Label Styles


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Menu:   Alignments > Labels > Label Styles
Surfaces > Labels > Label Styles
Roads > Labels > Label Styles
Pipes > Labels > Label Styles
General > Labels > Label Styles
Ribbon:   Alignments Tab > Utilities Panel > Labels Dropdown > Label Styles
Surfaces Tab > Utilities Panel > Labels Dropdown > Label Styles
Roads Tab > Plan Production Panel > Labels Dropdown > Label Styles
Pipes Tab > Plan Production Panel > Labels Dropdown > Label Styles
General Tab > Labels Panel > Settings Dropdown > Label Styles


Introduction

Label commands introduced in Civil Site Design V16 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:

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:

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/Alignment Elevations on Polyline Display surface elevation information, calculated at a polyline vertex and text oriented to the polyline All
Alignment Chainage on Polyline Display alignment chainage information, calculated at a polyline vertex and text oriented to the polyline All
Road VC Details Display string vertical geometry on the plan CSD Imperial Only
  Multi String and String Labels Display information on plan related to design codes on a String, such as elevation and code CSD Imperial Only
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.

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

There is a button to make copies of styles - these can come from any location and will be copied locally to the drawing.

Conversely, any Label Styles that are manually copied out of the drawing/project folder can be pasted into the CSD Settings folder to be used as Global Label Styles.

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 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.

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
- 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

  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, this parameter is ignored.

     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

     Pick List

Applies to section plotting of bands.  Options are From Top, From Middle and From Bottom.  This relates to the initial insertion position within the band.

  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.

   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.
For section plotting of bands, the Y position can be relative to the top of band (From Top) or bottom of band (From Bottom)

   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 CSD Settings folder.  Block sizes are used directly from the CSD Settings Folder

   End

Select a block to apply - blocks are available from the CSD Settings folder.  Block sizes are used directly from the CSD 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 CSD 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.

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.

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.