Feature, Figure Line Labels and Point labels....

[Anonymous]

I'm still on the issue of point label styles showing elevations for the points. Somone suggested useing feature line label. It looks like the figure line labels act similar. I created a feature line label for beginning and end Z elevations.. Which would be the same as point label styles.But, now rotating is not an issue because the feature line labels are aligned to the feature line. Which is great. But, i if I need to drag and or rotate a feature line label. It combines the beginng Z label and end Z label together. Can't have that.

Should i create 2 feature or figure line labels, 1 for the beginning Z elevation and 1 for the End Z elevation and then they will act independently?

Or does anyone know how to Match Properties for Point Labels?

Why did they get rid of the MText labels that were associated with points? The mtext was alot easier to work with.

There seems to be endless number of settings to learn.

Any input would be appreciated.

[mathewkol]

I'm a little confused here.  In one sentense you're talking about point labels and in another you're talking about labeling feature line ends.  I'm not sure what you're getting at here.

If you need to label feature line and Z elevations then yes, you'll need two styles; one for the start and one for the end (if you'd like to drag them off the feature line.

Also, I don't remember Civil 3D ever using MTEXT for survey point labels.  So they didn't get rid of MTEXT labels since that functionality was never there.  Maybe you could explain this further as well.

[jmayo-EE]

"The mtext was alot easier to work with"

I hope your thoughts change after you make the two styles and save them in your template. They will drag perfectly with the leaders an your time spent labeling should be reduce dramtically compared to mtext. Especially if the FL gets edited. With mtext you need to manually check each string and confirm or edit. With C3D labels you do nothing.

Make sure you take advantage of the Multiple Segment option in the Add Labels dialog when you want every vertex on a FL labeled. Set this to multiple segment, use the start Z label and select each FL. Then set it to single segment, end z label and select each FL again. You will have labels at every vertex in seconds.

[Anonymous]

sorry for the confusion. When I was writing this post i was also on the phone.

We are upgrading from LDD 2008. In LDD there are point labels that are not attached to the point and they are Mtext.

and there was a lot more flexability as far cleaning up a survey drawing. I would rotate 1 elevation and then do match properties and then i would just move the elevations to make them readable In Civil 3D that flexability is gone. The point labels are attached to the point now. You can't do match properties and rotate the elevation.

So, I've been testing different methods and 1 suggessted was the feature line labels. I had made a feature line label that would show the beginning and end Z elevation of that line. But, when I went to rotate it and combined and stacked with a leader to the middle of the feature line

But, based on your reply i have to have 2 different labels. 1 for the beginning and 1 for the end of the feature line.

If i use that method I would still need to rotate any spot elevations.

Another thing I've learned today is. I turn the Quick Properties on and add the field for Label rotation. Then I decide the angle in which i want the elevations rotated at. Then preselect the labels and then in Quick Properties I edit the angle and any label I preselected rotates. Its a little quicker.

Thanks for the input. There is so much toi learn since we made the huge jumo between 2008 and 2013.

[troma]

If you really want flexibility you can explode everything. Hey, presto: Mtext!  

But I really don't think you want to go that route.

The C3D learning curve is steep, but once you're up it, you're up and away.  The concensus seems to be that there may be some specific tasks that were easier/quicker in LDD, but over the life of the project they are more than made up for by many other tasks that C3D makes effortless.  You're making a bigger jump than I ever did, and you're well on the way.

Just a thought on this:

"But, based on your reply i have to have 2 different labels. 1 for the beginning and 1 for the end of the feature line.

If i use that method I would still need to rotate any spot elevations."

Not sure what you mean by spot elevations....but do you know that a feature line is considered to have multiple segments (like a polyline) and every segment has a start and end point.  So when you use the "Multiple Segment" feature it adds a label to every segment (labelling either the start or the end, as you have the style set up).  So any midpoint elevations do get labelled.

[mathewkol]

[...There is so much toi learn since we made the huge jumo between 2008 and 2013....]

On the lines of what troma is saying, the above quote is your first problem.  You can't think of this as a junmp from 2008 to 2013; this is not an upgrade, it's a whole different software package.  you might as well jump from LDT to Caice, it's so different.

You're going to need training if you haven't received any yet.  If your boss thinks that since it's an autodesk product, it's an upgrade (I already said it wasn't) and you should just be able to learn it, he is wrong.  Well, it can be done, but you'll take longer and there will be plenty of frustration.

You're right, you can't use match properties to rotate points and their labels, but it can be done.  Select a COGO Point and hover your cursor (don't click) on the middle grip.  One of the options is marker rotation.  Rotate it then copy that rotation value from the properties palette.  Select the other points you'd like to match rotation and use the properties palette to paste the rotation value from the source point.

You can do the same for the label.  Except hover on the label's grip and not the point's miuddle grip.

Good luck.

[jmayo-EE]

"If i use that method I would still need to rotate any spot elevations."

No. If you use feature lines labels no labels should need to be rotated and you should be able to drag them and have a leader appear, aligned to view or object depending on style settings. FL labels will be aligned to the FL segment if you set this on the General tab of the Label Style composer. You also have the option to have those labels align to a View or World coordinates if you choose.

As I said in the begining there are many ways to get the results you need. Matt showed how this can be done with point objects and other options exist. If I have a few points I don't mind rotating a few. If I have a lot of them I find FL labels provide a global solution and prevent me from creating or recreating objects I don't really need (alignments, corridors). I personally find Mtext the most inefficient object to use after using C3D for so long. 🙂 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the input. Its all very helpful.

Trouma, I played around with the points by exploding them and that is not something I want to deal with.

Matt we have had training. But, the one thing I've learned is. Anyone can follow the book during training. its another thing to use the program on your own and not everything is touched upon in the training.I started to rotate the label by hovering. But, i have a 1 mile long road that i have to rotate elevations for.

One thing I did do. Was to edit the quick proprties dialogue and added "Label Rotation". The I preselected points and edit the label rotation to an angle. all the preselected points rotated instantly. But, then I still have more the elevations.

John, I think i will start creating FL labels styles and go with that. As for the view option. i do not think it will work in some cases. if I have a series of curves in a view and the view is not parellel to everything only a small portion of labels will be aligned. But, I will test that all out.

Thanks Again. I'm sure i will have more questions in the future