Annotative Objects

[Pointdump]

Juxtaposed to C3D objects, annotative objects, like Text, Dimensions, and MultiLeaders, are torture to understand and use. So I'm just wondering how C3D'ers deal with annotative objects. Do you avoid 'em like The Plague and use Note Labels and Line/Curve Labels, then drag them to make imitation Multileaders? Or do you gut it out and make an Heroic Attempt to understand how annotative objects work with the dizzying boggle of scale selections?

Dave

[Neilw_05]

I guess I messed up. MSLTSCALE=1 then use the scale selector to adjust LTSCALE and annotation when working in MS.

[Pointdump]

Jay,

Good suggestion. Here's what I did. I made a Custom Linetype, using 50' and 10' segments and .2 and .1 text heights. Thusly:





I don't know why the Blue Centerline and the Custom Line are at odds with eachother. Next, I'll play with changing the MS Scale, and see if I can come to grips with this. I feel more knowledgable and more confused at the same time.

Dave

[Neilw_05]

Dave,
When MSLTSCALE=1 your linetypes will look just as they will when plotted, according to your annotation scale. In your screen cap you have annotation scale is 1"=100' so your linetypes are showing as they would when plotted at 1"=100'. If a view on your sheet is actually plotting at 1"=20', then set your MS annotation scale to 1"=20' and you will then see everything as it will look when plotted at 1"=20'.

[Pointdump]

Neil,

Thanks for the clarification. Since I attach great weight to your advice, I was confused.

Dave

[rl_jackson]

An important factor with custom linetypes is that the text style being used has a height set to zero, then in the linetype definition you specify the height you want.

Gereally I have the style standard set that way for that reason. And use it for only linetype definitions.

Edit:

Here is an example:

*PROPERTY_1, Property Line
A,1,-.12,["PL",STANDARD,S=.1,R=0.0,X=-0.08,Y=-.05],-.12
*PROPERTY_2, Property Line
A,.5,-.12,["PL",STANDARD,S=.1,R=0.0,X=-0.08,Y=-.05],-.12

[Pointdump]

Thanks, RL, for the tip on text heights for custom linetypes.

Dave

[dgorsman]

If you were drawing a *lot* of short lines you need to tweak, it might be easier to set the CELTSCALE first instead of fixing the line objects later.  CELTSCALE is one of those settings which can be handy in the rare chance its needed, but annoying for the rest of the time - like CECOLOR (object color).

Yet another thing to watch out for is ACAD.LIN vs. ACADISO.LIN linetype files.  Its not uncommon for metric files to use the imperial (inch) defined linetypes from ACAD.LIN with a global LTSCALE of 10.  If you replace the linetypes with their equivalents from ACADISO.LIN they can look a little short, so its also not unusual to see either a global LTSCALE of 0.5 *or* a global LTSCALE of 1.0 and using the "2" linetypes (DASHED2, CENTER2, etc.).  No matter how it gets done, its best to settle on one common definition system.

[Pointdump]

Thanks, D. I wondered where CELTSCALE might be useful.

"No matter how it gets done, its best to settle on one common definition system."

Yep. Stray reluctantly from the path that works.

Dave