In AutoCAD, you can also open a DWG drawing "partially", ie. not load it completely into AutoCAD memory, but load just its relevant part. You can find this function next to the Open button - unfold it with the arrow icon and choose "Partial Open" from the function list.
AutoCAD offers a dialog, where you can select which selected (named) view to load and which layers defined in the drawing should be loaded. Optionally you can also unload any xrefs attached to the opened drawing.
If this dialog won't appear and the DWG file is opened completely, as in the standard Open, it may be caused by 3 reasons:
The opened drawing was not saved in the current AutoCAD version - re-save it
The opened drawing was not saved with spatial index - re-save it with the command _SAVEAS and in the Save dialog use Tools > Options > Index Type: Layer & Space
The drawing contains proxy objects (e.g. AEC objects)
AutoCAD Map 3D offers also other methods to open (including concurrent open for editing, with entity locking protection) just selected parts of a DWG drawing (region, layers...) - by querying a DWG.
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Please use these tips at your own risk. Arkance Systems is not responsible for possible problems that may occur as a result of using any of these tips.