As a Standard, never use the word standard for your standard style names

AutoCAD has many styles. If you use Civil3D (and AutoCAD vertical) you have a plethora of styles. I have come across many instances where companies create a style, be it text, dimension, point label, etc., where they have named it “STANDARD”. It makes sense. You want a standard style to be used by everyone. Which text style should I use? Oh yeah, the one marked STANDARD. It is clear, concise, and easily understood by CAD users of all levels.

There is an issue though. If the naming convention of STANDARD is so simple to use, then many companies will be using it. The problem comes when your files intermingle with theirs. What if you need to insert or reference a third party’s files into yours. Or worse, what if a third party is referencing your files? Assume both companies are using STANDARD for their main text style. Your company uses ROMANS for your standard font. They use SCRIPT. They insert your file into theirs. AutoCAD then recognizes your text style of STANDARD but applies company B’s style settings and all of your text is now script.

Why does this happen? Well, AutoCAD reads a style and uses the style that is already in the file. If two different styles have the same name, it goes with the style it already knows in the open file.

AutoCAD Quick Tip – Create Multileader Style with Right Click

AutoCAD® has an annotation tool known as Multileaders.  Their display features are controlled by styles (if you are doing it right that is) in the same way dimensions and text styles control the display settings of their objects.  If you find that a multileader has been customized and is no longer controlled by a specific style you can quickly create a new style from it.

Here’s how:

1. Select the multileader.  
2. Right Click.  
3. Multileader Style. 
4. Save as New Multileader Style.

Done.  Now open it in the Multileader Style Manager and double check that it turned out the way you hoped.  I tried it several times on different leaders and sometimes it did funky things, but they were easy to remedy.

Autodesk screen shots reprinted with the permission of Autodesk, Inc.

Multileader Styles

AutoCAD 2008 gave us Multileaders. I have previously posted on them here and spoke about their general use, multi leadered leaders. Now lets take a look and see how to set up a Multileader style.

Let’s start by creating a new Multileader Style. A Multileader style works just like any other style in AutoCAD. In fact, it has many of the same settings as the dimension styles do. Open up the Multileader style manager. Click the NEW button on the right. It starts you off by copying one of your current styles from the drawing file.

There is a default style called STANDARD. I recommend that you create your own default style that is called anything else except standard. This is true for all styles, if you can help it. The reason is that everyone using AutoCAD has a style called standard because it comes that way. If anyone copies your Multileader (or text, or dimension, or etc.) from your file and places it in theirs, it will take on the style attributes called standard that are in their file. Their STANDARD style might not be set the same way yours is! But if you give it a unique name, it is less likely to take on the wrong attributes.

I will call this one ml-001. No reason, only that it isn’t standard. When you give your new Multileader style a name, you have the option of making it annotative or not (meaning that it will be scaled by the annotative scaling feature.) Don’t worry, you can change this later if you wish.

The style Manager has three different tabs; Leader Format, Leader Structure, and Content.

Leader

This is where you set the type, color, linetype, arrowhead, and break size.Most of these items are pretty easy to understand, so I won’t go over every setting option. But here are what I feel are the most important:

• Type:Straight, spline or none.The straight setting creates a “straight” lined leader.The spline creates a curved lined leader.
• Color, Linetype, Linewight: use these to set the color, linetype, and lineweight for the leader.
• Arrowhead Symbol/Size: This works just like the dimension style setting for arrowhead. Choose one or choose a to use a block you created. That is what your arrowhead will be and what size it will be.
• Leader Break Size: Controls the settings used when adding a dimension break to a multileader.

Leader Structure

This tab is where you can set the constraints, structure and scale of the multileader:

• Constraints-Maximum Leader Points: Specifies a maximum number of points for the leader line.
• First Segment Angle: Specifies the angle of the first point in the leader line.
• Second Segment Angle: Specifies the angle of the second point in the multileader landing line.
• Landing Settings: Controls the landing settings of the multileader.
• Automatically Include Landing: Attaches a horizontal landing line to the multileader content.
• Set Landing Distance: Determines the fixed distance for the multileader landing line.
• Scale: Controls the scaling of the multileader.
• Annotative: Specifies that the multileader is annotative.

When the multileader is not annotative, the following options are available.

• Scale Multileaders to Layout: Determines a scaling factor for the multileader based on the scaling in the model space and paper space viewports.
• Specify Scale: Specifies the scale for the multileader.

Content

This tab contains the controls for the content of the multileader style.

• Multileader type: You can choose from Mtext, Block, or None.

Here are the options associated with the Mtext type Multileader:

• Default text: this text will be inserted in to the leader by default. You can always change it.
• Text Angle: Always right reading, As Inserted, or Keep Horizontal.
• Style, Color, Height: set the text style, color and height.
• Always Left Justify: well, check this box and your multileader text will always be left justified.
• Frame Text: Check this box and your text will have a frame around it.
• Leader Conection – Left Attachement: if your text is on the left, then this setting tells AutoCAD where to place the landing, center, top, bottom, etc.
• Leader Connection-Right Attachement: same as above, but when on the right.
• Landing Gap: the gap between the landing and the text.

Here are the options if BLOCK is set for the multileader type:

• Source Block: choose form several premade blocks, or create your own.
• Attachment: sets how the block will be attached to the leader.
• Color: set the color

Most of these settings are obvious and are easily figured out. Some might be a little tricky. Just set these the way you want them and save the style.

Happy CADDING.

Impression – Update CAD Geometry

One of the best features of Autodesk’s Impression, is the ability to update the geometry of the drawing. In this Impression Tip, we will discuss how to update the drawings linework, instantly (or pretty close to it) and keep the rendering styles intact. Try redoing a drawing by hand!

You started off with a great CAD drawing. You imported it into Impression and you used FILL STYLES to render it. It looks great, your best work ever. BUT!!!! The client called, and needs the drawing changed, for whatever reason. Does it really matter why? Nope, you have to deliver. Impression can do that.

I recommend saving your first file and working from a copy of it. That way, when your client (or boss as it often is) changes his (or her) mind you haven’t lost a thing. Anyway, just update the cad file and your done. I know, not much of a tip. How do you UPDATE the cad geometry?

Go to the FILE pulldown menu item. Go to the UPDATE CAD GEOMETRY button and click it. Now you have a choice. You can pick from these three options: entire file, sketches, or layers.

Picking the entire file option will update, well, the entire file. You might not want that, so you have more options. The sketches option provides a list of the different line work and annotations that are available in the drawing file. This list will also include blocks. The layers option will provide a list of the layers. Choose the layers you want to reload.

A dialog box will appear, regardless of the method you choose, that will provide a list of the available items to pick from. Choose wisely!

If you made your drawing using layer styles, and each layer has a style, then the update should go pretty smoothly with very little re-doing of anything. Assuming that is that the cad linework was done with closed polylines. If you rendered your Impression file using fills, then again, assuming you have anchor points for those fills in every proper spot, then you will have little rework to do. Now, please understand that having this happen, meaning having little to no work to do, is a rare thing. Typically the lines move enough so that several of the anchor points are not in the right place. That’s ok, because it won’t be as if you have to redo the entire drawing!

Happy CADDING

Impression – Styles

AutoDesk’s Impression software is a color rendering application that creates non-photo realistic images. It was designed to provide a digital means of producing rendered drawings that closely resemble the more traditional method of hand rendering. This is primarily accomplished through the use STYLES. Impression styles work just like any other type of style in the Autodesk world. They have a name and settings. Each style, whether out of the box, or self-generated, can be altered at any time. Do what you need to do.

Styles are saved in the drawing (Impression file extensions are .IRF) they are created in. BUT, users can export them to a styles library for future use. This works great when working on multiple drawings from the same project, or for working on different but similar projects. Just bring them in and apply the style as needed.

Styles are basically applied to a layer. In Impression 2 we have the autolayer feature. This will automatically assign items layers. You can add a style different ways, to a layer or to an object. The easiest way to apply a style to a layer is to select the style, click it, drag it and drop it on the layer you want it on. Very simple. Or, to change an objects style, select the object (a fill pattern for example), then change the style name setting to the layer you want. You can click and drag a style on top of an abject, but it will only add the new style on top of the old style. You might not want that. But this is a method to use to try and get unique effects, so keep that in mind.

Altering a style is simple enough. Select the style you want, and then make any changes you need or want. Save the file and add it to your library for future use.

Styles are the backbone of Impression. I suggest messing the settings just to see what you can do with them. I’ll get more in depth with them as time goes on.

Happy CADDING!

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