Label Styles

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Introduction

Label commands introduced in the V16 release of the product all use Label Styles to manage the display of label information in the drawing.

Label Styles manage the display of all of these labels.  Label Styles are separated by the type of object they are intended to represent - this enables control of the the text 'properties' (information about the object the label relates to) and line 'connection' (as an example, vertical curve labels may need to be attached to the start or end of a vertical curve, or at the vertical intersection point (IP) location) to relate specifically to the object to which they are being applied.

Anatomy of a Label Style

With few exceptions, a Label Style is made up of a collection of:

• Symbols (blocks)
• Text, and
• Lines (polylines). 

One of the components added will act as the 'marker' to control the insertion point of the label. Some labels are able to be repositioned by the user - the 'marker' acts as the insertion point for the label.  Some labels will update text information when the marker is repositioned (such as Surface labels) whilst others will only move the Label position (such as Elevations on Poly labels).  Labels act as a 'group' when the 'marker' is moved, moving relative to the change in the marker position.

When a label is created, data is stored with the label to maintain information regarding the relative position and orientation of each of the components that makes up the label.  When a component of the label is selected using CAD controls (such as grips) and repositioned, it will still remain part of the label and 'remember' the new position.  Similarly, commands such as move and rotate will result in the component being updated and the manual edits 'remembered' by the label.

Text components may be 'attached' to a line so that the insertion, orientation and justification of the text is dependent on the line geometry.  
Notes: For text to be associated to a Line entry, the Line entry must PRECEDE (come before) the Text entry/ies in the list of components, otherwise it will not use the Line geometry for the text position and rotation.  If text is associated with a line, the X offset control is disabled for the text postion.

Label Editing

Some labels are able to be repositioned by the user (such as Surface Labels) - the Label Style assigns a 'Marker' to one of the label components, with movement of the 'marker' triggering a new location of the Label insertion (resulting in a recalculation of the text information in the label).

Below is an example of a Label Style being edited using AutoCAD grip edits - the 'marker' in this case is the symbol (block).  The text objects are associated with the Line (polyline) geometry.

Updating Labels

Some labels will update when they are grip edited in the drawing.  Labels are always updated when the Move Label command or the Update/Create Label commands are used in the respective label creation commands.

Typically, label text will not update automatically when the source object (eg: surface elevations) change.  The Label Synchronise command should be used in these cases to update all Labels in the drawing.

When working with labels, it is recommended to run the Synchronise command whenever edits are made, such as:

• The source object (eg: surface) is edited which requires a recalculation/update of the text information
• The Label Style applied to the label in the drawing is edited
• Other moves are applied (eg: move, scale or rotate commands) and the label details are not updated (you must move the label Marker for text components of the label to udpate)
• The Drawing Annotation scale is changed - this is relevant for all labels that are set to read the Drawing Scale
• If it appears that any label/s are not describing the correct information

About Text Heights, Symbol Sizes and Line Lengths

It is recommended that all text heights, symbol sizes, offsets and line lengths be specified in mm (or in imperial situations, inch) units.  When Labels are inserted into the drawing, users can specify a drawing scale to apply to the labels upon insertion (or set the labels to automatically react to the drawing annotation scale).  The scale is applied to all values for the geometry, size and position of all components of the label.

Text Details - Static Text and Object (Property) Text

Each Text element can be set to include static (non-changing) text as well as object property text (text that reads information from the object to which it is attached).

Typically, the properties reference a specific attribute of the object (eg; for Surfaces, it might be required to include the surface elevation or surface slope), however some properties are conditional.

Examples of conditional text is surface cut and fill.  If the text property includes a question mark (?) then it will only be applied if those conditions are met (including the associated prefix/suffix).  A good example of this is for the surface label styles - text properties include Cut ? and Fill ?.  If both properties are added to the text object, only one will display (depending on whether it is in a cut or fill condition).

Label Examples

Label Styles are categorised by the objects that they are to represent.  Below are some Labels created for different object types:

Relates to	Label Type/Command	Details	Sample	Availability
Surface	Surface Labels - Surface Elevations	Display surface elevations, including cut and fill		All
	Surface Labels - Surface Slopes	Display instantaneous slope information for a surface		All
	Surface Labels - 2 Point Slopes	Display AVERAGE slope calculated between two points, defined by the start and end of a Line element defined in the style Note: the Line must act as the Marker for this type of application.		All
Surface/Alignment	Elevations on Polyline	Display surface elevation information, calculated at a polyline vertex and text oriented to the polyline		All
Alignment	Chainage (Station) on Polyline	Display alignment chainage information, calculated at a polyline vertex and text oriented to the polyline		All
	Chainage/Offset (Station/Offset)	Display alignment chainage(station) and information, calculated at a selected location in the drawing		All
Road	VC Details	Display string vertical geometry on the plan		CSD Imperial
	Multi String and String Labels	Display information on plan related to design codes on a String, such as elevation and code		CSD Imperial
Profile Views  (USA)	Vertical Geometry Labels	Display vertical geometry information on the profile views.		All
	Horizontal Geometry Labels	Display horizontal geometry information on the profile views.		All
Pipes	Network Labels - Pits	Display pit information		All
	Network Labels - Pipes	Display pipe information		All
	House Connections	Display house connection information at start, end or middle of the house connection		All
Section Outputs	Plot Layers Sections	Display information in the section bands (eg: Design elevations, offsets, existing surface elevations, etc)		All
	Plot Layers Sections - Surface Label	Display information on the section view itself for publishing section outputs		All

 

Local vs Global Label Styles

The Label Styles used in a drawing are always local to that drawing/project only - known as local styles.

There is a specific command to create Global Label Styles - these styles are automatically propagated to new drawings/projects as local styles.

Use the Copy Label Styles command to copy between the current drawing (local) and the CSD Settings folder (global). 

Label Style Process

Upon starting the command, the user is required to pick the type of Label Style to edit - this relates back to the objects that the Label Style is intended for.

Following selection of the type, the Label Style form displays.  This form is, with few exceptions, the same regardless of the Label type (the same regardless of what object it's intended for)

Details

Upon selecting the command the following form is displayed:

List of Label Types	Select an item. This lists each Label Type - the Label Type name of each is descriptive of both what the label is intended for as well as the name of the related Label command. Exceptions: - Pipes and Pits/Structures are label styles for the Network Labels command - Road String Codes are label styles for both the Multi String labels and String Labels commands
OK	Open the Label Style editor for the selected Label type

Following this selection the Label Style form displays:

Label Styles	Pick a Label Style to edit
New	Create a new label style.  A form will display to enter a new Label Style name.
Delete	Deletes the highlighted label style.  A warning message will display to confirm deletion.
Import and Copy	Opens a Windows Explorer type window to select another Label Style to copy, rename and import into the current Label Styles.  By default, the path initially is set to the current drawing/project data directory. After selecting a Label Style to use, the user is prompted to set a name for this copied Label Style. It is then added to the Label Style listing for editing.
Copy	Creates a copy of the currently selected Label Style. User is prompted to name the new Label style.
Plot Items	Lists all of the items (objects/components) that collectively represent the Label.  Each of these items is an element of label display
List of Items	Each added item is listed, with a basic description of the component type (Text, Line, Symbol). Double click on an entry to open it for editing
Add Label Items	Allows for adding new components to the Label.
	Adds a text component to the Label Style.  Inputs are as follows   Description Optional name for the text component.  Currently not used. Behaviour Sets how the label component will be used and displayed in the overall label.    Use for Label Position (Marker)  If toggled on, this text element can be moved in the drawing to set a new insertion position for the entire label.    Cannot Move Toggle on to prevent user relocation of this text element in the drawing - when moved it will redraw back to the default location    Include in Overall Border Currently not used.    Plan Readable Text  If toggled on, flips text in Model space to be plan readable.    Use Symbol Anchor If toggled on, AND a Symbol entry higher in the list of entries has 'Anchor for Text' toggled on, the text position will be set to match the Symbol insertion position.  The x,y controls will be disabled and the text will move when the Symbol is moved/rotated in the drawing (via an AutoCAD command or grip edit). Text Details Core text display controls    Height  Type in a text height.    Style Pick a text style     Layer Pick a layer from the drawing     Use Line Options include: - (not used): text position is not related to any Line entry - Middle - Y value adjusts: text is positioned centrally over the line.  Both the Insert Position X and Y parameters can be applied.  The Text Justification, Vertical parameter is locked to Middle - Above: text position can be set relative to a preceding Line entry, above the line - Below: text position can be set relative to a preceding Line entry, below the line     Position If selected, this sets an insertion position and rotation for the text, relative to the line segments in the Line entry above this text entry.  Text Insertion Position offsets and Text Justification also apply.  Options include: - Start of first line segment: insertion position for the text is at the start of the first line segment defined in the Line entry - Middle of first line segment: insertion position for the text is at the middle of the first line segment defined in the Line entry - End of first line segment: insertion position for the text is at the end of the first line segment defined in the Line entry - Start of last line segment: insertion position for the text is at the start of the last line segment defined in the Line entry - Middle of last line segment: insertion position for the text is at the middle of the last line segment defined in the Line entry - End of last line segment: insertion position for the text is at the end of the last line segment defined in the Line entry   Insertion Position Set text position relative to the insertion point of the label, or a Line.      X: Distance in the X direction from the insertion point.  Distance is measured with X horizontal, except when the Label Style relates to attachment to a linear object (such as a Road code or a polyline) in which case X is measured parallel to the direction of the linear feature If text is associated with a line AND no Position is set, this parameter is ignored.  Otherwise, this is applied.      Y: Distance in the Y direction from the insertion point.  Distance is measured with Y vertical, except when the Label Style relates to attachment to a linear object (such as a Road code or a polyline) in which case Y is measured perpendicular to the direction of the linear feature      Band Position Pick List This only displays for Label Styles being applied to a Band (Row).  This sets the vertical position of the text relative to the band top/mid/bottom.   This is ignored if the text is associated to a line with the Use Line and Position controls.   Rotation Apply a rotation.  This is applied after changing the Insertion Position.  Rotation is relative to horizontal, or parallel to a linear feature     Angle  Pick an angle      Match to Symbol Angle If a Symbol entry precedes this entry then if this is toggled on the text will rotate with a rotation of the symbol.   Text Justification Set text justification - this is applied after the Insertion Position is calculated.      Horizontal Text justification: Left, Centre, Right      Vertical Text justification: Bottom, Middle, Top If text is associated with a line, this parameter is ignored. Text Contents Create the text information to include.  This can consist of static text and text from the object properties.  As an example, a Surface label style would include text properties of surface elevation, cut, fill, etc.  Multiple text entries can be added and will result in the text being joined together in one text string.  Options:    Prefix Type in a prefix.  Use an underscore _ to create a space at the start/end of this value    Item Select an object Property to use.  The list of properties will differ pending the type of Label Style. For information on the Edit# fields, review the Edit User Input Fields command    Suffix Type in a suffix.  Use an underscore _ to create a space at the start/end of this value    Decimals Use the pick list to select the number of decimal places to display.    Remove Trailing 0 If the number is rounding to a zero, this will be truncated from the text    Remove Trailing Decimal If a whole number, the decimal point will be removed from the text Delete an entry Move a text entry up in the list Move an entry down in the list OK Open the Label Editor Cancel Exit.
	Adds a polyline to the Label Style.  Inputs are as follows   Layer Select a layer for the polyline Behaviour Sets how the label component will be used and displayed in the overall label.    Use for Label Position (Marker)  If toggled on, this line element can be moved in the drawing to set a new insertion position for the entire label.    Cannot Move Toggle on to prevent user relocation of this polyline element in the drawing - when moved it will redraw back to the default location    Include in Overall Border Currently not used. Line Geometry Set how the position of the line is determined, and set distances for the vertices of the polyline.  Two entries are required to generate 1 line segment.  Add more entries for more line segments in the polyline.    X is  This sets the position/direction of the line.  In most cases, this will have no impact on where the line is drawn. For VC labelling, there are multiple locations for attaching lines (such as the start of a vertical curve, the end of a vertical curve, vertical IP's, etc).  X is contains important options to set the line to be positioned at the correct geoemetry position.    X Type a value.  0 is the insertion point of the label.  Direction is horizontal, except when attached to a linear feature.  For these cases X is parallel to the feature    Y is  This sets the position/direction of the line.  In most cases, this will have no impact on where the line is drawn. For VC labelling, there are multiple locations for attaching lines (such as the start of a vertical curve, the end of a vertical curve, vertical IP's, etc).  X is contains important options to set the line to be positioned at the correct geoemetry position.    Y Type a value.  0 is the insertion point of the label.  Direction is vertical, except when attached to a linear feature.  For these cases Y is perpendicular to the feature  Delete Row Delete a highlighted row Include Block Arrows Block arrows can be added to the start and end of the line    Start Select a block to apply - blocks are available from the ARD Settings folder.  Block sizes are used directly from the ARD Settings Folder    End Select a block to apply - blocks are available from the ARD Settings folder.  Block sizes are used directly from the ARD Settings Folder OK Save and close Cancel Exit.
	Adds a block to the Label Style.  Inputs are as follows   Symbol Select a block from the ARD Settings folder Layer Select a layer to draw the block on Behaviour Sets how the label component will be used and displayed in the overall label.    Use for Label Position (Marker)  If toggled on, this symbol element can be moved in the drawing to set a new insertion position for the entire label.    Cannot Move Toggle on to prevent user relocation of this symboxl element in the drawing - when moved it will redraw back to the default location    Include in Overall Border Currently not used.    Preview Only Mode Display Only displays when a label preview is displayed.  This is great if a Marker needs to be assigned to an object, to enable other objects to be grip moved in the drawing.    Anchor for text If toggled on, then Text entries below this entry can be set to use the Symbol Insertion Point Offset for the Text insertion position.    Apply Drawing Scale in Layout This option only displays for Label Styles that are applied to plot/sheet outputs (Plot Long Sections, Cross Section Plot, Profile Views and Section Views). It ticked on, the symbol is scaled by the Vertical and Horizontal Scales set at the time of plotting. Insertion Point Offset By default the symbol insertion is coincident with the label insertion point    X Type a value.  0 is the insertion point of the label.  Direction is horizontal, except when attached to a linear feature.  For these cases X is parallel to the feature    Y Type a value.  0 is the insertion point of the label.  Direction is vertical, except when attached to a linear feature.  For these cases Y is perpendicular to the feature Scale Set a scale to insert the block    X X scale     Y Y scale Rotation Sets a rotation on the block   Angle Type in an angle in degrees OK Save and close Cancel Exit.
Item Controls	Move label components and edit label components in the list.
	Copy an entry
	Edits an entry. The same forms will display as described above, based on the entry type.
	Delete an entry
	Move an entry up in the list
	Move an entry down in the list
Label Preview	Preview display before creation
	Adds the current Label Style as a preview label in the drawing
Test Angle	Type in a testing angle for the preview label
Disable Plan Readable for preview	Tick on to disable
Preview All Styles	Create all Label Styles as preview labels in the drawing.
OK	Create/Update Label Style and exit.
Cancel	Exit without change.
	Enables panning in the drawing.  Left click or press a keyboard button to return to the form.

 

 

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