Feature Line Reference Palette: On/Off

Last updated: 2026-10-02

Overview

The WisDOT Feature Line References palette provides a way to create dynamic references to Feature Lines from other DWG files. The Feature Line References mechanism is very similar to how Data References work for other Civil 3D entity types. The Feature Line References palette is used to manage Feature Line References in the host DWG file. Functionality is provided for:

  • Adding or removing source DWG files references containing Feature Lines
  • Referencing/De-Referencing Feature Lines
  • Promoting Feature Line References into the host DWG
  • Zooming to a selected Feature Line References in the host DWG
  • Synchronizing Feature Line References with the source DWG
  • Opening a Feature Line Reference source DWG
  • Replacing a Feature Line Reference with another Feature Line Reference

  • Repairing broken Feature Line References

Similar to Data References, Feature Line References cannot be edited. When selecting a Feature Line Reference, grips do not appear, and Feature Line editing functions are disabled. Since Feature Line References cannot be edited, they are always "Site-less" and do not interact with other Feature Lines. Feature Line References always follow a standard naming convention that cannot be edited.

Info: 🔗 [SrcDwg source dwg name] [SrcSite∶ source site name] [SrcNm∶ source feature line name]

This naming convention keeps the Feature Line References organized in the Prospector Feature Lines listing. It also provides important information about the source Feature Line.

Using Feature Line References Palette

WisDOT [***] tab > Manage > Feature Line Reference Palette

or

Manage tab > Feature Line References > Feature Line Reference Palette

The tool can also be accessed from the command line: FLREF_PALETTE.

Creating Feature Line References

  1. From the Feature Line References palette, click the Add Source DWG button represented by a green '+'.
  2. Browse to and select the desired DWG containing Feature Lines.
  3. The Feature Line References palette will populate with all of the Feature Lines in the source drawing. They will be listed under their respective Sites if they are assigned one.
  4. Check the box next to the desired Feature Line(s). All Feature Lines in a Site or a DWG can be selected by checking the box next to that Site or DWG.
  5. Click Apply to reference the Feature Lines.

  6. Revert is available to undo any changes made on the Feature Line References Palette instead of applying them.

The Feature Line Refences are created on the layer specified in the drawing Object Layer Defaults. They are assigned the style specified in the Grading Feature Settings. The layer and style assignment can be modified as desired.

Removing Feature Line References

Removing Feature Line References can be accomplished in three ways:

  1. Erase the Feature Line Reference in the drawing. This action will remove the Feature Line Reference and deselect it in the Feature Line References palette. There will be no warning if the Feature Line Reference is in use.
  2. Deselect the Feature Line Reference in the Feature Line References palette and click Apply. A warning will be displayed if any of the Feature Line References are in use. An option to promote the Feature Line Reference is provided.
  3. Remove the source DWG from the Feature Line References palette by selecting the DWG and click the "Remove Selected Source DWG" button represented by a red 'X'. A warning will be displayed if any of the Feature Line References are in use. An option to promote the Feature Line Reference is provided. If the used Feature Line References are kept, the DWG remains attached.

Promoting Feature Line References

Similar to Data References, Feature Line References can be promoted into the host DWG. Once promoted, the Feature Line Reference connection to the source DWG is removed. Promoting a Feature Line References can be accomplished in three ways:

  1. Manage tab > Feature Line References > Promote or type the FLRef_Promote command and select the Feature Line References to promote.
  2. Select the Feature Line Reference(s) in model space. Right-Click > Feature Line Reference > Promote

  3. Select a Feature Line Reference in the Feature Line References palette. Then, click Promote, either on the toolbar, or the right click menu.

Once promoted, the Feature Line name will drop the '🔗' symbol.

Synchronizing

Similar to Data References, Feature Line Reference remain in sync with the source Feature Line. When the host DWG is opened, the Feature Line References are synchronized if any changes are detected with the source DWG. If the host DWG is open, but not active, a notification bubble opens if changes are detected when the host DWG is made active again. A synchronization can be initiated at any time using FLRef_SyncAll command. The command is also available in three other locations:

  1. Manage ribbon > Feature Line References panel > Sync All
  2. Select any Feature Line Reference in model space. Right-Click > Feature Line Reference > Sync All
  3. From the Feature Line References Palette click Sync All on the toolbar

Locating Feature Line References

To locate a specific Feature Line Reference in model space, the Zoom to function can be used. This function is available in the Toolspace Prospector and the Feature Line References palette. In either location, select the desired Feature Line Reference, right click, and choose Zoom to.

Linking Feature Line References

Feature Line References can be re-linked to a different source Feature Line. This is useful for repairing a broken Feature Line Reference by reconnecting it to another source. This is also useful when a Feature Line Reference is used by a downstream operation, but it needs to be replaced by a different Feature Line Reference. Some examples include when the Feature Line Reference is used in a surface definition, as a corridor target, or as a corridor base line, etc.

Linking a Feature Line Reference can only be done from the Feature Line References palette.

  1. In the Feature Line References palette, select a Feature Line that is not referenced.

    Requirement: Only un-referenced Feature Lines can be linked as the new source for an existing Feature Line Reference.

  2. Click the Link button, either on the toolbar, or the right click menu.

  3. Select the Feature Line Reference in model space to link to the selected Feature Line in the Feature Line References palette.

Once linked to a new source Feature Line, the name is updated accordingly.

Opening a Source DWG

The source DWG for a Feature Line Reference can be conveniently opened from three locations:

  1. Manage ribbon > Feature Line References panel > Open Source
  2. Select any Feature Line Reference in model space. Right-Click > Feature Line Reference > Open Source
  3. Select a Feature Line or drawing in the Feature Line References palette. Then, click Open Source, either on the toolbar, or the right click menu.

Repairing Broken References

If a reference to a source DWG is broken due to a file rename or move, it can be repaired. When this occurs, the Event Viewer will indicated that the source is not found for any affected Feature Line References. The Feature Line References palette will also indicated that the source file cannot be found. There are four options in this scenario:

Option 1: Promote the affected Feature Line References and detach the DWG.

Option 2: Link the affected Feature Line References to different source Feature Lines and detach the DWG.

Option 3: Erase the affected Feature Line References and detach the DWG.

Option 4: Resolved the source DWG path. This can only be done from the Feature Line References palette. To resolve the source DWG path, select the affected DWG in the Feature Line References palette. Then click the Resolve Path button on the toolbar. Select the location of the DWG and click Open.

If the link to the source DWG is intact, but a Feature Line Reference has been broken, there are options. When this occurs, the Event Viewer will indicated that the source is not found for any affected Feature Line References. The Feature Line References palette will also indicated that the source cannot be found for the affected Feature Line References. There are three options in this scenario:

Option 1: Promote the affected Feature Line References.

Option 2: Link the affected Feature Line References to different source Feature Lines.

Option 3: Erase the affected Feature Line References.