Text on 2D plans

Wo3Dan

...An even better solution is to download the TexTag plugin from......
(see post above)

For planview text and dimensions IMO neither the 'Text' tool nor the '3D Text' tool are preferable.
The first because of the rotating text depending on the view angle.
The second for 'memory consuming' reasons. I suspect the plugin mentioned above is about using the second tool (3D Text) although I could be wrong.

I prefer the 'Dimension' tool that lets you use text that sticks to the plan (or any plane, vertical or slanted) undependant of the view angle. See attached file. And it will not increase file size like any flat '3D Text'.

Wo3Dan

PlanviewDimensioning.skp

Jim

Hi wo3Dan,

That's really a great solution.

massimomorandi

I DONT KNOW IF COULD HELP
I USE THIS METHOD:

1 MAKE A TEXT NOT LINKED TO ANY OBJECT (WITHOUT ARROWAY)
2 GROUP THE TEXT
3 MOVE IT EVERY WHERE
4 COPY AND CHANGE IT IF YOU WANT ANOTHER
THE TEXT NOW IS INDIPENDEN BUT NOT VIEW-LINKED

mitcorb

To Wo3Dan:
How do you remove the dimension witness lines and just keep the text? I didn't see any way to do it in entity info, nor was explode available.
mitcorb

edit: oops, paulside, didn't mean to jump in too soon.

paulside

Hi Wo3Dan

Interesting!

Please enlighten me I must be missing something obvious,

How do you set up the dimension tool to zoom the text relative to the view angle and how do you hide the dimension lines?

[Edit] Ok just figured this out:
The dimension needs to be Non Associative, then scaled down to eliminate the dimension lines, no endpoints, the font size needs to be set to 'Size' not 'Points'

Not as simple as the TexTag, also you can't have different coloured lables - but it works

Neat!

xrok1

you need to be aware that if you're going to render, not all of these methods will show in your render. for example the dimension method does not render and the TextTag plugin does. iwould expect that if your want to render your results that your need a method that actually produces geometry (faces), also i would suspect that the face you produce needs to stand off the face that its on or the results may be garbled.

so if you need to render its seems the TextTag plugin is the way to go.

Wo3Dan

@paulside said:

....Please enlighten me I must be missing something obvious,

How do you set up the dimension tool to zoom the text relative to the view angle and how do you hide the dimension lines?

[Edit] ...The dimension needs to be Non Associative, then scaled down to eliminate the dimension lines, no endpoints, the font size needs to be set to 'Size' not 'Points'

Not as simple as the TexTag, also you can't have different coloured lables - but it works

(not quite true, see blue text below)

This is how it works (it has been discussed before).

Draw an edge.
Tripple click on it with the 'Dimension' tool.
Adjust the dim to be as close to the edge as possible (ON the edge, so to speak).
Select the edge and edit its length in 'Entity Info' to 1mm (very short but not less).
Select only the edge and delete it(*). From now on the short not associated dimension is on its own.
you can group it or even save it as a component BEFORE you delete the edge.
you can now set the dimension to: alligned to dimension / centered
---------------------------------------Text position: centered
------------------------------------------Endpoints: None

%(#0000FF)[You can do anything with it like: (what I did) change font to CityBlueprint/fat/(fixed)height to 500mm
You can even color each dimension its own color, assign them (with others) to their own layer(s)]

It's maybe best to create a dimension component to have in your comp.library.
Once you made the component it can be used multiple times without the hassle.
Remember that once you place the component you need to explode it and edit its text.
(otherwise same components will all change by changing one!)

You can even dump copied long text from Word into the dimension.
(Standard text that you saved somewhere in a text file)

Wo3Dan

p.s. If you want to see their different colors you need to
uncheck 'Highligth non-associated dimensions' in 'Model Info' => 'Dimensions' =>
'Expert dimension settings' and of course paint them.

newbuyer17

Thanks Guys. Looks like I've started an interesting debate anyway.
I haven't had a chance to progress any of your ideas yet due to time contraints, but have some ideas anyway. Hopefully the double click will be enough, otherwise the dimension trick also looks good.

Will post again when I get somewhere, just wanted to post and say thanks in the meanwhile.

Jean Lemire

Hi folks.

For the ones who did not know that a double click with the Text Tool will attach a text to a surface , it is written in the User Guide at page 257:

---------- BEGINNING OF EXCERPT ----------

Attaching Text Directly to a Face
Double-click on a face with the Text Tool to attach text, without leader, to the face.

---------- END OF EXCERPT ----------

Just ideas.

Gaieus

Hi Jean,

You can understand the reasons but I still use the "Old Guide". Yet on the Text tool page there is also some mentioning of double clicking though it's a bit more obscure:

@unknownuser said:

Tip- Double-click on any face, while in the Text Tool, to display the area of the face as a Text entity.

Thanks for your tip however...