Drawing label scale alignment

[KenD]

2021 has been annoying me with this. Where is my Scale Alignment choice? This used to be so easy. Select alignment, text size, all right here.

 

But now there is this and I have to go digging and edit text size etc instead of simply doing that right on the front of the pallete. I haven't found a way to align my text to the right, under the line.

 

 

 

I'm having to pull drawing labels from 2020 documents to use in 2021 in order to make my drawings look like they always have because I haven't figured out if there is even this ability in 2021 anymore.

 

Anyone know anything on this?

 

Thanks

Edited November 22, 2021 by KenD

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Hello @KenD,

 

You should be able to make any changes to the text objects inside of a drawing label, including alignment. Just edit the drawing label layout, select the text object that you want to modify and make your changes. For more information check the help site here - https://app-help.vectorworks.net/2021/eng/index.htm#t=VW2021_Guide%2FAnnotation%2FCreating_drawing_labels.htm&rhsearch=drawing label&rhhlterm=drawing label&rhsyns= label

 

Best Regards,

Nikolay Zhelyazkov

[KenD]

Thank you Nikolay, I have looked through these and tried all of the different selections and angles to go at this. I have tried directly editing the text but there is still no choice I have found to position the text of the scale below and to the right of the lines. I can select a style to have the text under the line, but found nothing that allows me to select where the scale text is positioned left to right.

 

If you look at the first image I posted. This is the 2020 object info palette. You can clearly see there is a selection for scale alignment. This can be selected as "right" which puts the scale to the right of the label...where I have always placed it for years.

 

The second picture is 2021. That selection and the easy access text choices are gone. Although I think it has been made more difficult by having to directly edit the object in 2021, I can deal with that, but I dont find the ability, specifically, to align the scale text to the right of the label.

 

I've had to open 2020, create the drawing/scale label styles I want with the scale text to the right, save that file, open it in 2021 and save that as sort of a template to use for drawing labels. 2021 recognizes these labels and doesn't ruin them, but I haven't been able to just make one in 2021 like this. If you can specifically identify how I can make drawing labels look like this, in 2021, I would appreciate it. See below...seems pretty simple to me...or it should be, and was. I hold out that I could just be missing it somewhere tucked in some other spot someone decided was better.

 

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Hello @KenD,

 

Here is a video showing what I think you are trying to do. Let me know if it gets the job done or not.

 

 

 

[KenD]

That's it! I'm sure there is a reason it was decided this was better. I wont try to analyze it, just glad to know it now.

[decayny96]

Why was a perfectly good plug-in object changed and made so complicated? This interface is not intuitive at all . And I can't get the Scale and drawing Title text blocks to align left properly - the Scale block always kicks out left of the Title - even though in the layout I have them both aligned left and aligned with each other. I am using a MacBook Pro running OS10.14.6  and Vectorworks 2021 SP5. 

 

If i just create a new label, the alignments are okay - until i go into the layout and try to modify text size - then again i get the same mis-alignment.

[Andy Broomell]

Go into the Drawing Label layout and select your "Scale" text object. Check in the OIP that the "Horiz. Align" parameter is set to "Left." That way when the length of the text expands and contracts, it will anchor to the left and expand towards the right.

 

Actually... the fact that you have both objects selected in your screenshot and the OIP says "Left" tells me that you have this setting correct. 👍

 

Next idea... Check that both text objects have "Wrap Text" UNchecked in the OIP. Does that change anything?

[Pat Stanford]

Double check the Alignment of the text objects is individually set to Left.

 

You will probably also have better results if you only constrain them to the Left Boundary of the Drawing Label object rather than both the Left and Right which will cause strange results when the width changes.

[Jesse Cogswell]

If you would rather go back to the old tool, it's still in Vectorworks.  To bring it back, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Tools - Workspaces - Edit Current Workspace
2. Click on the Tools tab
3. In the box on the left, expand the Legacy category
4. In the box on the right, find a tool set where you want the tool to live (such as Dims/Notes)
5. Click and drag the Drawing Label (Legacy) tool from the box on the left to the target tool set in the box on the right
6. Click OK

Generally, I agree with you that the new Drawing Label is overly complicated.  I appreciate the ability to customize the labels in further detail, but generally I just need a standard drawing label.  The ability to quickly change font settings and use the "custom scale" as a way to add extra little notes on viewports that don't need a scale label (like perspective renderings) without having to add and edit a style instance is better for me.  Same goes for the Section Elevation Marker, nine times out of ten I prefer the legacy tool.

[decayny96]

I got it to work by setting the constraint for the Drawing # to "right" - or deselecting both the L & R boxes. The text alignment setting - left , right , or center - doesn't seem to do anything - i still get the Drawing # and Sheet #  blocks holding their right edges.

 

Anything I do to get those two aligning on the left, or to get the line and the Drawing # aligned to the left [if i don't have a sheet # text block]  results in the scale and Title text blocks  out of alignment.

 

"Wrapped text" was already unselected in all cases.

 

The result i now get is acceptable - but still not ideal.

 

I still think the v.2020 Drawing Label tool was far superior in ease of use and drawing editing time performance.

[Jeff Prince]

1 hour ago, decayny96 said:

Anything I do to get those two aligning on the left, or to get the line and the Drawing # aligned to the left [if i don't have a sheet # text block]  results in the scale and Title text blocks  out of alignment.

 

It would be interesting to see your VWX file demonstrating this.

Seems you have something set incorrectly because I do not see that behavior on my end.

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Hello all,

 

 

I think that in this case you have the misalignment because the item text on the left is automatically constrained to the Scale text on the right but not to the title text, as it is not fully overlapping it. You can either draw a line between the left and right texts to break the auto constrains between them (check the green lines when you select the text to see if they are constrained or not) or move it a bit so that it does not auto constrain with the Scale text. Check the samples in the attached file.

 

Let me know if this helps.

 

Best Regards,

Nikolay Zhelyazkov

DrawingLabels.vwx