What is the procedure for xref's in C3D?

[JKA-SCOTT]

I'm new to using C3D. In land desktop, for a road design project, typically I would have a topo drawing for existing conditions, a drawing with the road design linework, another drawing with proposed storm, water, sewer, and then maybe another drawing with other utilities that I others would design (such as gas, power, telephone). I would xref all the various drawings into "plotsheets" where I would have our titleblock.

While working on the design, I would have the various drawing xref'd. With LDD being data being in a database, I could create alignments and then no matter what drawing I was in, I could draw linework based on STA/Offset or inquire a point to check on STA/OFFSET. With C3D, how do I draw linework based on STA/OFFSET unless I'm in the drawing with the alignment linework? Do I just need to include the alignments in any of the various drawings I want to be xref's? What changes in procedure should I be looking into for the switch to C3D?

[Jeff_M]

Data Shortcuts/Data References
Create the first in the drawing with the original C3D object (alignment, profile, surface, pipe network) then you can add a Data Reference into any drawing you desire. When the object changes in the source drawing, the changes will get reflected in the other drawings when synchronized (at dwg open or sync inside the drawing when already open).

[JKA-SCOTT]

Thanks. That helps. I quickly looked up xdrefs in the help file in c3D and they were talking about using MS Access. Do you have to use Access, or would excel work?

[Jeff_M]

To the best of my knowledge, Access is required.