AutoCAD Civil 3D

[#1]

What is the difference between Annotation Text versus the Civil 3D Lables? Do you have more control over the annotation text? Do lisp routine work better for annotation text than the Civil 3D Labels?

I have a routine that will create a quick leader and text from the object layer that it selects.

Layer EX-PAVEMENT ----> the quick leader call out would label it as Existing Pavement.

I did not know if the Civil 3D Objects could do that?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

---

RCBmstg007 wrote:

What is the difference between Annotation Text versus the Civil 3D Lables? 

---

A couple I can think of off hand...

Annotative text is part of AutoCAD, and can be used anywhere - inside or outside of C3D.

Civil 3D labels are specific to C3D.

Annotative text (or any text for that matter) can include fields

C3D labels cannot include fields.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

Difference is C3D "styles" are annotative objects. Text the "annotative" property must be set within the text style to become "annotative".

In paper space there are no C3D labeling styles, it basically becomes vanilla cad drafting in paper space.

Sounds like your current lisp is as good as your going to get as far as automated labeling of a simple line.

[#4 · Accepted solution]

You could very easily set up a Civil 3D Line and a Curve label style to do what you need. It won't call up the layer name but the label can just contain the text you need, i.e.  Existing Pavement, Shed, Watershed, Drainage Area, Retaining Wall, the list can grow as long as you want it to.

These labels have advantages (speed in creating, can contain area, length and elevation data) and disadvantages (One location for each scale, vport/xref scaling) to annotative text objects. You will need to experiment and see what works best for your work environment.

The speed comes from the Addlabels dialog which provides a lot of options vs creating fields. You can have one labels that can go from Pline line and curve segments and maintain the required text, multiple segement labeling.

Experiment. You may find these tools a better option to your lsp app or not but you will have a better understanding of how these tools all work.

Generally we use annotaive text for simple call out labels (Rubble Wall, EOP, etc) and we use C3D labels when we need to show object properties in the call out (len, area, elev).