Associative annotation objects

See also Modifying dimension properties on page 166
4.5 Associative annotation objects
Marks, dimensions, and associative notes are all associative annotation objects. An
associative annotation object updates according to the changes made in a model object in
the model. All annotation objects that have associativity points can be considered
associative. For example, in texts, the content does not change when the model changes but
the associativity point can change.
In addition to the annotation objects Tekla Structures creates in a drawing based on the
drawing properties when the drawing is created, you can also add new ones in the final
drawing.
See also Drawing objects on page 17
Dimensions on page 141
Adding part marks on page 175
Adding weld marks on page 215
Adding level marks on page 176
Adding associative notes on page 177
Modifying associative annotation object properties on page 178
Updating marks on page 179
Change symbols on page 180
Merging marks on page 183
Dragging the mark and associative note leader line base point on page 184
Using superscript in text on page 188
Adding part marks
In an open drawing, you can add part marks for all building objects, surface treatment and
connections, or for the selected ones only. For each view, Tekla Structures creates the marks
according to the mark properties in the view mark properties dialog box.
To add part marks, do one of the following:
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Associative annotation objects
To
Add part marks for all parts
Do this
Click Annotating --> Add Part Marks --> For All Parts .
If you have deleted marks manually from the drawing, this
command will not create the marks, and you will have to create
them manually part by part.
Add part marks for selected
parts
1. Select the parts.
2. Click Annotating --> Add Part Marks --> For Selected
Parts
3. If the part mark does not contain any elements in the
drawing view properties, the Part Mark Properties dialog
box is displayed, and you can select the elements to be
included in the part mark.
Add elements and click Modify.
Alternatively, you can right-click the parts and select the appropriate mark
creation command from the pop-up menu.
Use orthogonal snapping in marks and associative notes with leader lines. For
example, you can use it for placing your marks and notes in a more consistent way
in exact locations. When you start dragging a mark or note from a leader line end
handle and you have orthogonal snapping on (O or Tools --> Ortho ), the leader
line end handle locks to the closes orthogonal point in the drawing (0, 45, 90, 135,
180 degrees).
See also Associative annotation objects on page 175
Modifying view-level drawing properties on page 314
Modifying drawing properties of an existing drawing on page 313
Modifying associative annotation object properties on page 178
Mark elements on page 560
Drawing settings on page 523
Adding level marks
A level mark is an associative annotation object that represents the elevation of a point. In
addition to the automatic elevation dimensions that you can define in the drawing properties
before creating the drawing, and the elevation information in the grid labels added in the
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Associative annotation objects
model, you can also add level marks in your drawing to ensure that the dimensions are
correct.
To add level marks:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Level Mark to open the Level Mark
Properties dialog box.
3. Enter or modify the content and the appearance of the level mark.
4. Click Apply or OK to save the properties.
5. Pick a start point for the leader line and a position for the mark.
1. Elevation dimension in the grid label
2. Elevation dimension created with Add Level Mark in the drawing
Shortening value added in the user-defined properties of a part also affects level marks.
See also Level mark properties on page 559
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 551
Adding associative notes
An associative note is an extra mark that contains additional information of the object it is
attached to. Associative notes are updated according to the changes made in the object it is
added to.You can add associative notes to building objects, such as parts and reinforcement,
surface treatments, edge chamfers, pour breaks and pour objects. You can add multiple notes
to one object.
To add an associative note:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Hold down Shift and click Annotating --> Add Associative Note and select one of the
following commands:
•
With Leader Line: Add an associative note with a leader line at the position you
specify.
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Associative annotation objects
•
Without Leader Line: Create an associative note without a leader line at the
position you specify.
•
Along Line: Add an associative note along a line at the position you specify.
3. Select what kind of an object you want to attach the note to in the Content list.
4. Select the elements you want to show in the note, and modify the appearance of the
note.
Associative notes may contain the same elements as part marks.
Associative note appearance properties are the same as the ones for part marks.
Additionally, you can adjust the leader line arrow height and length.
To place the note exactly in the position you pick and keep it there, click the Place
button and select fixed in the Placing list.
5. Click Apply or OK to save the properties.
6. Select the object.
7. Follow the instructions on the status bar. Continue picking to add the same note in
another location.
See below for some examples of leader lines. The one on the left is With Leader Line, the
one in the middle Without Leader Line and the one on the right Along Line.
For edge chamfers and other hard-to-see items, it is easier to use the pop-up menu
command Add Associative Note, as you do not have to select the object again after
selecting the command from the pop-up.
See also Mark elements on page 560
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 551
Associative annotation objects on page 175
Modifying associative annotation object properties
You can modify the properties of the associative annotation objects in an open drawing. By
associative annotation objects we mean associative notes and marks for parts, bolts,
reinforcement, surface treatments, welds, levels, and connections.
To modify the properties of associative annotation objects:
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Associative annotation objects
1. Double-click a mark or a note.
2. Switch all the check boxes off in the dialog box by clicking the on/off switch
at the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select only the check boxes next to the properties that you want to modify.
4. Add missing elements in the mark on the Content tab and change the element
properties. For more information about the mark elements and mark properties, click the
links in the See also section.
5. Adjust the mark frame and leader line settings.
For more information about mark appearance properties, click the link in the See also
section.
6. To exactly place the mark in the position you pick and keep it there, click the Place...
button and select fixed in the Placing list.
For more information about the placement settings, click the link in the See also section.
7. Leave the dialog box open, select all the marks that you want to change, and click
Modify to apply the changes in all the selected marks.
To modify the properties of the weld marks of welds that you added in the model, you need
to modify the weld in the model. When you number the model, the weld marks are
updated in the drawings.
See also Associative annotation objects on page 175
Mark properties on page 550
Mark elements on page 560
Mark appearance and merging properties on page 551
Defining placement settings for annotation objects on page 347
Updating marks
You can update part marks and weld marks in an open drawing. Normally part marks and
weld marks are up to date when you open the drawing. Updating is needed in frozen
drawings.
To update marks, do one of the following:
To
Do this
Update all part marks
Click Annotating --> Update Marks --> All Part Marks .
Update selected part marks
1. Select the part marks you want to update.
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To
Update all weld marks
Do this
2. Click Annotating --> Update Marks --> Selected Part
Marks .
Click Annotating --> Update Marks --> All Weld Marks .
Tekla Structures updates the marks according to your selection.
See also Associative annotation objects on page 175
Freezing and unfreezing general arrangement drawings on page 274
Change symbols
Tekla Structures highlights the marks and dimension marks that have changed due to
changes in the model, and dimension points that have been moved. Tekla Structures also
highlights the changed angle dimensions, level marks, and associative notes.
Tekla Structures highlights the changes in the following way:
•
A change symbol (by default, a cloud) is drawn around the old point, the new point and
the dimension values, or around the changed mark or note.
•
An arrow is drawn from the old dimension point to the new one.
See also
Associative annotation objects on page 175
Removing change symbols
After you have checked all the change symbols that Tekla Structures has created, you can
remove all of them or just the selected ones.
To remove change symbols, do one of the following:
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Associative annotation objects
To
Do this
Remove all dimension change symbols Click Dimensioning --> Review Dimensions --> Remove
Dimension Change Symbol --> All .
Remove the selected dimension
change symbols
1. Select the change symbols you want to remove.
2. Click Dimensioning --> Review Dimensions -->
Remove Dimension Change Symbol --> Single .
Remove all mark change symbols
Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove Mark
Change Symbol --> All .
Remove the selected mark change
symbols
1. Select the change symbols you want to remove.
Remove all associative note change
symbols
Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove
Associative Note Change Symbol --> All .
Remove the selected associative note
change symbols
1. Select the change symbols you want to remove.
2. Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove
Mark Change Symbol --> Single .
2. Click Annotating --> Review Marks --> Remove
Associative Note Change Symbol --> Single .
See also Change symbols on page 180
Removing all change symbols (RemoveChangeClouds)
You can remove dimension change symbols, mark change symbols and associative note
change symbols in one go from an open drawing.
To remove all change symbols from a drawing that has a lot of different kinds of change
symbols:
1. Open the drawing.
2. Click Tools --> Macros .
3. Select RemoveChangeClouds and click Run.
Tekla Structures removes all change symbols.
Example The first image shows an example of a mark change symbol after a material change, and of a
dimension change symbol after a change in the size of the part.
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Associative annotation objects
The second image shows the dimension text and the mark after running the macro.
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Merging marks
You can merge marks to reduce the number of marks in the drawing and to make the
drawing clearer. A merged mark has a single leader line. You can merge marks automatically
and also manually in the final drawing.
In a final drawing, you can merge reinforcement marks and weld marks.
See also Merging reinforcement marks manually on page 183
Merging weld marks on page 218
Merging marks automatically on page 471
Merging reinforcement marks manually
To manually merge reinforcement marks in a drawing:
1. Click Annotating --> Properties --> Merged Reinforcement Mark... .
2. Modify mark properties as required.
3. Select the marks to merge in the drawing.
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4. Right-click and select Merge marks from the pop-up menu.
5. If needed, you can split the merged marks by selecting the marks to split, right-clicking
and selecting Split marks.
See also Merging reinforcement marks automatically on page 474
Dragging the mark and associative note leader line base point
You can change the place of the mark and associative note leader line base point.
Ensure that you have switched Smart Select on in Tools --> Options to drag and drop by
handles without selecting them first.
Limitations:
•
If the base point is originally on a line, you can drag it along that line.
•
If the base point is originally inside a part, you can drag the base point inside that part.
To drag the leader line base point:
1. Click the leader line.
2. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the base point to a new location.
Limitations
See alsoAssociative annotation objects on page 175
Leader line types on page 553
Creating and using customized leader line arrows
If you do not find a suitable leader line arrow in the Arrow list in the Mark Properties dialog
box, you can add an arrow of your own.
First you will create the arrow symbol in the Symbol Editor, and save the created symbol in
the arrow.sym file. Then you need to add the position of the new symbol in the
arrow.sym to the configuration file arrow.txt file, which tells which arrows are
available for use in your environment.
To create a new arrow symbol and take it into use:
1. Click Drawings & Reports --> Symbol Editor to open the Symbol Editor.
If you have a drawing open, click Tools --> Symbol Editor instead.
2. Open the arrow.sym file located in common environment or in your environment
under symbols folder.
3. Click an empty symbol slot and sketch your symbol with drawing tools.
You can also import AutoCAD or MicroStation files through File --> Import .
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4. When the symbol is completed, point the symbol slot to check the number of the new
symbol at the bottom of the window.
5. Save the arrow.sym file by clicking File --> Save .
6. Click File --> Exit to close the Symbol Editor.
7. Open the arrow.txt file located in the same symbols folder as the arrow.sym file.
The file contains a list of symbol numbers.
8. Add the number of your symbol preceded by zero (0) in the correct position and separate
it with a comma:
016,017,018,019,020,021,022,023,024,032,048,049,101,102,110,200
9. Click File --> Save to save your change.
10. Add a bitmap of the created arrow in the ..\ProgramData\Tekla Structures
\<version>\Bitmaps folder on your computer.
Use the following format in the file name: dr_dialog_arrow_type_024.bmp.
11. Double-click a mark in a drawing to open the Mark Properties dialog box.
12. Open the Arrow list, and you should see that the new arrow symbol is now available for
use.
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