i must be missing something, i've gone through the steps over and over but the result is the same. here're some details though, maybe you'll understand why -

when i create the texture reference object, only one little flat brick appears highlighted orange, not the whole building. it seems to be the first poly in the hierarchy of the hypergraph. is it correct that i simply highlight every part of the building, then select "create texture reference object"?

i decided to re-texture reference the building after keyframing all the moving parts. would this change anything?

otherwise i can't imagine what i'm doing wrong...any help very much appreciated.