Learn how to effectively insert keynotes into a CAD301LF model using the A no plot layer, ensuring that all elements in the elevation file are captured and properly adjusted. This article outlines a detailed process from adjusting the no plot line to creating a data link with Excel to help manage your keynotes efficiently in AutoCAD.
Key Insights
- The article provides step-by-step instructions on placing keynotes in a CAD301LF model using the A no plot layer and adjusting the elevation for proper viewing.
- Creating a data link with an Excel file is outlined as an efficient way to manage your keynotes within AutoCAD, linking the entire sheet or a series of cells as required.
- By adjusting layers, moving elements in the elevation file, and creating a data link, the keynote placement process can be made more effective and streamlined.
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Let's jump into the elevation. I'm going to go to the CAD301LF model and to place these keynotes, I want to turn on the A no plot layer. So I'm going to go down and turn on A no plot and I'm going to make the current layer ANO-SIMS48.
Now we can see most of the keynotes are below the elevation with a few keynotes above the elevation, but I want to place all of these keynotes on one of my no plot lines. Right now the ground line is on our no plot line. So instead of moving the no plot down, which would shift our view on the sheet file, I'm going to move everything up.
I'm going to check my layers one more time to make sure nothing is turned off. It looks like zero is turned off. I'll turn that back on.
That way when I grab everything except for the no plot, it will all move up and we won't forget anything. So I'm going to zoom out a bit and with a selection window, grab everything in my elevation file. I'm going to go move.
I'm going to move this up two feet enter and I think that's going to place this right in the middle. We can place our keynotes here and a couple of our keynotes here. All right, let's go to the annotate tab, change our multiliter to the keynote 48 and we can start placing these multiliters.
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You can see these numbers are random around the screen. That's okay. We'll use what's on our handout.
I'll start at the top multiliter. I'm going to click in this space, click up here, one enter. Let's start by creating a new file, file new and I'll use the template and file save and let's save this in our key.
This drawing is going to be built slightly differently. We're still going to place it in the negative quadrant relative to but I want to start by working in a table in AutoCAD but using a data link. When I'm in the annotate tab, I can go to the tables section and I see that we can create a table and we can also use this button to link data.
Now I can do both of these in the same workflow through the tables and we're going to do just that. Multiliter styles and text styles. Table styles are, you can even see that we already have a keynotes if we create a blank table.
In this case, I want two columns. Let's for the example use 12 rows. If your settings don't look like this, it's because I previously created a table with these settings.
So change this to 2 and 12. I'm using the keynote style and for this case, I'm going to start with an empty table. When we do this for real, we're going to use a data link.
I'll hit okay and I'll click to place this on the screen. In this case, I'm going to place it at zero, zero comma zero, enter and it's going to prompt me to enter the title of the table. I'm going to name this Elevation Keynotes and then click off to the side.
Let's zoom in. Now in this case, it's going to say no data links found. Launch the data link manager.
Like I said, it's all in the same workflow if you haven't linked your data. In this case, I'm going to create a new Excel data link. The name in this window is not asking for the name of the Excel file.
It's asking for the name that AutoCAD will use so that you can recognize the data link. In this case, I am going to call it Elevation Keynotes Excel. That way, when I'm looking at my data links, I can remember what file I'm linking to.
When I hit okay, it will prompt me to browse for the file. Again, I always want to use relative path. I'm going to hit the three dots to find my data link.
I'm going to hit the three dots to find my Excel file. I'll browse to my Keynotes folder and find Elevation Keynotes. Open.
The data link is going to ask us which sheet to use. It will only look at one sheet at a time. In this case, I only have one sheet in the file and it's the default Excel sheet one.
It will give you the option to link the entire sheet or a series of cells. In this case, I do want to link the entire sheet, but it might be a good idea to only link to a range or a named range if you have that in your Excel file. The preview at the bottom will show me what this looks like when it gets brought into AutoCAD.
I'll hit okay and it will create the data link. I'll hit okay again to append this to my table. Now, we will see the preview of the table.
I'll hit okay. Again, I'm going to place this at zero comma zero. Enter.
Now, zero is this corner. For our other Keynotes, we used this corner. I'm going to start my rectangle for my outline, which if you remember from a previous video was four and a half inches by one feet eight or 20 inches.
I'm going to go to the Home tab, make a no plot my current layer, and draw a rectangle. 4.5, enter, and one feet eight inches, enter. I'll click to the side.
I can move this table. I'm going to move. I'll move it into
