How to Label Partition Walls Using Keynote Tags and Legends for Clear Architectural Plans

Efficiently Tag Partition Walls with Keynotes and Link to Legends for Accurate Plan Communication

Tagging walls with specific identifiers is a common practice in architectural planning. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to create and apply these tags in a CAD design using different layers and multileader styles.

Key Insights

  • Applying specific tags to walls in a CAD design helps to provide more specificity to a plan and align it with a wall types legend. This practice assists viewers in more accurately understanding the design.
  • Creating a new tag involves changing the layer to an annotation layer and creating a multileader style with a specific shape. For this process, the article uses a square or box-sized tag as an example.
  • After creating a tag, it can be applied to the design and adjusted as necessary. The tag can be copied and moved around the plan to identify different wall types, and the identifiers can be changed to align with the wall types legend.

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Our next step is to tag each wall with a tag that will delineate which wall type we're looking at. And yes, you might ask yourself, well, we've already drawn in lines to show that this wall is glass with metal supports and these walls are solid, but it is common practice to get even more specific. Tag the walls and direct the viewers of our sheets to see a legend.

If we zoom out even further, we'll notice that we have a wall types legend right here, and there's a tag A and B. A is a solid partition wall, six inch thick, gypsum board on both sides, and then B is our glass partition. We need to tie that legend to our plan. So with this view still active, let's go to layer, and we need to change our layer to our annotation layer, which is I Anno Wall in this case.

So double click and make sure that the current layer switches over to that I Anno Wall, and then close down layers. Now we need to create the tag, and we'll go to MLeader Style. And in the residential portion of this class, we already created a MLeader keynote circle, but now we want a different shape.

We want a square or a box-sized tag. So let's go ahead and click the new button, and we can click the start with. Make sure the start with is set to our keynote circle, and so that will give us a name, copy of ML keynote circle.

Delete the copy of and change the circle over to box, and click continue. Here in our content, we'll make sure the multileader type is still set to block, and the source block should change to box. Everything else on this tab should stay the same.

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Let's go to the first tab, leader format. It's currently set to arrowhead symbol close filled. Let's change that to none, and then we'll click OK.

Now we have this multileader MLeader keynote box, and we want to set it as our current. So click the set current button, and it will show now at the top, current multileader style ML keynote box. And click close.

With that, we can start to add some of these keynotes. We'll go ahead and type in MLeader, and I want to click on the right side of this right conference room wall. Click, and then go straight to the left with ortho turned on, and click just on the other side, just barely, and click.

Now we have the tag number, and the tag number in this case is B for our glass wall, and we'll click OK. And it's perfect, just like that. That's all there is to it.

If I'd like, I can center it a little bit better. I can use the move command and get it centered a little bit more, and that looks good. Now that I've created one, I can simply copy it around.

So I'll grab it, copy it. I'll bring it to the left here. Click one time to place it, select it, RO to rotate, click, we'll type in 90 degrees.

There it is, and then I'm going to mirror it. And with ortho turned on, I can draw a straight mirror line. Click and enter, and there it is.

Now I've got a couple different varieties. I'll select this one, and I'll move it here to here. It's good practice to label a couple of these.

Maybe we don't label every single one. It might be obvious at this point that that is the same wall type. But use your best judgment in creating a plan like this.

Let's go ahead and move, well, I think we want our other leaders to go up, so I'll copy these two. So this one, CO to copy, and let's do one maybe right here. And then we'll change it to A. Just double click on it, change it to A, and click OK.

So there's one. We need some over here because it's a different side of our project. We'll grab this guy, CO to copy, and we'll put it somewhere along here.

There we go. Double click and make it A, and OK. I think I want to mirror this one.

I'll select it, mirror, specify the top point, drag straight down. This time, instead of just clicking enter, I'll click Y for yes, and enter. That erases the original one, and we're left with just one tag.

All right, that is looking pretty good. I think we're all set. We could add, let's add one more here, and we'll call it good with that.

So grab this one, CO to copy, right between these two offices, move it in place. And the most important part, remember to double click and change it to A, and OK. And that's it.

Our partition plan is looking really good now. We've got our wall types, legend, and all of those wall types are labeled here in our plan. Go ahead and double click back onto the sheet to deactivate the view, and it's a great time to hit that save button.

photo of Reid Johnson

Reid Johnson

Reid isn't just someone who knows CAD and BIM; he's a licensed architect and contractor who deeply integrates these technologies into every facet of his career. His hands-on experience as a practitioner building real-world projects provides him with an invaluable understanding of how BIM and CAD streamline workflows and enhance design. This practical foundation led him to Autodesk, where he shared his expertise, helping others effectively leverage these powerful tools. Throughout his professional journey, Reid also dedicates himself to education, consistently teaching university courses and shaping the next generation of design professionals by equipping them with essential CAD skills. His unique blend of practical experience, industry knowledge gained at Autodesk, and passion for teaching positions Reid as a true specialist in BIM and CAD technology, capable of bridging the gap between theory and real-world application.

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