Applying Annotative Scales

When you add text, dimensions, hatches, and blocks to a drawing, you can apply the annotative scaling property. It is referred to as annotative entities. Annotative scaling lets you achieve consistent and uniform sizes and scales of text, dimensions, and hatches for printouts.

Annotative entities display is controlled by the active annotation scale on the Model tab and the annotation scale property of Viewports on layout Sheets. Click Annotation on the status bar to set and control annotation scales.

Annotative entities and styles control the size and scale at which annotation entities are displayed and printed:

• For Notes, SimpleNotes, and Dimensions, define TextStyles and DimensionStyles as annotative styles to apply annotative scaling.
• For Hatches, Blocks, and BlockAttributes, you define the annotative scaling property when you create these entities.
• You can also make all these annotative entities independent from the style they use after you created them.

This topic discusses:

• Supported Entities and Styles
• Annotative Scaling Properties
• Annotation Button on the Status Bar
• Commands for Annotative Scaling

Supported Entities and Styles

You can apply annotative scaling to the following entity types:

• Text (Notes and SimpleNotes)
• Dimensions and Tolerances
• Hatches
• Block definitions and BlockAttribute definitions

The following styles can be annotative:

• TextStyles
• DimensionStyles

Annotative styles create annotative entities. The entities based on annotative styles automatically use annotative scaling. However, Notes, SimpleNotes, and Dimensions can be annotative although the style they use is not annotative. Using annotative styles avoids making individual text entities annotative after you created them.

Notes and SimpleNotes

Notes (including Leader text) and SimpleNotes use annotative scaling if the TextStyle you apply is defined to support annotative scales.

To make TextStyles annotative, in the Options dialog box, click Drafting Styles > Text > Annotative Scaling (see Working with TextStyles).

You can individually make Notes and SimpleNotes annotative if the associated TextStyle is non-annotative (see Annotative Scaling Property).

Dimensions and Tolerances

Dimensions and Tolerances use annotative scaling if the DimensionStyle you apply is defined to support annotative scale.

To make DimensionStyles annotative, in the Options dialog box, click Drafting Styles > Dimension > Fit > Dimension Scale > Annotative Scaling (see Working with Dimension Styles).

You can make individual Dimensions and Tolerances annotative if the associated DimensionStyle is non-annotative (see Annotative Scaling Property).

Hatches

Hatches use annotative scaling if you select the option when creating or editing hatches or filled areas (using the Hatch, FillArea, or EditHatch commands).

This property ensures similar pattern sizes in Viewports on layout Sheets.

Blocks and BlockAttributes

Block insertions and their associated BlockAttributes use annotative scaling if you select the option when creating Blocks and BlockAttributes (using the MakeBlock and MakeBlockAttribute commands).

Annotative Scale Property

The entity types that support annotative scaling include the Annotative Scale property. You can modify the property using the Properties palette.

To make individual entities annotative:

1. In the graphics area, specify an entity that supports annotative scaling.
2. In the Properties palette, set the Annotative property to Yes.

   Additional options are shown. In Annotative Scale, set the active annotative scale.

3. Click Edit annotation scales  to add annotation scales to the entity.
4. In the Annotation Entity Scale List dialog box:
   • Click Add to add annotation scales to the entities' scale list from the drawing scale list.
   • Click Delete to remove annotation scales from the entities' scale list.
5. Click OK.
6. If you selected a Note, SimpleNote, or BlockAttributeDefinition, set options in the Properties palette:
   • Sheet text height. If the TextStyle is defined for annotative scaling: A numeric value sets the font at a fixed height that you cannot change when inserting a Text entity that uses the selected Font. Set Height to 0.00 if you need to change the TextStyle height.
   • Match orientation to Sheet. Specifies whether the orientation of Notes and SimpleNotes in Viewports of layout Sheets follows the Sheet orientation.

Annotative Button on the Status Bar

On the status bar, click Annotative to access options to control annotative scales and display modes for annotative entities.

At the top of the flyout, the drawing scale list displays (when the Model tab is active, or you activated the model workspace on a layout Sheet). The active scale is marked in the list; it also displays next to the Annotation button.

You can click:

• A list entry to activate an annotative scale.
• Scale List to customize the drawing scale list.

On the flyout, you can set the following options:

• Display reference scales. If you attached externally referenced drawings (References) to the current drawing, the scale lists of the References may have scales defined, that are not available in the scale list of the host drawing. The option determines whether to show or hide the specific scales originated in referenced drawings. It is only available when the drawing scale list displays on the flyout (see above).
• Show all annotation representations for selected entities. Specifies whether annotative entities, if selected, show all representations of the annotation scales assigned to them, or only the original scale.
• Show annotation entities for current scale only. Specifies whether only annotation entities that support the active annotation scale are displayed. Otherwise all annotative entities regardless of scales they support are displayed. This setting is saved individually for the Model tab and each Sheet tab.
• Automatically add scale to annotative entities. If you are setting a new annotation scale, this determines whether it will add the scale automatically to annotative entities.

Commands for Annotative Scaling

You can apply the following commands to control annotative scales for entities that support:

• AnnEntityScale. Assigns annotative scales to supported entities.
• AnnEntityScaleAdd. Assigns the active annotative scale to supported entities.
• AnnEntityScaleRemove. Removes the active annotative scale from supported entities.
• AnnReset. Resets the position of scale representations of annotative entities.
• AnnUpdate. Updates the style settings of annotative entities.

See also: Customizing the Drawing Scale List