Annotation Scaling 103

The new automated annotation scaling in AutoCAD 2008 only works for objects that are annotative; meaning their Annotative property (available in the Properties window) is set to Yes. In addition to applying the annotative property on a per-object basis (as I described in my previous post), you can create Text, Dimension, and Multileader Styles that automatically enable the Annotative property. You’ll find a new Annotative option in the Text Style, Dimension Style, and Multileader Style dialog boxes. When the Annotative option is enabled for a style, the style name is preceded by an Annotative icon. This icon helps you identify which styles are annotative when viewing them in a style list.

The annotative object property is automatically enabled for objects, including Text, MTEXT, Dimensions, Tolerance, Leaders, and Multileaders, which use an annotative style. However, you can override the Annotative property on a per-object basis using the Properties window. If an object is using an annotative style but you set its Annotative object property to No, that object will behave just like it would in older releases of AutoCAD.

When you change the Annotative option for a style, existing objects that reference that style are not automatically updated to reflect the change. If you want the annotative properties of selected objects to match those of the object’s style, you can use the ANNOUPDATE command. For example, if your drawing was created in a previous version of AutoCAD using the Standard dimension style, the Annotative property for those existing dimensions is set to No. You can modify the Standard dimension style so that the Annotative option is enabled. Now when you create new dimensions using the Standard dimension style, or when you apply the Standard dimension style to existing dimensions, the Annotative property will be enabled. However, the existing dimensions that already use the Standard dimension style must be updated with the ANNOUPDATE command… or you could select them and manually change their Annotative property in the Properties window.

Regardless of how the Annotative property of an object is enabled (through styles or by manually changing it), AutoCAD automatically creates a scale representation using the current annotation scale…. But wait! I still haven’t described scale representations or annotation scales!  Bear with me! I promise I’ll get to it!