does not recognize RVT files.
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On the Attach panel, click Files to select a file from the appropriate directory on either your local or network system, and click Open.
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Choose a Preset from the pull-down list, if you have one defined.
Tip: If this is your first File Linking, and you have not defined any presets, you may want to create one on the Presets panel of the dialog.
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Turn on the Rescale switch and adjust the Incoming File Units, if necessary.
To reload a drawing:
Reload is most often used when your drawing or project has been changed in AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, or Revit, or if the linked drawing file has been moved and you have to tell the File Link Manager where to find the drawing.
Note: If your Revit project has been updated, remember to export a new DWG file that can be reloaded.
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On the Files panel of the File link Manager, click the file name in the Linked Files list and click Reload.
Linked files that have been changed are prefaced with the
symbol.
Tip: Turn on the Show Reload Options switch if you want to make changes to the settings used to link the drawing. Otherwise, the reload process will use the same settings you originally used when creating the link.
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If Show Reload Options is turned on, the File Link Settings dialog is displayed where you can change your settings in the Basic and Advanced panels.
Note: You cannot change the sorting or layer options when reloading a drawing.
The File Link Manager dialog contains three panels for listing linked files:
These panels let you attach files, update attachments and settings, and change presets used by File Link. The terminology is similar to the terminology for managing AutoCAD external references, or xrefs.
Note: An xref is an AutoCAD external reference. This is different from a Autodesk VIZ Xref, which is an externally referenced file that can be a Autodesk VIZ object or scene.
File—Displays an Open dialog that you can use the browse for DWG and DXF files that you want to link. When a file is selected, its path and name appears in the File list.
File list—The file to be attached to your scene. You can enter the file location, or you can expand the list to display a history of the last ten attached files.
Note: You can resize the File Link Manager dialog by dragging any corner or edge. This is useful for viewing a file path if it's too long to fit in the file list field.
Preset—Displays a list of preset settings you can choose to use when attaching the file. Each list entry in this list represents a unique collection of attach and reload settings. You can create additional presets in the Presets panel of the File Link Manager dialog.
Rescale—Alters the scale of the geometry from a linked file to match the system unit scale in Autodesk VIZ. When Rescale is on, you can specify what the base units should be for the geometry in the linked file. For example, if the length of a line in the linked file is 2 units, you can specify that these units be considered as any of the units listed under File Units (below), such as inches, millimeters, or parsecs.
When Rescale is on, and the units you specify are different from the system units currently set in the Autodesk VIZ scene, the incoming objects are scaled appropriately. For example, if a door measures 914 units in the linked file, and you specify millimeters to convert from, the door will measure 36 inches in the Autodesk VIZ scene.
Note: You can't change units when you reload a linked file.
Note: By default, system units are inches in Autodesk VIZ. Consider carefully before changing the default system units. For more information, see Using Units.
Incoming File Units—Displays the unit of measure found in the original drawing file and lists the units to which you can choose to rescale the attached file. This is only active when Rescale is on.
Select Layers to Include—Displays the Select Layers dialog, which you use to select the layers to import from the linked file.
Attach This File—Attaches the selected file to your scene, using the settings selected in the Preset list, if one was selected.
To cancel the File Link operation press Esc. You can do this at any time during the process.
Cancelling the File Link operation removes every object the process has linked to the scene until the moment you press Esc.
Close—Cancels all changes to settings and closes the dialog.
Linked Files—Lists linked files. The File Link Manager displays an icon next to the path name of each linked file. The icon reflects the status of the linked file, as described below:
The linked file hasn't changed and there are no errors.
The linked file can't be found at the specified location.
The linked file has changed or another file has been selected by changing the path or using the browser from this list. If
you want to update your scene with the changes in this file, you must reload your link.
You can change the path name by highlighting it and clicking again to enter its location. This also displays a file browser button to the right of the file name that you can use to locate a file. If the directory of a linked file is no longer valid, then you must enter a new, valid path name.
Reload—Refreshes the link between the file and the Autodesk VIZ session. This feature is useful when the file has been modified and you want to see the changes reflected in your Autodesk VIZ scene. If you turn on Show Reload Options, the File Link Settings dialog displays when you click this button.
Changes that have been made to the base file will be applied to the objects at the bottom of the Autodesk VIZ modifier stack. If you have Autodesk VIZ materials applied to walls in a floor plan in your scene, the same materials are applied to the walls when you reload an updated version of the linked file.
To cancel the File Link operation press Esc. You can do this at any time during the process.
Cancelling the File Link operation removes every object the process has linked to the scene until the moment you press Esc.
Note: This option is available only when the file is highlighted in the Linked Files list.
Detach—Removes an existing link to a file. Detach also removes all geometry associated with or dependent on the link.
When you click this button, you receive a warning that you're about to remove all objects associated with the linked file. You can either proceed or cancel the operation.
Note: This option is available only when the file is highlighted in the Linked Files list.
Bind—Removes the link to the file. The geometry in the scene remains unchanged, but it's no longer linked back to the original file and, if the original file changes, it can't be updated using Reload.
When you click this button, you receive a warning that you're about to break the link between the objects in the current Autodesk VIZ scene and the file.
Note: This option is available only when the file is highlighted in the Linked Files list.
Show Reload Options—Displays the File Link Settings dialog when you click Reload, and uses these settings for reloading. When you turn off this option, the File Link Manager uses the reload settings stored in the current scene.
Close—Cancels all changes to settings and closes the dialog.
Named Presets—Lists all existing presets.
Modify—Opens the File Link Settings dialog, letting you change the settings of the selected preset.
New—Opens the New Settings Preset dialog, creating a new preset with default settings.
Note: New is only available when no preset is selected in the list. If a preset is selected, this button changes to Copy.
Copy—Opens the New Settings Preset dialog, creating a new preset with the same settings as the currently selected preset.
Note: Copy is only available when a preset is selected in the list. If no preset is selected, this button changes to New.
Rename—Opens the Rename Settings Preset dialog, letting you change the name of the selected preset.
Delete—Deletes the selected preset.
Close—Cancels all changes to settings and closes the dialog.
Autodesk VIZ supports multiple materials per object in DWG files exported as ACIS solids from Revit Architecture/Structure/MEP 2008 and later, as well as solid primitives created in AutoCAD Architecture 2008 (formerly ADT) and later. Linked solids can have Multi/Sub-Object materials that you can view and manipulate in the Material Editor.
Note: Previous versions of Autodesk VIZ supported multiple materials for polymeshes but only one material ID for each ACIS solid when linking a DWG file, regardless of how many material IDs had been assigned to the solid.
When Autodesk VIZ links a ACIS solid DWG file from AutoCAD or Revit Architecture (version 2008 and later) with either the Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy, Split by Material” or the Entity, Blocks as Node Hierarchy derivation methods, multiple material IDs are read and editable as Multi/Sub-Object materials in the Material Editor.
Autodesk VIZ reads each face of a linked ACIS solid to determine if it contains any material IDs that it can read. If more than one material ID is read from a solid, each material ID is translated to a material ID on file link and re-assigned to the object.
The program creates Multi/Sub-Object materials only if more than one material ID is found; if an ACIS solid contains only one material ID, a standard architectural material is created and assigned instead.
Note: Autodesk VIZ first evaluates the linked file to find any Revit material IDs, and then looks for AutoCAD material IDs.
Note: If you link a DWG file with the Layer, Blocks as Node Hierarchy, Split by Materials” derivation method, the solid is not split to reflect its materials set.
In earlier versions, Autodesk VIZ read the material ID information from the color ID of the AutoCAD/Revit material ID’s face. Now, Autodesk VIZ creates a Multi/Sub-Object material for every translated per face material ID each time you link a DWG file that contains an AutoCAD/Revit solid.
When the program finds multiple materials assigned to an ACIS solid and creates a Multi/Sub-Object material, it consists of instances of standard architectural scene materials.
Material IDs are unique within one DWG file. However, the same material ID may appear in two different files, such as Basic Wall: Generic – 12” Masonry. If a naming conflict arises when two scenes are merged, the program applies the last loaded material used in the Multi/Sub-Object material.
For example, if file1.dwg and file2.dwg both contain a material named Brick, and they are both linked, the Brick material used is the one from the second file (file2.dwg).
Or, if file1.dwg contains a material named Brick that is internally stored as material ID 222 and file2.dwg contains a different material stored as ID 222, the material used in the scene when they are linked is file2.dwg’s material.
If two solids share the same material ID, they will share the same Multi/Sub-Object material.
DWG ACIS solids link as solid objects in Autodesk VIZ. You cannot separate faces of an ACIS solid object unless you apply the Edit Poly or Edit Mesh modifier.
Tip: You can access the material ID value assigned to this face with the Edit Poly modifier.
ACIS solid materials display in the Material Editor along with any other linked material.
When you apply a bitmap material to an ACIS solid, it is applied to every side of the object. For example, a brick bitmap material that you apply to a wall object appears on both sides and all edges of the wall. If you want to apply a material to each face ID, you can use a multi/sub object material so you can assign sub-materials to each face ID.
When you link ACIS solids into Autodesk VIZ, procedural textures are not supported, only materials. For example, a brick wall in Revit may have mortar lines procedurally drawn on it in red, but if the object is an ACIS solid, the mortar lines, which are procedural hatches, are lost in Autodesk VIZ.
When an ACIS object’s materials display as Multi/Sub-Object materials in the Material Editor, each material name appears in the Material/Map Browser, for example, Default wall or Basic Wall: Generic – 12” Masonry.
Polymesh DWGs link as polymesh geometry in Autodesk VIZ. Unlike ACIS solids, you can modify and edit any polymesh object’s face.
When you link a polymesh DWG file, each polymesh face is considered as a separate entity, with one material permitted per entity, which allows it to contain multiple materials
You can apply a bitmap material to the different faces of polymesh geometry, unlike ACIS solids, where you would need to use a Multi/Sub-Object material to create the same effect. For example, you can select the outside face of wall and apply a brick bitmap material and also apply a diffuse material on the inside wall to simulate white paint.
When you link a polymesh DWG file, every material used in the scene appears in the Material Editor as a separate material where you can edit it.
When a polymesh object’s materials are shown in the Material Editor, each material name appears in the Material/Map Browser, for example, Default wall or Basic Wall: Generic – 12” Masonry.