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Superimpose Text over Layout Page

Anonymous

Superimpose Text over Layout Page

Anonymous
No aplicable

I'm sorry that I'm not very experienced with AutoCAD and my question may not be using the right terminology and/or the answer to this is obvious...

 

I have some DWG files that weren't created by me but which have multiple layouts that I would like to print and export to PDF.

Almost like a titleblock, I'd like to be able to include some text on a standard place on the printed drawing page.

I think this may not be so hard to do when the layout is something like a single orthographic view -- I can add it to the model by adding a new layer with text.

But I don't know how to superimpose text over, for example, a  layout of 3D rendering of a model space layout.

Or another layout is composed of quadrants with different viewport views of the design in each quadrant.

How can I superimpose something over the whole page of the layout and will work when printing multiple layouts?

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ian.mag
Collaborator
Collaborator

Hey,


>>>But I don't know how to superimpose text over, for example, a  layout of 3D rendering of a model space layout.

Do you mean having text appear on the face of a 3D object such as these?

Cube.PNG

 

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beyoungjr
Advisor
Advisor

I have an idea of what you want but not sure if it can work for your drawings.  Can you post one of your files so I might make a good suggestion?

 


Blaine Young
Senior Engineering Technician, US Army

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Anonymous
No aplicable

I mean something like this:

I think this must be simple to do, but I can't get it to happen. 

It seems like it just a layer, but I don't know how to set the layer up or add it.

cube.png

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beyoungjr
Advisor
Advisor

There are several ways to approach this.  The best way would depend upon how the drawing file has been organized.

You originally stated that you have multiple Layouts in each file.  I took this to mean that you would like to print the layouts with text overlay.

If instead you just want text to appear on the model space views of your objects then flattening the UCS and placing text would work well.

 

Again,

I simple example of one of your files would go a long way in helping me to help you.

 

Blaine

 


Blaine Young
Senior Engineering Technician, US Army

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Anonymous
No aplicable

Here is an example file.

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beyoungjr
Advisor
Advisor

Hi,

I have several recommendations for you.

It appears that you are utilizing this for graphic display more so than technical design and detailed dimensioning so I will base my suggestions on that.

 

First let's explore so you will understand my suggestions.

 

Open your file and you see the layout called "Presentation".  This is called a Paper Space Layout in AutoCAD.  Paper Space is generally where we present and document our designs or creations.

  • You may double-click in any of your 4 Viewports to make them active for controlling the display of your Model Space elements.  For instance, if you double-click in the lower left Viewport you will be able to play with the viewing orientation, view style, and other display characteristics.  You may right-click your Viewcube and change from Perspective to Parallel viewing.
  • You may double-click off of any of the Viewports to de-activate them or return to standard Paper Space working.
  • In this respect you could create a text object anywhere at all, even off of the apparent page and this would be like a true "overlay".
  • You could also create another Layout page and work on your display for a single view.  Simply right-click the Presentation tab at the bottom and select New Layout.  This gives you a new tab for Layout1 and you have a single Viewport that can be manipulated to your liking, again allowing placement of a text object for "overlay".
  • In this case you would print your Layouts.

Back to a fresh open of your file and You also see the Model tab, which allows you to switch into Model Space (that's where we design and create).

  • Click the Model tab and you can re-orient your model as you wish.
  • Switch to the 3D Modeling Workspace and you will have a new ribbon up top.
  • On this ribbon you will see a panel called Coordinates.  It is likely that your coordinates remain in the World or WCS system so all object creation is originating in a flat X,Y plane.
  • The lower-left icon on the Coordinates panel is a drop-down icon but typically shows "View" when you hover and pause over it.  This command treats your screen view as a plane and sets the coordinate system flat so that objects can now be created flat to this view.
  • You could create flat text in this User Coordinate System (UCS) and it would appear similar to your image above.  This would require you to print the current display or save this orientation to allow returning to the view and selecting the printed view in the future.  I would discourage this method.

I hope this makes good sense.  It is a quick and dirty explanation and I would be happy to help you explore further, just post back for more detail.  Try to use some of the terminology I presented so that all users can help out and you can phrase your questions in a way that directs us to giving relevant advise.

 

Cheers,

Blaine

 


Blaine Young
Senior Engineering Technician, US Army

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beyoungjr
Advisor
Advisor

Please find the attached sample file using your objects to illustrate 2 Layouts with title blocks.  The title blocks are formal but your simple text overlay would reside on the layout vs. in Model Space just the same.

 

Blaine

 


Blaine Young
Senior Engineering Technician, US Army

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ian.mag
Collaborator
Collaborator

Hey @ghernando 

 

I would ask the same question put forth by @beyoungjr , is it for graphics display only? I'd assume so as opposed to more of a technical design...

I have made a screencast to illustrate this. So here is what i did:-

  1. I made a graphic text
  2. Exploded it (TXEXP) made a REGION  out of it, the UNION all the contents
  3. I then moved the text inside the tent
  4. Made a surface (please bear in mind that polygon mesh is not treated as a surface in AutoCAD)
  5. Copied the surface with an offset from the face of the front side, then sliced the text from outside.
  6. Erased the remainders. (If the polygon mesh were a solid you would union it and just have the text trim from inside, but this case isnt)
  7. On the paper space, the orthographic view may not really work for this, so i copied the view on the lower left and generated views from it.

Hope this is a workaround or at least helps you out.

 

 

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Anonymous
No aplicable

Thank you Blaine.

 

Yes.  I am concerned just with the viewing.  I want to save these drawings to PDF files or print them.

 

I was able to follow your instructions for working on the Presentations layout which I think is the Paper View.

I could add text, resize, change font and place it on the page.  But I wonder if it would have been better to first create a new layer and then add the text.  Would I maybe have problems like I noticed in the model space with the text not on top.

 

For the Model space, I found the 3D modeling ribbon.

I don't see the text in the Model space that I placed on the Paper space.  I'm assuming that's what I should expect?

I'm not sure where the commands on the 3d modeling ribbon are for adding text, but I did that using MText and Move command line commands.  (I found it later under the Annotate tab)  I placed the text, but it is being partially hidden by the Tent rendering.  Is there a way to bring it to the top?

 

Thanks

Is there a way to bring it to the top?

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Anonymous
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Hi Brian,

 

Thanks for making the video for me!

What you're doing is very cool.  But I think that will be too complex to do though in general for the different drawings that I have.  With my current knowledge of AutoCAD I am trying to just get a simple overlay of text on top of the existing layouts.  Maybe I can then advance to something more complicated.

Thanks again.

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beyoungjr
Advisor
Advisor

Yep, the Layout is Paper Space.

Layer creation sequence is no big deal.  You can create a layer anytime then select an object and change it's layer.  Do this via properties or by observing it's assigned layer while the object is selected, then picking a desired layer for the object from the list of available layers.  Kinda like sorting out your objects into a filing system that yopu decide to create after a bunch of other work.  You can also change any of the layer properties anytime.

 

Glad you found the annotate ribbon.

 

Paper Space text will not be visible in Model Space.

If you stick with text on the layout page, and create new layout tabs for various views, you can select your text object that's on the first, then right-click it and select the Clipboard flyout, then select copy from basepoint, then type 0,0 for the basepoint.  Then change to another layout and press CTRL+V (paste) and type 0,0 for the insertion point and the text will be precisely located the same for each layout.  Then double-click the text to edit it if needed.  Time saver!

 

Any time you have an object viewing over or under another, and you have placed them at the same Z elevation, you may select then right-click then choose the Draw Order flyout to manipulate the item to front or back.

 

Sounds like you are headed in a direction that is working out.

 

Blaine

 


Blaine Young
Senior Engineering Technician, US Army

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Anonymous
No aplicable

I opened your drawing.

When I look at the layers on the drawing, I see the following:

A-ANNO-TITLE-BLOCK

A-ANNO-NOTE

A-ANNO-DIMENSIONS

I thought that when I selected one of these and add text that it will write to the screen view -- and it does.

But it seems like no matter which of the layers I select and make current, when I add text, the text is always in the view screen plane.  That's what I want, but how did you get it in this state?

 

 

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beyoungjr
Advisor
Advisor

Notice the layers have icons (lightbulb, sunshine, padlock, color, and more if you are in the actual layer manager GUI).

 

The lightbulb is for off/on.  I rocommend avoiding this one because you could end up confused if drawing objects to an off layer while active.

 

The sunshine is for freeze/thaw and becomes a snowflake when frozen.  This condition will turn off display of a layer and refuse you writing objects to the layer because it cannot be active when frozen.  I teach my students to use this for controlling display of layers.

 

If you are interested in getting proficient at layer management please take a little time to follow a tutorial or two online.  It is worthwhile.

 

Blaine

 


Blaine Young
Senior Engineering Technician, US Army

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