topic Re: Text Arrow Tool in Modeling

Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 16:57:38 GMT

Please Look:

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 16:58:16 GMT

Sorry if it is a dumb question.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Gerald Hoffman — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 17:40:26 GMT

Hi Cole,

Just mirror it.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 17:54:52 GMT

mirroring is a good solution.. the arrow is always on the side the text is aligned to...right alignment right side arrow, left...
-kay

Re: Text Arrow Tool

TomWaltz — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 18:58:06 GMT

Cole_Construction wrote:
Please Look:.

Repeat after me: "The Label Tool is not for placing text. It is for placing Label Objects"

It excels at placing objects which call out element ID's. It's not a text tool, and behaves terribly if you try to use it as one.

You will get much better results if you place your text, then use a polyline with an arrowhead on the end to draw a leader.

I blame Graphisoft, since their icon is VERY misleading

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 19:27:25 GMT

HEHE, thanks guys.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 21:32:14 GMT

Actually we use the leader text (as I like to call it) for all sorts of noting on plans and sections. I'm not sure what happened, but in our template file the leader text works fine with a left arrow, but when I opened a new and reset file I could not place a correct left arrow. There must be a setting somewhere that controls this.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Richard Morrison — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 23:46:47 GMT

Did you uncheck "Fix Angle" under the Default settings? Try that.

I like the label tool for text, because you can "eyedropper" the text block. (Unfortunately, can't "syringe" it, though, and have the text itself applied.) Very handy with holddown notations, for example, or other repetitive notes. Also, you can have any number of predefined text blocks in Favorites with this tool.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Aussie John — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 00:44:01 GMT

I always use the label tool for text annotation. It might not be as elegant but it sure is much faster and convenient. You can even select two labels and edit both at the same time in the dialog box. You can use the align command to align the text too. Wins hands down as far as I am concerened.

There is nothing to stop you putting the arrow haed any where you like. Check the angle box if you have any problems.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:29:30 GMT

Typical for the way this software devolves this label tool was good until it was screwed and now it picked it will not hold its shape

uhhh

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Link — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 22:58:23 GMT

Repeat after me: "The Label Tool is not for placing text. It is for placing Label Objects"

It excels at placing objects which call out element ID's. It's not a text tool, and behaves terribly if you try to use it as one.

You will get much better results if you place your text, then use a polyline with an arrowhead on the end to draw a leader.

I blame Graphisoft, since their icon is VERY misleading

Wow Tom - with all due respect mate - I couldn't disgree with you more on this one. The label tool is fantastic for placing text. They become one element, you can mirror them predictably, you can make favorites of them (!!). In fact this is what an independent label is for!!!

There is a little annoying bug that the fix angle comes on all the time, but with it unchecked, you can you the label tool's sub element edit from the pet palette to stretch it anywhere.

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

__archiben — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:31:08 GMT

Tom wrote:
Repeat after me: "The Label Tool is not for placing text. It is for placing Label Objects"

Link wrote:
Wow Tom - with all due respect mate - I couldn't disgree with you more on this one. The label tool is fantastic for placing text.

unfortunately link i'm coming down on the side of the 'don't even think about using labels for placing text'. it all comes down to usability (again) . . . the label tool makes such hard work of anything such that placing a couple of lines and a text block gives far more positioning and editing flexibility.

i guess we mac users have been treated to the deluxe usability model for so long that we won't lower ourselves to inferior tools anymore . . .

~/archiben

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Link — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:11:45 GMT

i guess we mac users have been treated to the deluxe usability model for so long that we won't lower ourselves to inferior tools anymore . . .

I guess so mate - maybe you should give them another try? Make a few favorites with predefined text, (be sure to uncheck the Fix Angle until GS fixes the bug) and label away.

What's the problem? Here - I've even attached a few label favorites for you to play with!

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

TomWaltz — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:30:21 GMT

Link wrote:
I guess so mate - maybe you should give them another try? Make a few favorites with predefined text, (be sure to uncheck the Fix Angle until GS fixes the bug) and label away.Cheers,
Link.

Link,

for me it comes down to a few things:
1) Lack of arrow control - The arrows either come off the very corner of the text block or the very center. Neither coincides with my office's graphic standard.
2) Weird bug where the text and arrow move apart from each other. The arrow moves further upward, and looks like it is pointing to another note.
3) Lack of Search & Replace. It's so nice to find all the notes you placed '5/8" Gypsum Sheating' and change it to "3/4" Plywood", even though it's in a random collection of notes that are not all the same.
4) It's SO cumbersome to change just a couple words in each of a dozen Labels compared to the Text Tool.

I could see where it could be useful. I just think the Label Tool itself is too misbehaved and erratic to trust it with anything more than displaying a GLOB_ID. I got so fed up with it I coded my own arrows into the Label Object so I would not have to deal with #2 above. Bad enough on text, you can imagine its affect on a diamond-shaped label.

The idea of making favorites out of notes is neat. I'd be more impressed if Independent Labels could read a central text file in a project and a change to the text file updated all instances of the note... (yes I tried writing that one once, didn't get too far!)

Re: Text Arrow Tool

__archiben — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:38:12 GMT

Link wrote:
What's the problem?

"adjust" . . . or lack thereof . . .

can i ask how you organise the naming of your label favourites when you have several hundred of them? how can it be quicker to find a favourite as opposed to dragging a copy of an existing instance?

it needs a big improvement in both labels and favourites before i will take that route . . .

~/archiben

Re: Text Arrow Tool

__archiben — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:40:15 GMT

and . . . curved leader lines?!?! you ought to be shot!

~/archiben

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Link — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:51:05 GMT

1) Lack of arrow control - The arrows either come off the very corner of the text block or the very center. Neither coincides with my office's graphic standard.

Sometimes you just gotta relax the standards mate! Although I do agree that we should either have an offset value for the leader position relative to the text (like the label frame offset) and/or be able to use a pet palette option to move the text away.

2) Weird bug where the text and arrow move apart from each other. The arrow moves further upward, and looks like it is pointing to another note.

never seen that one myself - is it a 9 bug? A simple stretch should reposition it in a jiffy!

3) Lack of Search & Replace. It's so nice to find all the notes you placed '5/8" Gypsum Sheating' and change it to "3/4" Plywood", even though it's in a random collection of notes that are not all the same.

Search & Replace works with labels too.

4) It's SO cumbersome to change just a couple words in each of a dozen Labels compared to the Text Tool.

That's what favorites are for. Select the label in you want to change and double click your favorite. (Just like you do with all your favoriites right? )

"adjust" . . . or lack thereof . . .

Adjusting labels works beautifully!

can i ask how you organise the naming of your label favourites when you have several hundred of them? how can it be quicker to find a favourite as opposed to dragging a copy of an existing instance?

Very carefully mate! Or just make favorites of the ones you use the most.

Anyway I am out of desire on this one, (and out of bait!) You guys go use your lines and your text and knock yourselves out!

Best regards.

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

__archiben — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 01:13:54 GMT

Link wrote:
Tom wrote:
4) It's SO cumbersome to change just a couple words in each of a dozen Labels compared to the Text Tool.
That's what favorites are for. Select the label in you want to change and double click your favorite. (Just like you do with all your favoriites right? )

annotation often has to be tweaked to fit a particular place on a drawing. part of that also involves abbreviations and grammar alterations without changing the meaning of the particular note. without knowing where that note has got to fit, creating every single instance of that favourite is impossible.

Link wrote:
Ben wrote:
"adjust" . . . or lack thereof . . .
Adjusting labels works beautifully!

select leader line > Edit > Adjust > click line/edge you want it to adjust to. (try doing it with more than one leader line) . . . doesn't work with labels - although to the label tool's credit, it does align the text block.

cheers!
ben

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Link — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 01:22:40 GMT

D a m n bait!

without knowing where that note has got to fit, creating every single instance of that favourite is impossible.

You can always stretch the label text to any size block you want right? I don't see how this is any harder than regular text.

select leader line > Edit > Adjust > click line/edge you want it to adjust to. (try doing it with more than one leader line) . . . doesn't work with labels

I must be working miracles in this hotel room, because all my labels are adjusting just fine.

Dunno if I can be swayed on this one mate - it's worked too well for too many people.

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Text Arrow Tool

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 01:32:15 GMT

Used to copy an paste noted from Word in to the label tool. Sice the improvements I must set Word at 7.5 pints to obtain 5.5 in Archicad. The any formatted text in Word will screw up the label format.

Is is like GS is writing viruses for me.

Just today I have spent six hours on :

1. Window does not plublis PDF

2. change published item in AC does not change published PMK even if this is deleted emptied no matter what

3. the the label copy paste

4. AC publisher slows because i have to many layers or maybe layer combinations.

uhhh