topic Re: Leader Styles in Inventor Forum

Leader Styles

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:01:20 GMT

Does anyone know how to change the style/format of the leader line itself? As you can see in the attached photo, I found the articles regarding Leader arrowhead adjustment and Leader Balloon adjustment--but this again, is not what I am looking for.

I was able to quickly change the color, size, and font type of the text, but I need to be able to have different styles of leader lines (straight, thin, thick & curved--not just different arrow types).

Re: Leader Styles

Mark.Lancaster — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:06:39 GMT

@Anonymous

Welcome to the Autodesk User's Community..

In Inventor drawings you can only change the arrownhead, its layer and linetype. You can't create curved leaders. If you go into Manage (ribbon tab), Styles editor you can define different leader styles. But like I said its only limited to what's there.

Re: Leader Styles

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:07:17 GMT

@Anonymous, Welcome to the family.

As the (sometimes) all knowledgeable Mark stated, you don't have the options in Inventor to have a curved leader line.

These styles are based off of ANSI drawing standards, curved leaders are not to standard.

If you really, really needed or wanted such, I'm pretty sure you can create one as a user generated symbol, but I doubt it'll be worth the effort.

Re: Leader Styles

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:19:27 GMT

I am a Patent Attorney, your leader lines may meet ANSI drawing standards, but they do not meet the AIA updated USPTO MPEP Standards for reference numbers. I have used several different CAD programs and none of them are truly designed to assist the Patent Attorney (or the Inventor trying to comply with these updated USPTO standards for that matter).

"If you really, really needed or wanted such, I'm pretty sure you can create one as a user generated symbol, but I doubt it'll be worth the effort."

It would ABSOLUTELY be worth the effort! -- I typically need 20 to 30 reference numbers per page and last week I had over 200 pages.

Is the user generated symbol something that I can save/set as a default type/style?

Re: Leader Styles

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:33:21 GMT

Understood.

Yes patent drawings are in fact a different monster, been there, done that.

You may have to get creative.

If you create a user symbol, it'll be saved and accessed under the "Insert Sketch Symbol" command on the Annotate ribbon.

It'll also be listed in the Model Browser tree under "Drawing Resources\Sketch Symbols" folder:

I would create this in your "base template" that you plan to use for your drawings, that way it's available for each new drawing you create from that template.

Hope that helps.

Re: Leader Styles

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:57:22 GMT

Excellent.

Yes, I noticed that Inventor has the 'Bubble-leader lines' which used to be an acceptable format and is now rejected fairly routinely.

Any advice on how to create the symbol? That is, how does Autodesk define the specific attributes which are necessary?

(To use the vernacular most are familiar with, I am looking for 12pt Arial font with curved connector solid line of at least global 1pt, flat cap, round join.)

Should I start with creating a leader line or go even more basic and draw a curved line and a text box having a transparent outline (or no outline if that is an option)--is there a named attribute which I can adjust in order to insure that the text stays upright while the connector moves with both/either the text box and/or the component it is attached to?

Re: Leader Styles

kelly.young — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:13:02 GMT

Hello @Anonymous I see that you are visiting as a new member to the Inventor Forum.
Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

Here's a quick screencast showing how to setup the Sketch Symbol.

Once you define the basic shapes and setups you typically use it should save you a massive amount of time.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if a post solves your issue or answers your question.