Learn how to correct text height in an AutoCAD detail drawing, reload its Xref to update the sheet, and add detail numbers. The lesson also explains how consistent text placement helps organize a completed detail sheet.
Key Insights
- Edit and save the text in the source detail drawing, then reload the Xref to display the updated text on the sheet.
- Create detail-number labels on the Title Block layer and position them within the detail symbols.
- Consistent text placement and reserved space for graphics help keep the assembled detail sheet organized and readable.
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As I was looking around the drawing, it did appear to me that the text in this detail is the wrong size. So I'm going to open up detail number four. And this text should be a quarter of an inch tall.
So double-click on the text. Control-A, I was right. I'm going to type in 0.25. Come back in.
Select it again. Close the editor. Control-A, 0.25. Control-A, 0.25. And last but not least.
Double-click. Control-A, 0.25. Close the editor. Go to the grip.
Move it to there. Go to the grip. Move it to there.
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To the grip. And Control-S to save. Now I'm going to close this drawing.
Reload the Xref, and now it's all fixed.
Again, this is one of the reasons that we Xref the details in as opposed to inserting them. So what we can now do is to start numbering our details. I'll go to the Home tab.
I'm going to make Title Block my current layer. Zoom into here. Text.
I'm just going to pick right here from my bounding box. I'll give it a height of an eighth of an inch. And I'm going to type in the number 1. Select it.
Give it a justification of middle center and close it. I think I'm going to make it a little bit larger.
Scale this guy base point of here by 1.5. Just a little bit larger. Move the text from the insertion base point of the text to the center of the symbol.
Control-S to save. I'm typing in OS for OSnap. I'm going to turn on center.
Turn off end and intersection for right now. Copy last from center. I just pressed F3 to turn it on.
Again, we have 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 would be here. 7 here. 8. And 9. Zoom extents.
And save the file. Now we have our detail sheet done. Again, we've made a lot of the details using information from other details.
We've covered levels of detailed information that's typically included at different scales. And I think most importantly, we've talked about the similarities that need to be integrated into each of the details so that you have consistency once a detail sheet is assembled.
Because you can just see how cleanly everything looks with all of the text aligning with one another. The alignment horizontally, that doesn't always work because it's more important to convey the information in the detail appropriately. By having reserved spaces for the graphics and then designing the detail so that there's consistent text placement,
It just makes for a much cleaner set of drawings. After you've brought your details in, please PDF the drawing file and send me an e-transmit and a PDF.
And I hope you've been enjoying this so far. And we're going to be discussing millwork and casework drawings in just a few minutes. So I'll see you then.
