Contour Label Background Mask

[smarkel]

I have read through all of the other solutions on this issue and none seem to address my problem.  No matter what I do, I cannot get my contour label to mask the contour line that it sits on.  I have no problems creating contour lables for my surface (whether using single, multiple, or multiple at interval options).  I have set my contour labeling defaults to not display the contour label line, as well as set Label Mask Type to Contour Line Only.  Unde contour label style under Layout>Border>Background Mask, this is set to True.  Not sure what is going on here, any suggestions?

[gjrcmb]

Have you tried selecting a contour label, right clicking and changing the Display Order to Bring to Front?  If so, when you go to the contour label layout settings and set the Border Visibility to True do you see the border for the masking?

[smarkel]

Yes, I have tried Bring to Front; doesn't seem to do anything.  And yes, when I set the Border Visibility to true, there is a border around the labels.  I've tried both on, both off, and each individually on with no success...

[sjg]

Based on the images you provided looks like you created a child of the Standard label, in the image. Try creating a new label. See if that works.

[smarkel]

Sjg, tried creating a whole new label style to no avail...  This is my first time using this feature with Civil 3D; this is something that should be possible right?  To have your contour labels cover up your contour lines?

[sjg]

could you post the drawing. Just curious how was the surface created.

[smarkel]

Hope this attachment works.  I imported 3d polylines from another road design program, which were my surveyed cross sections for the project.  Used these as breaklines to create my surface, with a 3dpolyline surrounding my survey data as a boundary, then added the contour lines.  This is a survey of a mountainside for a proposed 3 mile logging road (single lane, low volume unpaved road).

[smarkel]

Also, as a note... I have Autodesk Design Institute Press "AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 Procedures and Applications" reference.  It came with a CD with examples, I used thier 3D surface modeling procedure they laid out there which is essentially what I am trying to do.  Following their example, when I get to labeling the contour lines I run into the same problem in their drawing.  Makes me think that there is something going haywire in my global Civil 3D settings or something.

[Jeff_M · Accepted solution]

Your Visual Style is set to Conceptual. Change this to 2dWireframe and the masks work as expected.

[smarkel]

Ahhhhhhhh....  That did the trick!  Did not even think of this, thank you!

[jtscott]

I know this is an older post and people may have found a better way to mask the contour line since the original posting. That being said, I came here hoping that I would find the setting that has been eluding me in the label style that would allow the style to dictate the masking. I have not had much luck finding the setting in the label dialog, however, I found a way (at least in C3D 2012) to ensure the contour lines are masked.

Once you insert the contour label (or labels), select the label and open up the properties dialog box. Under the Labels section, select Masking and change to Contour Line Only. This should mask the contour line.

I am not sure why the other setting under Masking is From Label Style because I can't find this setting in the label style settings. I hope this helps someone, or if you have a better way, please post it.

Happy cadding,

Jamie

[zborchers]

I know this an older post, but if you right click on surface under settings in the toolspace and click "edit feature settings" the default value for contour line masking can be changed. Navigate to Contour Labeling Default and set Label mask type to Contour Line Only.

It may be worth it to change this setting in your template so you can set it and forget it.

After this has been set, any new contour labels should come in with the default setting of masking the contour line. Labels placed prior to this will have to be changed by selecting all and changing the option in the properties dialog.