2004

Attach, Update, and Bind External References | 673
Clip External References and Blocks
After attaching a drawing as an xref or inserting a block, you can define a
clipping boundary to display only a portion of the xref or block.
After attaching a drawing as an xref or inserting a block, you can define a
clipping boundary by using XCLIP. A clipping boundary can define a portion
of a block or xref while suppressing the display of geometry outside of the
boundary. Clipping applies to an individual instance of an xref, not the xref
definition itself. The portion of the xref or block within the clipped boundary
remains visible, and the remainder of the xref or block becomes invisible.
The referenced geometry is not altered, only the display of the xref is edited.
You can use
XCLIP to create a new clipping boundary, delete an existing
boundary, or generate a polyline object coincident with vertices of the
clipping boundary. Xref clipping can be turned on or off. When a clipping
boundary is turned off, the boundary is not displayed and the entire xref is
visible, provided that the geometry is on a layer that is on and thawed. When
a clipping boundary is turned off, it still exists and can be turned on.
However, deleting a clipping boundary is permanent.
After an xref or block has been clipped, it can be edited, moved, or copied
just like an unclipped xref or block. The boundary moves with the reference.
If an xref contains nested clipped xrefs, they appear clipped in the drawing.
If the parent xref is clipped, the nested xrefs are also clipped.
If you want to see the clipping boundary, you can turn on the
XCLIPFRAME
system variable.
XCLIPFRAME determines whether the clipping boundary
frame is displayed. When the clipping frame is on (set to 1), it can be selected
as part of the object and plotted.
Clipping Boundary Options
An xref clipping boundary can be specified as a rectangular window or a
polygonal boundary. You can also select a polyline to define the clipping
boundary. The boundary can be specified anywhere in 3D space, but it is
always applied planar to the current UCS. If a polyline is selected, the
clipping boundary is applied in the plane of that polyline.
Rectangular Window Clipping Boundary
When you specify a rectangular clipping boundary, you are prompted for the
corners of the window. The window is drawn parallel to the current UCS, and
the clipping boundary is applied normal to the plane it lies on.