How to Use the Drawing Explorer Dialog Box

Quick answer: The Drawing Explorer isn’t just for browsing local files, it can also connect to Bricsys 24/7 projects, copy definitions like blocks or layers between open drawings, and bind individual Xref definitions into your current drawing.

Adding a Local Drawing Folder

1. In the Drawings > Folders sub-window, click Add local folder….
2. Select an existing folder, or click New folder to create one.
3. Click Select Folder.

Drawings in subfolders of the folder you added are accessible too. Parent folders above it show greyed out in the tree; their drawings aren’t accessible from here.

Opening a Drawing

1. Open the relevant folder in the Drawings > Folders sub-window.
2. Select a drawing to see a preview in the Preview sub-window.
3. Double-click it, or right-click and choose Open.

Connecting to Bricsys 24/7

1. In the Drawings panel, select Folders.
2. Click Logon to Bricsys 24/7….
3. Enter your username and password. Once logged in, all your Bricsys 24/7 projects are listed.

Opening a Drawing from Bricsys 24/7

1. Expand the project and select the drawing’s folder.
2. Select the drawing to see a preview.
3. Right-click it and choose Download.
4. Choose a folder, optionally rename the file, then click Save. It downloads and opens directly in your current session.

Copying Definitions Between Drawings

1. Open both the source and target drawings.
2. Open the Drawing Explorer.
3. In the source drawing, select the category you want to copy from, blocks, for example.
4. Optionally switch the Details panel’s view, to Icon View, for instance.
5. Select what you want to copy; hold Ctrl to select multiple items.
6. Either drag the selection onto the target drawing’s name in the Open Drawings section, or right-click and choose Copy, then select the same category in the target drawing and choose Paste.

You’ll be prompted before overwriting anything with a matching name. Drag-and-drop specifically doesn’t work for MultiLeader Styles, Visual Styles, Render Presets, or Page Setups, use Copy and Paste for those instead.

Binding Xref Definitions

The Drawing Explorer can also bind individual table records, layers, linetypes, text styles, dimension styles, or blocks, from an attached Xref into your current drawing, rather than binding the whole Xref at once.

1. Open the drawing with the Xref attached.
2. Select the relevant category, then the specific Xref definition(s) you want to bind.
3. Right-click and choose Bind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open drawings from a parent folder above the one I added? No. Only the folder you added and its subfolders are accessible; parent folders show greyed out and can’t be opened from there.

Why won’t drag-and-drop work for copying certain definitions? Some categories, MultiLeader Styles, Visual Styles, Render Presets, and Page Setups, don’t support drag-and-drop. Use right-click Copy and Paste instead.

Do I need to open both drawings to copy definitions between them? Yes, both the source and target drawings need to be open before you start.

Can I bind just one layer from an Xref instead of the whole thing? Yes. The Drawing Explorer lets you bind individual table records, like a single layer, linetype, or block, not just the entire Xref.