How to Use Annotative Text in BricsCAD

Quick answer: Text created with an annotative text style gets the annotative property and current annotation scale assigned automatically. Text created with a non-annotative style needs to be made annotative manually afterward.

The Two Height Properties

Annotative text carries two distinct height values: Model text height, its display height on screen in model space relative to the current annotation scale, and Paper text height, its actual printed height at whichever annotation scale is supported.

Making a Text Entity Annotative

1. Select the text entity; its properties appear in the Properties panel.
2. Select the Annotative property.
3. Choose Yes; the current annotation scale gets assigned. The text itself doesn’t visually resize at this point, its current height simply becomes the Model text height going forward.

Removing the Annotative Property

1. Select the text entity; its properties appear in the Properties panel.
2. Select the Annotative property.
3. Choose No. If the text supported multiple annotation scales, it scales back to its initial scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my text jump to a different size the moment I make it annotative? No, its current height just becomes the Model text height from that point forward, nothing visually changes immediately.

What happens to text that supported several annotation scales if I remove the annotative property? It scales back to its initial scale, the one it had before annotative scaling was applied.

What’s the difference between Model text height and Paper text height? Model text height is what displays on screen in model space, relative to the current annotation scale. Paper text height is the actual size it prints at, at a supported annotation scale.

If my text style isn’t annotative, can I still make individual text entities annotative? Yes, select the entity and set its Annotative property to Yes directly in the Properties panel.