Placing Annotations - SmartSketch - Help

SmartSketch Help

Language
English
Product
SmartSketch
Search by Category
Help
SmartSketch Version
7.1(2011R1)

An essential part of the drawing process is adding text, notes, and annotations. Annotations are text and graphics that give information about a drawing. You can add this information quickly and easily with the text and annotation commands in the software.

To place annotations in a document, you can click one of the following buttons:

  • Text Box on the Draw toolbar

  • Balloon on the Dimension toolbar

Annotations with Leaders

When you create a balloon, you can place it with a leader by setting options on the ribbon. The leader can point to another element or be placed in free space. Annotations with leaders have the following components:

(A)

Leader line

(B)

Break line

(C)

Graphic end

(D)

Annotation

You can manipulate the annotation by selecting the leader and moving parts of it. You can control the display of a leader break line and the graphic end and insert or delete vertices on a leader.

Adding Leaders

You can add a leader to an annotation using Leader on the Dimension toolbar. All leaders have two ends - the notation end and the graphic end. The notation end, or the end that describes something, is often attached to a text box or the annotation itself; the graphic end is the end near the object being described and frequently has a terminator arrow or free-space dot on it. An annotation can have more than one leader. The graphic end of the annotation can point to an element or be placed in free space. The notation end of a new leader must connect to an annotation or the leader on an annotation.

You can create a callout by placing a text box and adding a leader to it with Leader .

Annotations and Associations

Annotations can be associative or non-associative. An associative annotation moves when its associated element moves. Text boxes differ from the other annotations in that they are always non-associative.

If you attach the terminator of a leader to an element, the annotation moves with the element.

If you point the graphic end of a leader to free space, the annotation is not associative to any element in the drawing. To make an annotation associative, you can select the graphic end of the leader and drag it to an element.

Formatting Annotations

You can format an annotation several ways. If you want several annotations to look the same, you can apply a style by selecting it on the ribbon. You can apply dimension styles to balloons, but not text boxes. You can apply text styles to text boxes.

If you want to format an existing balloon, click the balloon leader to select the balloon. Then, you can change the format of the balloon.

If you want annotations to look unique, you can select an annotation and edit its properties with the ribbon or with Properties on the Edit menu.

See Also

Place a Balloon
Place a Text Box
Add a Leader
Move an Annotation