Need a HOW-TO for block attributes

[bcsurvey]

Trying to make a rotateable block with non-rotating text (i.e. full-time "match orientation to view" text).  I'm hoping it'll take less time to get a response than it would trial-and-erroring it.  

Thanks!

C3D2010

Win 7

[gjrcmb]

The "Match Orientation to Layout" setting that is a property available to Text and MText entities does not appear to be an option for an Attribute Definition.  So while you can make a block that includes Text or MText that will automatically orient to a viewport, this does not seem to be the case with Attributes.  You can also create a block that matches the viewport orientation, but the Attribute rotates as well.

My workaround:  If you need to have editable text (an attribute) as part of the block, what I came up with is to create a dynamic block (without the match orientation to layout setting) that allows you to rotate the attribute independent of the rest of the block.  This way I can say use the DVIEW command to rotate my viewport by say 30 degrees, open my viewport to model space, select all of the attributed dynamic blocks, open the Properties dialog box, and enter 330 degrees Custom Angle Parameter setting which sets my attributes back to a horizontal orientation.  So the non-attributed portion of the block is rotated based on the DVIEW rotation, and the attribute is rotated based upon the dynamic angle parameter property setting.

Not the most elegant solution or the one you are looking for, but maybe an option if nothing else is working for you.

[bcsurvey]

Thanks for the response.  What you've described will surely benefit me in the future, but I think for what I'm doing now, I'll just exclude the attribute from the block and add text separately after rotating the original block.  Each block may be rotated to a diffrent angle, so changing the constant angle parameter for each one would take no less time than just popping in mtext.

[Joe-Bouza]

It has been a while since I have done this, I' fairly sure it works; edit the block add dynamic rotation parameter and exclude the attributes in the selection. Note: attributes should be set to locked for dyno to work, but you can always add a move parameter if you need to move them.

[gjrcmb]

Hi bcsurvey,

Well I think I discovered something today which actually proves my last posting on this topic to be incorrect.  Seems to be kind of a tricky topic with lots of settings to consider.  As I posted on the another discussion: Right reading test when rotate block

Try the following:

* Create a Text Style that is Annotative with the "Match Text Orientation to Layout" selected.
* Create an Attribute Definition that uses the Annotative Text Style.  If the Text displayed in the block will always be the same select the Preset mode, as the Constant mode does not seem to accommodate the rotation.
* Create a block that includes the Attribute Definition.

I am finding that this procedure not only allows you to rotate the block where the text will stay parallel the X-Axis in model space, but the text will also orient horizontally with respect to layout viewports where a DVIEW Twist has been applied.  Two for one.

When I looked into the topic last time, I apparently did not explore the Text Style settings being used by the Attribute Definition.  Sorry if I lead you astray.

[gjrcmb]

One additional note.   When creating the Attribute Definition, leave the Text Settings Rotation to zero.

[bcsurvey]

I appreciate your thoroughness on the topic.

Thank you!