Cleaning Up Received Drawings (Architectural Backgrounds)
Not version-specific
Stabicad
Context Before using a received architectural drawing as an underlay (Xref) in your installation drawing, it must be cleaned. External files often contain "pollution" (incorrect layers, wrong colors, unscaled geometry) that can clutter your project. Stabicad provides a "Drawing Cleanup" wizard to standardize these files efficiently.
Prerequisites
• The received file (DWG) has been imported or copied into the StabiBASE project folder.
• The file is open in Stabicad for AutoCAD.
Step 1: Check the Scale
Before cleaning, ensure the geometry is drawn at the correct size (1:1).
1. Measure a known distance (e.g., a door width or grid line).
2. If the scale is incorrect, use the standard AutoCAD
SCALE command or Stabicad scaling tools to ensure 1 drawing unit equals 1 millimeter.Step 2: Run the Drawing Cleanup Wizard
This tool automates the standardization of layers and colors.
1. Navigate to the StabiTOOLS palette.
2. Open the Setup tab and click Drawing Cleanup.
3. Follow the Wizard steps:
◦ Move Entities: Review the list of elements. You can map specific entities to a standard background layer, force colors to "ByLayer" (often Grey/8 or 9), and freeze unwanted layers (like Hatching or Text).
◦ XREFs: If the received drawing contains its own Xrefs, select the action Detach (to remove them) or Make Relative (to keep them).
◦ Save and Backup: Select a location to save the cleaned file. It is recommended to keep a backup of the original file.
4. Click Finish.
Step 3: Manual Verification
1. Inspect the drawing for any remaining elements that the wizard did not catch.
2. Manually delete unwanted objects or change properties of elements that still have the wrong color.
3. Save and Close the drawing.
Result You now have a "Clean" drawing (often saved with a suffix or in a dedicated "Xref" folder). This file is ready to be linked as an External Reference into your installation drawing