AutoCAD Tip: DWG Compare Best Practices for Accurate Revision Tracking

Why use DWG Compare for revision tracking

• Instantly highlights what changed, what’s new, and what was removed between two DWG files.
• Creates a documented trail of revisions that you can archive, share, or plot.
• Reduces coordination errors, especially when multiple team members contribute to the same deliverables.

Pre-compare setup (reduce noise, increase signal)

• Normalize units and origin:
  • Confirm INSUNITS and insertion base points match in both drawings.
  • Ensure any UCS differences are intentional; if not, reset to World.
• Clean the files:
  • Run AUDIT and PURGE on both drawings to remove corrupt or unused data.
  • Use OVERKILL on dense geometry to eliminate duplicates that trigger false positives.
• Load required object enablers to avoid proxy objects that can skew results.
• Resolve Xref paths so “Include Xrefs” behaves consistently in both versions.

Running a clean comparison

• Open the “current” (baseline) DWG, then start DWG Compare (type COMPARE).
• Select the “comparison” DWG (the newer or alternate revision).
• In the Compare toolbar/palette:
  • Set color coding:
    • Green (or your choice) for objects only in the current drawing.
    • Red for objects only in the comparison drawing.
    • Gray for objects common to both.
  • Enable “Include Xrefs” if you want referenced changes counted.
  • Use “Ignore” options (hatch, text formatting, layer property changes) to filter cosmetic noise.
• Navigate changes using the results list; zoom to each change group for validation.
• When finished, export a comparison snapshot for records, or plot directly to PDF with the compare colors.

Reading and acting on results

• Added vs. removed: New elements appear in the comparison color; deletions appear in the current color.
• Modified geometry typically shows as added and removed segments; review grip edits, lengths, or layer moves.
• Annotations: Use “Ignore text formatting” when font or height tweaks aren’t revision-worthy.
• Xrefs: If an Xref updated, verify whether the change belongs to the reference or the host drawing before acting.

Team workflow tips

• Adopt a consistent naming scheme (e.g., Project-Sheet-RevA, RevB) to prevent mix-ups.
• Compare like-for-like: model-to-model or layout-to-layout for accurate results.
• Create a short change log from the compare session and store it with the plotted set.
• For stakeholders, publish the comparison snapshot PDF alongside the revised DWG.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• Mismatched units/origins cause global offsets. Fix units and base point before comparing.
• Proxy objects hide changes. Install the correct object enablers.
• Over-dense hatches and wipeouts produce visual noise. Temporarily turn off these layers or enable “Ignore hatches.”
• Unresolved Xrefs generate false deltas. Use relative paths and verify references before compare.

Level up your revision control

• Pair DWG Compare with Layer States to isolate discipline-specific edits.
• Use Named Views to jump between critical compare zones during review sessions.
• Standardize compare color sets across the team to shorten review time.

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