How to Create Text in BricsCAD
Quick answer: TEXT places single lines of text (and can optionally evaluate LISP expressions), while MTEXT places formatted paragraph text inside a bounding box.
Creating Single Line Text
- Click Text on the Draw toolbar or Annotate/Text ribbon panel, choose Text from the Draw menu, or run
TEXT. - You’re prompted for a start point, or to choose a justification option (use defined Style, Align on line, Fit between points, Center horizontally, Middle, Right justify, or further justification options).
- Specify a point. You’re prompted for the text height.
- Press Enter to accept the current height, type a value, or click a point to define it graphically. You’re prompted for a rotation angle.
- Press Enter to accept the current angle, type a value, or click a point to define it graphically.
- Type the text and press Enter; a new, empty text line is created.
- Either type more text, or press Enter to stop.
- Optionally keep adding lines, then press Enter twice to finish.
If you’ve already created text in the current session, repeating TEXT highlights the most recent text entity; pressing Enter or right-clicking creates a new line below it, using the same height and rotation angle automatically.
Creating Multiline Text
- Click Multiline Text on the Draw toolbar or Annotate/Text ribbon panel, choose Multiline Text from the Draw menu, or run
MTEXT. You’re prompted for the first corner of the text block. - Specify the insertion point. You’re prompted for the opposite corner, or to choose Justification, Rotation angle, text Style, text Height, Direction, Width, Line spacing, or Columns.
- Either specify the opposite corner to define the block’s maximum width (with Dynamic Dimensions active, height and width display dynamically, type values into the fields,
Tabto switch between them, Enter to confirm), or type@and press Enter for non-wrapped, zero-width text with unlimited line width. - Type the text; the maximum line width follows the block width you defined, and pressing Enter starts a new paragraph.
- Finish by clicking OK, pressing
Ctrl+Enter, or clicking outside the MText entity.
The Text Formatting Toolbar
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Text Style | Sets the text style |
| Text Font | Sets the text font |
| Text Height | Sets the text height |
| Bold / Italic | Applies bold or italic formatting |
| Underscore / Overscore / Strike | Underlines, overlines, or strikes through text |
| Uppercase / Lowercase | Converts selected text case |
| Annotative | Toggles the Annotative property |
| Line Spacing | Sets line spacing |
| Columns | Arranges text into columns |
| Toggle spellchecker | Turns spell checking on or off in the editor |
| Match Properties | Matches formatting from one Mtext fragment to another |
| Color | Sets the text color |
| Oblique Angle | Sets the oblique angle |
| Width Factor | Sets the width factor |
| Character Spacing | Sets character spacing |
| Undo / Redo | Undoes or redoes recent actions |
| Stacked text | Creates fractions, subscripts, and superscripts |
| Special Character | Inserts special characters |
| Field | Inserts a variable field |
| Justify | Sets text justification |
| Paragraph alignment | Sets paragraph alignment |
| Background Mask | Adds a colored background behind the text |
| Toggle superscript / subscript | Creates superscript or subscript text |
| Ruler | Toggles the ruler display |
| Numbered and bullet lists | Creates lists |
| OK / Cancel | Applies or discards changes and closes the toolbar |
Multiline Text Justification
Nine positions arrange in a grid: Top left, Top center, Top right, Middle left, Middle center, Middle right, Bottom left, Bottom center, Bottom right. A red dot marks the entity’s actual insertion point in each case.
Special Characters and Symbols
Type two percent signs (%%) followed by a control code to insert a special character; a single percent sign is treated as ordinary text.
| Code | Result |
|---|---|
%%d |
Degree symbol |
%%p |
Plus/minus symbol |
%%c |
Diameter symbol |
%%k |
Starts strike-through text; repeat to stop |
%%u |
Starts underscored text; repeat to stop |
%%o |
Starts overscored text; repeat to stop |
Additional symbols are available as Unicode strings (font support permitting): almost equal, angle, center line, delta, electrical phase, identity, not equal, omega, squared, and cubed.
Using the Spellchecker
With the spellchecker toggled on, misspelled words underline in red in real time within the Mtext editor. Right-click a flagged word for suggestions. A warning appears if no valid dictionary is available; see SPELL for more.
Adding a Background Mask
- While creating or editing multiline text, click Background Mask on the Text Formatting toolbar; the Background Mask dialog opens.
- Tick Use background mask.
- Choose a fill colour from the dropdown, click Select color… for the full Color dialog, or tick Use drawing background color.
- Set the Border offset factor, the margin around the text, based on text height and ranging from 1 to 5 (1.0 fits the text exactly).
- Optionally tick Frame around a text to add a frame.
- Click OK.
Formatting Stacked Text
Use the caret (^) to indicate stacking: a^b creates a fraction or tolerance, a^ creates a superscript, and ^b creates a subscript. Select the text and caret together and click Stacked text to apply it.
Right-click a stacked fraction and choose Stack properties, or double-click it, to open the Stack properties dialog:
- Text: edit the stack’s values.
- Appearance: set Alignment (Bottom, Center, Top), Style (Diagonal fraction, Horizontal fraction, Tolerance), and Text size (as a percentage of the current text height).
- AutoStack…: Enable Autostack automatically stacks two numeric characters joined by
/,#, or^(this setting saves toMTEXTAUTOSTACK); diagonal fraction and horizontal fraction convert the slash character accordingly; Remove leading blank removes the space between a fraction and a whole number, but only when they’re separated by exactly one space.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create text with no maximum line width at all? When prompted for the opposite corner while creating multiline text, type @ and press Enter instead, producing non-wrapped, zero-width text.
What’s the syntax for creating a fraction in multiline text? Insert a caret between the two elements, a^b, then select the text including the caret and click Stacked text.
Why isn’t my spellchecker flagging any misspelled words? Check that the spellchecker toggle is on in the Text Formatting toolbar, and that a valid dictionary is available, a warning appears if one isn’t.
How do I insert a degree symbol into single-line text? Type %%d where you want the symbol to appear.