Points Styles + Label Styles

[EvgenyPetushkov]

I am trying to set-up point and point label styles to show trees on a survey plan. The point styles is set with a block, and a label is a regular label style that shows a point number and elevation. The problem comes when the label is positioned ouside of the block that represents the point. What I need is sort of fixed offset from the centre of the point.

Does anyone have any clues? Thank you,

[Jeff_M · Accepted solution]

Hi evgeny, first, Welcome to the Forums!

Second, this is a basic setup question. These types of queries should be placed in the main Civil3D forum: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-Civil-3D/bd-p/66 The current forum is for customizing Civil 3D using one of the available programming API's.

Third, to answer your question, set the Label style to Anchor to the <Feature> Middle Center, and the Attachment point to be Middle Left. Such as:

[ajdolby]

How do you modify label styles?

I managed to find this menu in the past but I have been searching for over an hour today.

There must be a way to change the style of an annotative label. Im trying to label parcel lines. For some reason AutoCAD is set up so that labels are all annotative, which is the worst idea ever in the history of software-- but thats a different rant.

I need to be able to tell it how many decimal places to show and to change the text style.

[Jeff_M]

A few things, ajdolby.

First, welcome to the forums! Hopefully we can help you through your troubles with Civil3d. 

Second, this particular forum is for customizing Civil3D via some form of programming, be it Liisp, VBA, .NET. General questions like this should go in the main C3D forum where many more users participate: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-Civil-3D-General/bd-p/66

Annotative objects are good thing! 

In the Toolspace Settings you can select the Styles to edit. For the parcel line labels, edit the text style used on the General tab, edit the precision on the DIstance component, Text contents. Select the Text in the preview window, change the precision on the left side, then be sure to press the right pointing arrow above to send the change back to the preview window.

[ajdolby]

I don't understand where you found that menu. When I follow your directions i get that convoluted tree thing which lets me change text size but not precision. 

I am just going to keep doing like I have always done and explode absolutely everything 'annotative' in every drawing. 

Thanks for trying. "Annotative" is beyond my ability to comprehend. You must have a 6 figure IQ, my friend.

[ajdolby]

Also...

in order for "annotative" to be a viable feature you would have to be able to change almost infinite variables (thats why it will never work and should be eliminated from the software). For example, I also need to be able to tell it if I want it to display the information in feet or inches....

They should either eliminate "annotative" entirely or put all the options in one menu that is not hidden in some meaningless window called "toolspace" which I would never think to look in for anything, ever.

I probably should have quit using this software 10 years ago and gone into sales or something. They make it so much more unusable with every version- the next one I assume you will have 10000 times more meaningless icon buttons, they will have eliminated 100 more of the beautiful, functional and logical text commands, and will have added 15 more steps to all the simplest functions of the software.

[Jeff_M]

Maybe you should go back to the drafting table with mylar/cloth, ink pens, and a Leroy set. 

For help with styles and how to create & edit them:

http://docs.autodesk.com/CIV3D/2014/ENU/filesCUG/GUID-3DD842B5-F49E-4C04-9BAD-4956C74150DB.htm

While the ARE a lot of styles, and getting them setup in your template for use in future drawings is essential, all styles have basically similar settings so going about setting them up for your use is really not that tough...time consuming, sure, but definitely not rocket science. Starting with one of the DWT's that ships with C3D would be a good start.

If I ever catch a user exploding any 'smart object' in Civil3d, other than a grading object, it will be the last thing they do in my office.

And before you say anything about old school vs new school or any other such craziness....I used all of those drafting table items, along with an old Wang 'computer' with COGO software on a tape drive and an HP plotter for the base maps that would take 10-12 hours to plot. When I was introduced to AutoCAD with DCA c.1986 it was opening a whole new world of possibilities. And it continues today with C3D. The more you fight the change, instead of embracing it, the harder your job will become.

[ajdolby]

I saw that tutorial before I posted on this site. It does not seem to have anything to do with what I am trying to do.

Is the problem then that I dont use templates? I have never used a template in any software in my life- I believe in copy pasting old documents as templates.

And thanks for the warning, I wont come work in your office. I still would like to know how so called "smart objects" work. Maybe someone else can give a shot at explaing it. 

Jeff M sent me a nice graphic of a dialog box i need to get to but no explanation of how to get to that dialog box. Basically, I will not be using templates, I will be opening an old project and then I will need to be able to apply labels to lines that show bearings and distances. I normally either let it look like **** with words on top of words at crazy sizes or, usually, explode it and then edit it as text. I would like to know if there is a way to get to a screen that would let me modify the precision that it labels to, the units it measures in and, possibly the text size although text size also makes absolutely no sense in the last couple AutoCAD versions so I understand exploding may still be required even if I can find that menu for the other features. At the very least, using these labels allows me to read what the bearing on a line is, so its good that they still have a labeling function even though it is not made for people who use AutoCAD the way I do. 

[Jeff_M]

Here is a short (1 minute) video showing how to edit the precision of the bearing and distance components of a parcel line label style. The General Line Label styles found under the General branch of the tree are edited exactly the same way.

Note that the text height shown in the label style comes from the line called Text Height for each Text component in the LabelStyle. The Font used comes from the Text Style assigned on the General tab of the Style Properties, but that can be overriden if you dig deep enough....sounds like that won't ever be needed.

[Partha.Sarkar]

That's cool Jeff !

And good to see you are using "Project Chronicle" to capture this video 🙂

Cheers,

Partha

[ajdolby]

Thank you for the video, Jeff. I am amazed that you managed to figure that out. It never would have occurred to me in 1 million years to click on the things you are clicking on in the vid.

However, I must still be doing something wrong. I can change those variables to absolutely anything under the sun and it does not affect how the bearings and distances are displayed on existing or new labels.

[ajdolby]

actually what its doing is not allowing me to change it. I can change the precision and then hit ok and apply and it just reverts back to .0001 no matter what.

[Jeff_M]

Are you clicking that right pointing arrow after changing the precision as I explained previously? (circled in image below)

[ajdolby]

Yes, sir.

I can change that ".01" number to anything. it will not change. it reverts back to ".001" every time.

[stacy.dunn]

I think you may not working in the correct order.

1. click the field on the right to highlight it.

2. click the dropdown next to precision and change the value to 0.01

3. click the white arrow to change the field.

4. click OK to apply the change.

[ajdolby]

I understand the directions. It is not working.

There is a graphic- I assume it is an example of what the label will look like that appears in that black space. Is that supposed to ever change when you change the settings? Mine does not.

I am at the point of giving up. At least when you make your own labels yo know they are right and you arent trusting some computer programmer. 

[ajdolby]

another question....

your graphic says "segment length". That is not an option for me. 

I am trying to alter the Distance Over Bearing label style. "Segment Length" must be for some other sort of label. 

[stacy.dunn]

The segment length (for a parcel line) or general segment length (for a regular line/polyline) is the distance of the line or curve.  Have you been able to change any other label style?

[Jeff_M]

---

@ajdolby wrote:

another question....

your graphic says "segment length". That is not an option for me. 

I am trying to alter the Distance Over Bearing label style. "Segment Length" must be for some other sort of label. 

---

What does it say in your properties editor? Parcel line label styles use "SegmentLength", whereas a General Line Label style uses "GeneralSegmentLength". Either way, the process is still the same. Yes, the text in the graphic will change if you are following the instructions given. If your current precision is 0.0001 then the text will include P4. When you change the precision to 0.01 that will change to P2 when you hit the commit arrow. Then when you hit OK the preview box should correctly display the precision. 

[ajdolby]

Ok. I think I got it. The problem is that there are simply too many variables and steps in that process to get it right more than 10% of the time so it is very difficult to figure out if you simply did not do it right or if you are trying to do the wrong thing.

On to the next question. Ill be damned if I don't get these labels perfect now after spending a week on it and neglecting all my other work!

How do you change the text size on those labels? 

Ill tell you what Im trying and you can tell me how there are 95 superfluous steps that are in there for the sole purpose of making sure that you waste your time and hate autodesk.

Im going into Toolspace-->Bearing over Distance, clicking on the General tab where there is a Text Style line in the spreadsheet thingy that pops up. I can change this to any text size and nothing changes on existing or new labels. Now this screen doesnt have that peculiar bubbly "commit" arrow like the other spreadsheet screen with the Precision option in it. It just has an OK, Apply, Cancel or Help. I am not sure what the difference between OK and Apply could possibly be- Ive tried both to no avail.