Replacing References for Similar Models – Hawk Ridge Systems

Would you like to replace one part with another in a drawing file? Would you like to do this without losing and then replacing all your annotations? If the part referenced in the drawing is slightly different, try changing the reference as you are opening the file.

Process

Close all the files, and then click File > Open.
Once you are in the Open window, select the part/assembly/drawing file and click the References... button.
The "Edit Referenced File Locations" dialog box will come up. Double click on the component that you want to replace in the Name column.
Another "Open" dialog box will come up. Browse to the component that you want to replace with, select it, and click the Open button.
In the "Edit Referenced File Locations" dialog box, the file that has been replaced would show the changes made in green.
Click OK to confirm the change in the "Edit Referenced File Locations" dialog box
On the original "Open" dialog box, open the part/assembly/drawing file selected in Step 2
Confirm the component has been replaced and the end result is satisfactory. There may be dangling dimensions and annotations that would need to be fixed.
Save the model to keep this reference change.