Labeling Property Lines Using AutoCAD: A Step-by-Step Guide

Aligning and Labeling Property Lines Using AutoCAD Commands

Discover how to use the donut command and scale factors to label property lines, align and modify text, and save your work in a CAD program. This guide offers step-by-step instructions on how to efficiently label and align different segments of a property line.

Key Insights

  • The donut command is utilized to create small filled circles at the ends of the line segments, with specified inside and outside diameters.
  • Text can be easily modified and aligned with the property lines to provide specific information about each segment, such as length and angle in the XY plane.
  • Using the align command and control S to save ensures that the text is properly positioned alongside each line segment and that the work is safely stored.

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We have brought our no plot view in at a scale factor of 10, brought our point of beginning annotator in at a scale factor of 10, and also our north arrow symbol was brought in at a scale factor of 10. We're getting ready to start to label the different segments of the property lines. But if you look at the handout, you will see that there are donuts, which are small filled circles that are at the ends of the line segments, abutting the arc on the street side.

So what I'd like to do is to draw a donut. I'm going to go draw and choose donut. I read the prompt.

It says specify inside diameter. I'm going to type in zero for my inside diameter and my outside diameter will be one. And it's saying where I'm going to put it at the end of the arc.

And I'm also going to put another copy at the end of the arc down here and hit escape and control as to save. I'm now getting ready to begin labeling the property lines. Now you can see on the handout that there's some convoluted text that we have to write, but there's an easy way to do it.

I can type list. This is the list command. And it says select objects and I can choose this line.

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And then hit ENTER to say I'm done. And you can see that it tells me all about the line right there. It's showing the length, the angle in the X Y plane and the northings.

I'm going to select this. And type in control C to put it onto the clipboard. So again, I highlighted this text, the entire line and control C to get it on the clipboard.

I'm then going to close the dialog box. I'm now going to go to single line text. And what's happened is I have already preset this text style for you.

You can see it has a text height of one and a half, which is the eighth of an inch, multiplied by the scale factor of ten. And I've made it a little bit larger just so it will present itself well. And it's saying where does the text want to be? And I'm just going to choose a point.

I accept the height. I accept the rotation angle. And it says what's the text? It's ready for text.

I will do control V, which will pop in that text and I will hit ENTER, enter. I'm now going to zoom in and I will double click on the text to modify it. So I will keep the one one six point one one.

I'll pick right here to the right of the last one. I will type the footmark and go space, space. And then I'm going to delete up until where it says north 51 degrees, 10 minutes, 13 seconds east.

People will accept the D for degrees. They're sort of used to seeing it, but it's nicer to have it looking with the degree symbol. So I'm going to go and tab to the right of the one and I will type in percent percent D. And you can see that when I typed in percent percent D, it put in this degree symbol.

And then I will hit delete to delete out that D that's to the right and hit ENTER. Go to end and then enter to say I'm done. Now I've gotten that text in.

What I want to do next is I want to align this text to go alongside the line. So I'm going to hit escape to get out of my current command and I will type align, A-L-I-G-N, which is a command. What do I want to align? I'm going to choose the text, enter to say I'm done.

How do I want to align it? My first point will be I'm just picking down here and I want that point to align nearest to the line segment here. I will choose another point that's here, over here on the right. I want that to align nearest to this line segment.

It's asking for third points. I'm done. I hit ENTER, enter, and it has aligned itself.

So I'm going to undo and do it again. I type align, A-L-I-G-N, hit ENTER, select the objects, enter to say I'm done selecting objects. Now I read the prompt.

It's saying specify first point. I'm going to be choosing a point over here on the left and I pick. I want that point to align nearest to this line.

I read the prompt. It says specify second source point. I'm going to pick over here.

It says where do I want to align it. I'm going to say nearest to here. Any more points? No.

I hit ENTER, enter to say I'm done, and it has been aligned and I control S to save. In a few minutes we will come back and move it. I'm going to get my information for this segment up here.

So I'm going to type list, enter, pick this line segment, enter. I'm going to select this information, do control C to get it to the clipboard, close the interface. I'm again going to single line text.

I'm giving it a start point, accepting the height of 1.5, accepting the rotation angle, and I will go control V for the text, enter, enter. I'm going to zoom into here, double click on the text, 128.87, click to the right of the seven, put a foot mark in, space, space, delete out until I get to the capital N. Go to the right, I'm taking my arrow button, go into the right, percent, percent D. That converts it to the symbol. Hit the D button to get rid of the D. Go to the end button on the keyboard, enter, enter.

Control S to save. I now want to align this, so I will type align. What do I want to align? This segment, enter to say I'm done.

I want this point to align nearest to this segment. I want this point, I pick here, to align nearest to that segment. Enter, enter, and there's the text.

Control S to save. I now have this segment. I'm going to type list.

I choose the segment, enter. I can see that it's saying what I need to know. Select this, Control C, close the interface, go to single line text, give it an arbitrary base point, accept the one and a half, accept the east, Control V to get the text in, enter, enter.

Zoom into here, double click, put the foot mark after the .02, space, space, delete out until I get to the capital N. Go to the right of the 49, type in percent percent D, do the delete button to get rid of the D letter itself, end button, enter, enter. Then I'm going to align, A-L-I-G-N. I want to align this text, enter to say I'm done.

Where's my first point? I'm going to choose right about here. I want that point to go nearest to this line. I'm going to choose over here.

I want that to go nearest to this segment right there. Enter, enter, and we have the alignment. Control S to save.

I'm going to pan back and now do this segment right here. So I will once again type list, pick the segment, enter to say I'm done. I will select this, Control C, close the interface, go to M text, give it a point.

The height I will accept one and a half. I will accept the rotation angle of east, Control V for paste, enter, enter. Zoom in, double click on the text, put the foot mark after the last of the zeros, space, space, delete, until I get to the S for south, go to the right of the 25, type in percent percent D, hit the delete button to get rid of the lower case D, the end button on the keyboard, enter, enter, Control S to save.

I now want to align this, A-L-I-G-N. I pick the text enter. I choose the first point.

I want that point to go nearest to the segment here. Choose the second point on the bottom. I want that to go nearest down here.

Enter, enter, Control S to save. I'm going to zoom extents and save the file. We've gotten our linear components done.

And if you would please get that done and then we'll come back and work on our arc dimensions.

photo of Al Whitley

Al Whitley

AutoCAD and Blueprint Reading Instructor

Al was the Founder and CEO of VDCI | cadteacher for over 20 years. Al passed away in August of 2020. Al’s vision was for the advancement and employment of aspiring young professionals in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries.

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