Annotation can also add value to a drawing and this can take the form of additional data or highlighting what is important to the author of the drawing within a particular context or drawing sheet. Vectorworks has many devices that help you to do this.
Annotation Locations
The product designers at Vectorworks advocate for annotation to be, for the most part, added to the Annotation portions of Sheet Layer Viewports. They discourage the placement of annotation on design layers. This methodology works fine for architectural users of the software, but for event designers where the 2D aspect of the work is more schematic, then the labeling of objects as identifiers is essential.
So it is important to start developing a methodology for where annotation should be added with regard to your own working practice.
If possible it is best to keep much of the annotation out of Design Layers. One of the big reasons for this is that one normally would not want to see 2D information when viewing the model in 3D. There are always exceptions to this.
- Any annotation where you will likely need to see it in more than one Printed Sheet.
- Any annotation that you need that will identify an object while you work.
However you wish to proceed, it is important to be able to turn off the visibility of Annotation objects whenever you need to. For that reason, it is good to develop a Classing convention to deal with this.
Text
If possible, it is good to keep Text blocks, Callouts, and Notes away from a Design Layer. However, text markups for services and identifiers for objects like fly bars in theatres should be kept on Design Layers.
Dimensions
I would normally advocate for dimensions of Lighting Devices to be created on Design Layers. This is primarily because dimension constraints for Lighting Devices are only available in Design Layers.
Data Tags
Data Tags to indicate datum markers should be added to Design Layers if possible, as they are likely to be seen across multiple sheet layers. The same would be true of Tags to identify Rigging Positions. This is because this information is important to us as designers while we work.
If you are likely to be presenting your work using more than one scale, then try and keep annotation to the Annotation portion of Sheet Layer Viewports. This will keep Page-based objects such as Dimensions and Text font sizes consistent and legible.
Text
Text blocks, Callouts, and other incidental notes should be kept in Sheet Layer Viewports.
Dimensions
If you want to provide dimensions for objects, especially if you need to view them on more than one scale, then try and keep these to Sheet Layer Viewports.
Data Tags
Try and keep Data Tags out of Design Layers. Data Tags can “see through” viewports and identify the objects they contain, so unless you have a very specific need to see a tag in a Design Layer, then try and add these to Sheet Layer viewports as much as possible.
Text
Adding Text is the most obvious place to start when annotation a design.
Text can be added to a drawing in the form of Text Objects.
This Tool is a simple way of adding the geometry to indicate what a Text Block refers to.
Measurement
After Text, Dimensions immediately add extra value and importance to specific objects in a drawing.
There is a collection of six Dimension Tools available from either the Basic Tool Palette or the Dims/Notes Toolset.
This is a little known menu command that will convert a Line, Arc or Circle object to a Dimension.
Like Text, there is a way to standardise the Dimensions in the drawing file. Unlike Text Styles, these are not available from the Resource Manager and will need to be manually added to the file or Template.
You can add a Dimension Tape object as a graphical indicator and is useful when added beside Lighting Pipes and other Rigging Positions.
You can add a Dimension Tape object as a graphical indicator and is useful when added beside Lighting Pipes and other Rigging Positions.
Notes and Callouts
There is a more structured way to add Notes to the drawing and this is to use Leaders, Callouts and Notes. This method will allow you to share the Text Notes to a database which can be shared with collaborators.
This Tool will create lists of notes and report them to a database.
This Tool will create lists of notes and report them to a database.
Graphic Legends
These are a highly customizable way of presenting Keys and Legends in a design. The plug-in that creates these interrogates the database of the program to display objects in the drawing. How the legends it creates will is entirely up to the users needs and imagination.
Data Tags
These objects extract data from objects and display it wherever you need in the drawing.
These objects are some of the most customizable objects in the program and allow you to create specific labels and other forms of annotation that can be saved to your library and re-used whenever you need.
Title Blocks
Title Block are crucial to the interity of any paperwork that is created by the program. All published drawings should be accompanied by this important annotation device.