topic Spacing text efficiently in AutoCAD Forum

Spacing text efficiently

benjamin_sofo — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:07:15 GMT

Howdy,

A regular task I perform is manually moving text to improve legibility (see images for before and after of this task). Looking for any suggestions for streamlining this process making it less labour/time intensive. Open to using LISP, commands and any other techniques you may think is helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Pre manual moving

Post manual moving

Re: Spacing text efficiently

imadHabash — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:30:08 GMT

Hi and Welcome to AutoCAD Forum,

In AutoCAD ... There are many ways for selecting Objects Based on Shared Properties.

SELECTSIMILAR (Command) .. simple method to select objects based on properties such as layer, color, or lineweight, is Select Similar command, accessible from the shortcut menu after you've selected an object.
Quick Select (QSELECT), always accessible from the shortcut menu, offers more options and additional properties, such as transparency, for creating selection sets on the fly.
Filter (Command) ..To create saved selection filters, use the FILTER command or enter 'filter at the Select Objects prompt.

Re: Spacing text efficiently

Pointdump — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:45:11 GMT

Hi Ben,
Welcome to the Autodesk Forums.
Dotsoft has >>>Point Leader Commands<<<.
Dave

Re: Spacing text efficiently

shedgevJVQWW — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 11:34:33 GMT

Hi,

Create your own template with the required text style in the dimension setting. Then copy your drawing (1st image) & paste it in that template drawing.

Re: Spacing text efficiently

RSomppi — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:51:05 GMT

I would start with a larger scale. That drawing is pretty hard to read.

Re: Spacing text efficiently

jskalaXDDX5 — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 14:31:03 GMT

If you are stuck with doing it all manually, a CUI macro can reduce the number of keystrokes.

*^C^C\_MOVE;\

Great video to get started if you have never used…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGegAVVT8t0

Otherwise, peripheral, this is Macroworks 3.1…reduces each individual move to a single keystroke…in attached video.

Either (both) can be great all around time savers…

Re: Spacing text efficiently

daniel_cadext — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 05:29:21 GMT

Hi, not a trivial task via code. If you are running a full version and are able to use Python (PyRx). You can try a KD-Tree to quickly search and adjust text clusters. This is just a proof of concept, you may have to add in some math since you have text rotation

import traceback from pyrx import Ap, Db, Ed, Ge from itertools import pairwise # hold text data, __it__, so we can presort by Y class MT: def __init__(self, id: Db.ObjectId): mt = Db.MText(id) self.id = id self.ext = mt.getGeomExtents() # change this value to increase or decrease the search self.rad = (self.ext.maxPoint() - self.ext.minPoint()).length() * 0.5 self.lay = mt.layer() def __lt__(self, other): return self.ext.maxPoint().y > other.ext.maxPoint().y # get the data def getData(ss: Ed.SelectionSet): mtdata: list[MT] = [] for id in ss.objectIds(): mtdata.append(MT(id)) return sorted(mtdata) # return the new ext so we can update def moveText(id, point): mt = Db.MText(id, Db.OpenMode.kForWrite) mt.setLocation(point) return mt.getGeomExtents() @Ap.Command() def doit(): try: # fill up the data ps, ss = Ed.Editor.select([(0, "MTEXT")]) if ps != Ed.PromptStatus.eOk: raise RuntimeError("Selection Error! {}: ".format(ps)) mtdata = getData(ss) # build the kd-tree from extents mid points pnts = Ge.Point3dArray() for mt in mtdata: pnts.append(mt.ext.midPoint()) tree = Ge.Point3dTree(pnts) # search and group groups = set() for mt in mtdata: subgroup = [] _idxs, _dists = tree.radiusSearch(mt.ext.midPoint(), mt.rad) for _i in _idxs: subgroup.append(_i) groups.add(tuple(sorted(subgroup))) # do something with the the groups for items in groups: for i, j in pairwise(items): mtdata[j].ext = moveText(mtdata[j].id, mtdata[i].ext.minPoint()) except Exception as err: traceback.print_exception(err)

Re: Spacing text efficiently

benjamin_sofo — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 04:38:05 GMT

Thanks for this! looks like a solid solution, I'll test it out and let you know how it goes.

Re: Spacing text efficiently

CGBenner — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:45:06 GMT

@benjamin_sofo Hi, have you been able to test this solution yet?