Cross Reference with Fatal Error

[chelffrich]

For a little background, we are a Civil Engineering firm that does residential site design. We have always created seperate drawing files for the paving, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, grading, ect. So with AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 that we have just recently switch over to from Land Desktop 2007 we are having to data reference in our pipe networks, alignments, and profiles, but it is not allowing us to cross reference any of the pipe networks, alignments, or profiles.

For example, in the storm sewer drawing we have data referenced in the sanitary sewer pipe network, shown our crossings and all, then we check the drawing back into vault, everything working fine so far. Now we go into the sanitary sewer drawing and data reference in the storm sewer pipe network and try to check this dwg back into vault. This is where we get a dialoge box that says circular reference error and this goes straight to FATAL ERROR! We have tried many things but still the same fatal error. Does anyone know what is causing this or how it can be fixed. Thanks.

[wmccormack]

Are you using data references or XREF's? And if you are using VAULT, you should be using Vault references instead of data references.

[chelffrich]

I'm using data references. And yes I am using VAULT, and have not heard of this Vault Reference. The training course I took never mentioned anything about this. Do you have any articles or sites I could check out to read more about Vault References? Thanks for the help.

[Harold Pei Jr]

I'm not too aware of any trainers going into depth about Vault, it's usually thrown in on the last day and breezed over.
If you're using Vault, you'll want to do all your checking in and checking out in your Tool Space toolbar.
When you check in a drawing with a 3D object (surfaces, pipe networks, alignments and profiles... sadly, no corridors) you're able to "share" them in Vault. This will allow you to pull these objects into other drawings within the same project.
You're able to reference these objects within your Tool Space palette also. Under the project's folder, there are some subfolders, these subfolders show you your drawings, as well as your 3D objects. Just go into those folders (i.e. surface), find the one you want, right-click on it and click on Create Reference. You then set your style and your surface is in this new drawing. You can't edit it in the drawing, it has to be done in the original, like a data reference.