Tutorial: Use fields for titleblock text
If you insert titleblock text for your drawings, you know that keeping that text updated and accurate can be a chore. Also, many people place drawing numbers and names in more than one place in a drawing, requiring extra work.
You can use fields to automate the insertion of titleblock text – or any other annotation in a drawing. Especially if you use the text over and over again, you can save time and improve accuracy. Examples are the current date, the drafter’s initials, the company name and address, and so on.
In this tutorial, I assume that you’re using MText for your titleblock text, but you can use the same technique with block attribute text.
Follow these steps:
- You use the Drawing Properties feature to create custom properties. Choose the Application button> Drawing Utilities> Drawing Properties or choose File>Drawing Properties to open the Drawing Properties dialog box.
- Click the Summary tab. If you can use any of these properties, start here. For example, you can use the Title field for the drawing name.
- To add a custom field, c lick the Custom tab. Use a custom field for content that cannot use one of the fields that come with AutoCAD.
- Click the Add button. In the Add Custom Property dialog box, enter a field name and value and click OK.
- Repeat Step 4 for all of your custom fields.
- Click OK to close the Drawing Properties dialog box.
- To insert fields, start the MTEXT command and define the bounding box [or use the ATTDEF command to create an attribute definition].
- In the Text Editor [or Value or Default text box of the Attribute Definition dialog box], right-click and choose Insert>Field. You can do the same in a table.
- To find your custom fields most easily, choose Document from the Field Categories drop-down list. You’ll see all your custom fields listed.
- Choose the field you want, choose a format, and click OK.
- Repeat Steps 7-10 for all your custom fields.
- To use any of the fields that come with AutoCAD, again choose Insert>Field, choose a different category, field, and format.
Check out this free dynamic block tutorial
Plus get free tips in our AutoCAD Tips Newsletter!Note: The CreateDate field creates an unchanging date field, based on today’s date. The Date field creates a date field that always changes to display today’s date.
The gray background tells you it’s a field; the background doesn’t print.
You can save your custom fields in a template and have them available for any drawings based on that template.
AutoCAD comes with some very interesting and useful fields. Browse through the list to see if some might be useful for you. For example, choose Insert>Field, choose the Objects field category, choose the Object field, and click the Select Object button to select an object in your drawing. Now you’ll see a list of properties that you can choose from. You can use this to create labels that display properties about your objects, such as the area of a circle or the coordinates [position] of any object.
Updated for AutoCAD 2012
How do you use fields? Leave a comment!
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Ellen Finkelstein is the author of the best-selling AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT Bible, which started with R14. Ellen has written extensively on AutoCAD, including articles for Autodesk’s website and features for AutoCAD’s Help system. Ellen’s first book was AutoCAD For Dummies Quick Reference.
To help automate many of the labeling chores you normally do when creating sheets, you can include a lot of information in the title block through the sheet set field option. Here is a list to help you decide what you may want to include.
CurrentSheetCustom | Displays custom sheet data. Custom sheet data can be added and edited through the Sheet Set Properties dialog box. |
CurrentSheetDescription | Displays the description for the current sheet found in the properties for the sheet. Select the sheet name from the Sheet Set Manager’s Sheet List tab, right-click, and choose Properties. |
CurrentSheetNumber | Displays the current sheet number. |
CurrentSheetNumberAndTitle | Displays the sheet number and title combined into one line of text. |
CurrentSheetSet | Displays the name of the current sheet set. |
CurrentSheetSetCustom | Displays a custom value for the current sheet set. |
CurrentSheetSetDescription | Displays the sheet set description, which can be found in the Sheet Set Properties dialog box. |
CurrentSheetSetSubSet | Displays the name of a subset of the current sheet set. |
CurrentSheetTitle | Displays the current sheet title. |
SheetSet | Displays any standard sheet set value, such as sheet number and title, sheet title, sheet number, or sheet description, from any sheet in the sheet set. |
SheetSetPlaceholder | Displays standard sheet set values from within callout blocks. |
SheetView | Displays sheet set view data, such as view title, view number, and view scale. |
CurrentSheetCategory | Displays a category field. |
CurrentSheetIssuePurpose | Displays an Issue Purpose field. |
CurrentSheetRevisionDate | Displays a Revision Date field. |
CurrentSheetRevisionNumber | Displays a Revision Number field. |
CurrentSheetProjectMilestone | Displays a Project Milestone field. |
CurrentSheetProjectName | Displays a Project Name field. |
CurrentSheetProjectNumber | Displays a Project Number field. |
CurrentSheetProjectPhase | Displays a Project Phase field. |
Publisher Information
This is a short excerpt from the Online Bonus Material for Mastering AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015, an Autodesk Official Press book by George Omura with Brian C. Benton. Visit the 2016 book page here: //www.wiley.com/buy/9781119044833.
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.