Hide Table of Contents

Annotation Properties

You can set annotation properties in the Properties pane.

Category Property / Description Available For

N/A

Name

Specifies the actor name. This name appears in the Collaboration or Assembly tree and is the default tooltip text.

all
Tooltip

Specifies the tooltip text that appears when you hover over the actor. The default is the actor name, but you can select a different property or meta-property, or type a text string. To type text, which itself can contain properties, select String and use the Tooltip string property.

Note: By default, labels attached to an actor display the actor's tooltip text. To change this behavior, modify the label's Text property.
all
Tooltip string

(Available when Tooltip is String.) Specifies the tooltip text. Type your text, optionally with property keywords. For geometry actors, click to display the Text pane, where you can type multiple lines of text and more easily embed properties.

See Text pane for details on property keywords and the Text pane.

all
Opacity

Specifies the opacity, from 0 (transparent) to 255 (solid).

all
Stay on top

Makes the collaborative actor visible even when a geometry actor covers it.

Disabled Enabled
all
Auto show

Displays hidden annotation and measurement actors temporarily when you move the mouse pointer over the associated geometry actor. The annotation or measurement disappears when you hover over a different actor.

Note: The Collaboration tree does not reflect this temporary change of visibility.
all
Auto alignment

Specifies positions for collaborative actors with respect to their associated geometry actors: Perimetric, Circle, Rectangle, Bottom, Bottom and left, Bottom and right, Bottom and top, Top, Top and left, Top and right, Left, Left and right, Right, Free 2D, Free 3D.

Notes:
  • To align collaborative actors using magnetic lines, Auto alignment must be Free 2D or Free 3D. When dragged onto a magnetic line, an actor's Auto alignment is set to Free 2D automatically.
  • To ensure that cutting planes are applied to annotations, you must set Auto alignment to either Free 2D or to Free 3D.
all
Auto hide

Specifies whether the annotation should be hidden if the anchor of the label or callout is hidden.

  • Disable: Disables Auto hide.
  • Standard: Enables Auto hide if the anchor of the annotation is hidden by any geometry (even the geometry linked by the annotation).
  • Advanced: Enables Auto hide if the anchor of the annotation is hidden by any geometry other than the linked object.
    Note: Depending on the number of annotations, the Advanced option may be slow. It is recommended to use it only when needed.
all
Draw style

(Available with Attach > Type is not None.) Specifies how annotations connect to their associated actors:

  • Attach lines - Draws a line to each actor.
  • Bounding box - Draws one line to a bounding box around the actors.
Attach linesBounding box
all
Show inertia axes

Displays axis lines at each attach point to show actor orientation in the world coordinate system.

Column format

Lists the x, y, and z coordinates vertically. To list the coordinates horizontally on one line, clear this property.





Disabled Enabled
Text
Color

Specifies the text color.

all
Font

Specifies the font family, style, and size of actor text. The default font family is your machine's default font or Arial depending on Use default GUI font for text (Application Preferences - Viewport). The default size is specified by Font size ([Default] Document Properties - Paper Space).

Notes:
  • Font (size) and Size properties are linked.
  • When a font is not available in a vector image format, it is replaced by a default font. If the vector output is not acceptable, use a different font in Composer.
all
Size

Specifies the text size, in points. The default size is specified by Font size (in [Default] Document Properties - Paper Space).

Notes:
  • Font (size) and Size properties are linked.
  • Because Size is stored as pixels in Composer files, changing your screen resolution (DPI) changes rendered text sizes.

all
Size in paper space

Defines the font size in the paper space. When you resize the viewport or zoom the paper space, the text scales accordingly. To define text size as fixed in the viewport, clear this property.

Before Zooming the Paper Space
After: Size in paper space Enabled
After: Size in paper space Disabled

Note: You can specify the default value using AnnotationRelativeComposer (for Composer) or AnnotationRelativePlayer (for Composer Player) on the Application Preferences - Advanced Settings page.

all
Parent (level)

Specifies the actor whose Text value is used as the annotation text. You can choose the selected actor (level 0) or any parent. For example, you can select a part or its parent assembly.

Text

Specifies which property or meta-property is displayed as the actor's text.

  • For annotations other than coordinate labels: To type text, which itself can contain properties, select String and use the Text string property.*
  • For coordinate labels: By default, this property is set to None. In this case, only the coordinates are displayed.
Text string

(Available when Text is String.) Specifies the text. To type multiple lines of text or to embed properties, click to display the Text pane. See Text pane.

Wrap

Wraps text. Selecting this option displays an anchor at the top right-hand corner of the annotation. Drag the anchor horizontally to change the width of the label, or specify it in the Wrap width field.

Wrap width

(Available when Wrap is enabled.) Specifies the width of the annotation, in millimeters.

Callout exponent
Quantity exponent

Specifies the location of the BOM quantity on the callout:

  • None (no exponent)
  • Top-right
  • Bottom-right
  • Top-left
  • Bottom-left
Note: To display quantities of 1, enable ShowCalloutExponentX1 (Document Properties - Advanced Properties page).

Example: Top-right exponent with font ratio of 75%:

Font ratio

Specifies the size of the Quantity exponent text as a percentage of the callout text.

Exponent Shape
(Available when Quantity exponent is enabled.) Displays the quantity exponent with a circular background of the same color as the callout background.
Attach
Type

Specifies the attachment line style. You can position the attach line by dragging the anchor at either endpoint.

None(no line to the attach point)
Model
Vertex
Gradient tooltip
Tooltip style
Line
User(three anchors)
Simple
Arc tooltip
Basic
Note: If you select None as the attach type for labels and callouts, the attachment line will disappear. However, if you drag the attach anchor, the attachment line will reappear. To prevent this from happening, you can subscribe the annotation to a style. See Apply a Style.
all
Width

(Available when Attach Type is Line, Vertex, Model, Simple, User, or Arc tooltip.) Specifies the width of the attach line, in millimeters.

Color

(Available when Attach Type is Line, Vertex, Model, Simple, or User.) Specifies the attach color.

Line Type

(Available when Attach Type is Line, Vertex, Model, Simple, or User.) Specifies the attach line type.

End

(Available when Attach Type is Line, User, or Simple.) Specifies the attach extremity symbol.

None
Bold arrow
Medium arrow
Thin arrow
Rhombus
Round
Cross
Size

Specifies the size of the extremity, in millimeters.

Curvature

(Available for Arc tooltip only.) Specifies the arc shape. For 2D panels only, you can change the curvature by dragging the curvature anchor in the viewport.

Attach border
Show

Displays an attach border. Not available for all attach types.





Without attach borderWith attach border (pink)
Note: For annotations, Border settings override Attach border settings.
Color

Specifies the attach border color.

Opacity

Specifies the border opacity, between 0 (transparent) and 255 (solid).

Type

Specifies the border line type.



Width

Specifies the attach border width, in millimeters.

Shape
Shape

Specifies the annotation or label shape.

None
Rectangle
Rounded Rectangle
Square
Circle
Ellipse
Rhombus
Note: When the label orientation is set to Auto, if a measurement value overlaps the leader line and you set its label's shape to None, some padding will be applied around the measurement value to ensure that it remains easy to read.
all
Color

Specifies the shape border color.

all
Opacity

Specifies the shape border opacity.

all
Line
Width

Specifies the line width, in millimeters.

all
Opacity

Specifies the actor opacity (between 0 and 255).

all
Color

Specifies the line color.

all
Type

Specifies the line style.



all
Border
Show

Displays the border.

all
Width

Specifies the border line width, in millimeters.

all
Opacity

Specifies the border opacity (between 0 and 255).

all
Color

Specifies the border color.

all
Event
Link

Defines the action performed when a user clicks an actor or hotspot in the viewport or in vector image output (see the Technical Illustration - Hotspots tab).

To create an event link:

  1. Click in the Link field and then click .
  2. In the Select a Link dialog box, select a link type in the URL field, specify an appropriate target for that type, and then click OK.

    See Select a Link.

  3. To test the event in the viewport, disable Design Mode (status bar) and then click the actor or hotspot.
all
Pack linked resource

(Available when the Link property specifies a file:// URL.) Includes the linked file as part of the Composer document. To omit the file, clear this property and ensure that recipients of the document have the linked file in the same absolute path.

all
Measurement / GD&T
Pre symbol, Middle symbol, Post symbol

Specifies the pre-, middle-, or post-position GD&T symbol.

None
Straightness
Flatness
Circularity
Cylindricity
Line Profile
Surface Profile
Angularity
Perpendicularity
Parallelism
Position
Concentricity
Symmetry
Circular Runout
Total Runout
Projected Tolerance Zone
Max. Material Condition
Min. Material Condition
Free State Variations
Diameter
Plus Minus
Plus
Minus
Equal
To be Defined
Pre string, Middle string, Post string

Specifies the pre-, middle-, or post-position string.



Provide feedback on this topic

SOLIDWORKS welcomes your feedback concerning the presentation, accuracy, and thoroughness of the documentation. Use the form below to send your comments and suggestions about this topic directly to our documentation team. The documentation team cannot answer technical support questions. Click here for information about technical support.

* Required

 
*Email:  
Subject:   Feedback on Help Topics
Page:   Annotation Properties
*Comment:  
*   I acknowledge I have read and I hereby accept the privacy policy under which my Personal Data will be used by Dassault Systèmes

Print Topic

Select the scope of content to print:




x

We have detected you are using a browser version older than Internet Explorer 7. For optimized display, we suggest upgrading your browser to Internet Explorer 7 or newer.

 Never show this message again
x

Web Help Content Version: SOLIDWORKS Composer 2024 SP05

To disable Web help from within SOLIDWORKS and use local help instead, click Help > Use SOLIDWORKS Web Help.

To report problems encountered with the Web help interface and search, contact your local support representative. To provide feedback on individual help topics, use the “Feedback on this topic” link on the individual topic page.