DesignSpark Mechanical Online Help

Creating notes

Use the NoteAnnotation placed on a design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup. Notes contain text or symbols that you insert and can be connected to geometry by a note leader. tool to annotate your designs or drawing sheets. You can use this tool to create and edit notes. You can also project the note onto a sketch or onto a solid. Place the annotation plane on one layer and the note on another layer, then turn off layer visibility for the annotation plane to hide it. You can also create circular note text.

Notes are shown in the Structure Tree. Like curves, Notes can live in datum planes or drawing sheets. Unlike curves, they do not live directly in a part. So, in a part, you will not see a Notes folder.

To create a note

1. Select the NoteAnnotation placed on a design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup. Notes contain text or symbols that you insert and can be connected to geometry by a note leader. tool from the AnnotationInformation you can add to a drawing, such as notes, dimensions, geometric tolerances, center marks, and Bills of Materials. ribbon group in the DetailAspects of a design incorporated to communicate with others or submit the design for review. Use the tools on the Detailing tab to annotate designs, create drawing sheets, and review design changes. You can customize detailing settings to conform to standards or create your own custom style. tab.

   Mouse over the faces of your design to preview the eligible annotation planes. (In Sketch and Section modeSee SectionDesign2D or 3D model that contains at least one top-level component. mode in which you edit solids by working with their edges and vertices in cross-section. ViewOrientation settings that you can apply to your design, including spin, pan, and zoom. You can adjust these settings individually or you can apply one of the following preconfigured views: Trimetric, Isometric, Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, Left. You can also select Snap View and click a face to view it head-on. is cut away to show interior detail., the sketch grid defines the annotation plane.)

2. Click a face to create the plane on which to place the note.

   To create an annotation plane for a cylindrical face, select the cylinder's axis.

   If you need to change the annotation plane, right-click and click Select New AnnotationInformation you can add to a drawing, such as notes, dimensions, geometric tolerances, center marks, and Bills of Materials. PlaneConstruction geometry consisting of a flat surface. Planes can be used for a 2D sketch, section view of a model, a neutral plane in a draft feature. from the context menu and select a new annotation plane.

3. Click to place the note on the plane.

4. Enter the text of the note.

   • Click in the mini-toolbar to insert a symbol into your note at the cursor location.
   • Click in the mini-toolbar to insert a dynamic field. Dynamic fields include current values from a variety of properties.
   • You can format the note text, and enter the text by cutting, copying, and pasting the text from other notes or dimension annotations.
   • DS Mechanical recognizes many fonts stored on your computer. If you paste text from outside of DS Mechanical, and the font is not recognized, the default font will be used.

5. Adjust the orientation of the note by dragging the rotation handles.

   For vertical notes, set the Stacked property to True.

To create a note field

Field codes can be included within a note. The text in field codes is variable text; in other words, the text within a field is tied to code, so if you change a field code in your note or drawing sheet, for example, a date format, the field automatically updates.

Some field codes are bi-directional; for example, adding the ScaleSolidObject that encloses volume. A surface becomes a solid if it encloses volume. or surface: Change the size of the selected object using the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool. You can scale dynamically or by entering a scale value. Drawing sheet or cross-section views: Magnify or shrink the view by selecting a ViewOrientation settings that you can apply to your design, including spin, pan, and zoom. You can adjust these settings individually or you can apply one of the following preconfigured views: Trimetric, Isometric, Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, Left. You can also select Snap View and click a face to view it head-on. in the Structure tree and editing the Properties panel. field code to a drawing sheet enables you to change the scale by editing the note, or, change the scale by changing the value from the ScaleSolidObject that encloses volume. A surface becomes a solid if it encloses volume. or surface: Change the size of the selected object using the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool. You can scale dynamically or by entering a scale value. Drawing sheet or cross-section views: Magnify or shrink the view by selecting a ViewOrientation settings that you can apply to your design, including spin, pan, and zoom. You can adjust these settings individually or you can apply one of the following preconfigured views: Trimetric, Isometric, Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, Left. You can also select Snap View and click a face to view it head-on. in the Structure tree and editing the Properties panel. drop-down in the Sheet Setup group in the DetailAspects of a design incorporated to communicate with others or submit the design for review. Use the tools on the Detailing tab to annotate designs, create drawing sheets, and review design changes. You can customize detailing settings to conform to standards or create your own custom style. tab.

1. Click within the text of the note and place the cursor where you want the field to appear.

2. Right-click to display the mini-toolbar.

3. Click in the mini-toolbar to display the Insert Field window.

   The Fields tab displays the properties available for insertion. (DocumentA model file (.scdoc) that may contain any combination of design versions, associated drawing sheets, and 3D markup slides. properties are those that appear in the Properties panelArea of the user interface that displays editable details about the selected object(s). This panel is initially displayed on the lower left side of the screen, but can be moved. when you click the top-level design in the Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components..)

4. Select a value from the Category drop-down to filter the properties displayed in the Fields list.

   If you click Selected ObjectAnything recognizable by the tools. 3D objects include vertices, edges, faces, surfaces, solids, layouts, planes, axes, and origins. 2D objects include points and lines., you can click any object in the Design windowArea in the user interface that displays your model or assembly. Also known as Workspace. or Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components. to make its properties available.

   If you select Formula, you can enter an expression, and include any numeric fields within the expression.

5. Click a property in the Fields list.

6. Click the Format tab to format the text within the field.

   The formatting options are based on the type of the property value. For example, strings can be formatted with upper case, lower case, initial capitals, or title case.

7. Click OK to insert the formatted, dynamic field into the note at the cursor location.

   If the field is empty, check to make sure that the property you selected has a value by selecting the appropriate object and viewing the Properties panelArea of the user interface that displays editable details about the selected object(s). This panel is initially displayed on the lower left side of the screen, but can be moved..

To copy a note

Ctrl+drag a note to copy it.

You can also do the following:

• Click on a note.
• The note displays inside the text box border.
• Click on the border.
• Press Ctrl+c
• Press Ctrl+v
• The note copy displays below and to the right of the original note.

• If you paste the note on a different sheet, it will paste in the same location as in the original sheet. It does not paste at the cursor location.
• If you are zoomed in, the note will paste in the center of the view. If there is another note at that location, the new note will paste below and to the right of that note.

To edit a note

1. Select the note to move, size, or rotate it.

   If you select a single note, you can edit, resize, and rotate the note. If you select multiple notes, you can only move or change formatting.

   To move the note box, mouse over the edge of the box until the cursor changes to , then drag the note.

   To size the box containing the note, drag the handles of the note box (the white circles).

   To rotate the note, drag the rotation handle (the green circle). Press Shift to snap to angular increments.

2. Select the text of the note to reformat it.

   Click a field to edit it. Changing the value of a string also changes it in the Properties panelArea of the user interface that displays editable details about the selected object(s). This panel is initially displayed on the lower left side of the screen, but can be moved..

3. Modify the note's properties in the Properties panelArea of the user interface that displays editable details about the selected object(s). This panel is initially displayed on the lower left side of the screen, but can be moved..

   • Circular Text

     • Type - Choose from:

       • None

       • Clockwise

       • Counterclockwise

     • Radius - Enter a radius for the note circle.

   • Cosmetic

     • Space - Choose from:

       • Model Space sizes the text based on the actual measurements of the objects in your design.

       • ViewOrientation settings that you can apply to your design, including spin, pan, and zoom. You can adjust these settings individually or you can apply one of the following preconfigured views: Trimetric, Isometric, Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Right, Left. You can also select Snap View and click a face to view it head-on. Space sizes the text based on the view of the design in the Design windowArea in the user interface that displays your model or assembly. Also known as Workspace..

     • Mirrored - Set this property to True to display the text as if it is seen in a mirror. Notes seen from behind can appear 'backwards,' which can be confused as 'mirrored.' Setting this property confirms the NoteAnnotation placed on a design, drawing sheet, or 3D markup. Notes contain text or symbols that you insert and can be connected to geometry by a note leader. is mirrored intentionally.
       
       
       
       

     • Stacked - Set this property to True to stack the text vertically instead of horizontally.

   • Flagnote

     • Flagnote is a drop-down menu of border shapes to put around the text.

     • Minimum width prevents the border from resizing automatically to fit the content of the note.

        

       

        

   • Position

     • Anchor influences the position and size of a note within a plane. Where you anchor a note determines the direction that the text will fill the note. For example, if you select the Left Top position, as you type, the expanded text box flows from left to right and top to bottom. The choices are:

       • Left Top

       • Left Bottom

       • Right Bottom

       • Right Top

       • Left Center

       • Right Center

       • Top Center

       • Bottom Center

       • Center

         When moving a note or circular note, the note’s anchor (or circular note’s text center) now snaps to an edge, a sketch point, or an axis. Select the MoveA tool used to translate or rotate geometry. tool, and then select the note’s red anchor and drag it to an edge, sketch point, or axis. The red anchor will snap to the note’s anchor location that is closest to the drag point. The Anchor position updates in the Position group of the Properties panelArea of the user interface that displays editable details about the selected object(s). This panel is initially displayed on the lower left side of the screen, but can be moved. as you move the anchor to a new location.

To fit text within a note box

• RMB Click on the note and open the Autofit drop-down menu.
• Choose one of the following options:
  • Do not autofit: The text box adjusts to the size of the text and grows as you type. There is no blank space around the note and making the text larger or smaller adjusts the box accordingly.
  • Resize text height on overflow: The text always fits the width of the box. If you make the box wider, text from the second line will move up to the first line.
  • Shrink text on overflow: The text adjusts uniformly (width and height) and scales to fit in the text box.
  • Shrink text horizontally on overflow: The width of the text changes but the height remains the same.

To adjust the text width

The Font group in the DetailAspects of a design incorporated to communicate with others or submit the design for review. Use the tools on the Detailing tab to annotate designs, create drawing sheets, and review design changes. You can customize detailing settings to conform to standards or create your own custom style. tab has tools for increasing and decreasing text width.

• Click the Width Factor drop down menu and select from the width factor options.
• Click the Increase Width Factor button to increase the width in 0.1 increments.
• Click the Decrease Width Factor button to decrease the width in 0.1 increments.

To adjust line and character spacing

Character and LineA straight line, arc, or spline drawn in Sketch mode or on a layout plane. Lines have length but no area. When you pull a sketch into 3D with the PullTool used to distort or deform geometry. Use the Pull tool to offset, extrude, revolve, sweep, draft, and blend faces; or to round, chamfer, or extrude edges. When converting a sketch to 3D, pulling a line creates a surface and pulling a surface creates a solid. tool, lines become edges. spacing can be changed in Notes.

• Click the character spacing drop down menu and select from the character spacing options.
  
  
  
  
• Click the line spacing drop down menu and select from the line spacing options.
  
  
  

To align multiple notes

1. Select multiple notes.
2. In the RMB menu, choose from the following:
   • Align Lefts - Align the left side of each note box.
   • Align Centers - Vertically align the center of each note box.
   • Align Rights - Align the right side of each note box.
   • Align Top Lines - Align the bottom of the first line of text in each note box.
   • Align Middles - Horizontally align the middle of each note box.
   • Align Bottom Lines - Align the bottom of the last line of text in each note box.
   • Make Same width - Make each note box the same width based on the first note selected. Some text may be scaled accordingly.
   • Make Same Height - Make each note box the same height based on the first note selected. Some text may be scaled accordingly.
   • Make Same Size - Make each note box the same size (height and width) based on the first note selected. Some text may be scaled accordingly.
   • Distribute Horizontally - The space between each note box is distributed evenly horizontally.
   • Distribute Vertically -The space between each note box is distributed evenly vertically.
   • Remove Horizontal Spacing - The even horizontal spacing is removed and any significant overlap is equalized.
   • Remove Vertical Spacing - The even vertical spacing is removed and any significant overlap is equalized.

Any notes rotated differently are not affected by the above commands.

Attaching and Detaching notes to other notes

You can attach notes to other notes using the Attach Notes option in the RMB menu. The first note selected is the parent note (highlighted in blue) and any other notes you select become child notes (highlighted in dark blue).

1. Select two or more notes
2. RMB click
3. Select Attach Notes
4. To detach a note RMB select it and choose the DetachCreate separate surfaces from individual pieces of a sketch, or objects or faces in 3D. You can detach protrusions to move them with the MoveA tool used to translate or rotate geometry. tool's Detach First option. option.

When notes are attached, moving the parent note moves all the notes as one. However, moving a child note will move that note individually.

You can attach a note to the note fields of objects created with tools in the DetailAspects of a design incorporated to communicate with others or submit the design for review. Use the tools on the Detailing tab to annotate designs, create drawing sheets, and review design changes. You can customize detailing settings to conform to standards or create your own custom style. tab. For example, SurfaceTwo dimensional object that has no thickness (as opposed to a face, which is part of a three-dimensional object). A surface has area but no volume. See FaceSide or other surface of a solid. Some examples are the inside surface of a hole or the six sides of a rectangular solid. See Surface.. Finish symbols, Welding symbols, DatumObject that is assumed to be an exact size and shape, and be in an exact location, that is used to locate or establish geometric relationship of other objects. Targets, DatumObject that is assumed to be an exact size and shape, and be in an exact location, that is used to locate or establish geometric relationship of other objects. symbols, notes within a Symbol, and DimensionsValues or expressions you enter for precise control during the creation or modification of a design. You can dimension every element, from lines in sketches to faces of solids. See Ordinate dimensions, Progressive dimensions, Ruler dimension. are some tools that have note fields. Any notes can be attached to any other notes. DimensionsValues or expressions you enter for precise control during the creation or modification of a design. You can dimension every element, from lines in sketches to faces of solids. See Ordinate dimensions, Progressive dimensions, Ruler dimension., however, can only be parent notes since they are attached to the model. 

Attaching and Detaching free notes to drawing views

Free notes (those Not attached to the model with a leader) can be attached to a drawing view.

1. Select a drawing view
2. Ctrl-select one or more Free Notes
3. RMB click
4. Select Attach Notes
5. To detach a note RMB select it and choose the DetachCreate separate surfaces from individual pieces of a sketch, or objects or faces in 3D. You can detach protrusions to move them with the MoveA tool used to translate or rotate geometry. tool's Detach First option. option.

Moving a drawing view also moves any attached Free Notes.

Deleting a drawing view also deletes any attached Free Notes.

To display the text of an annotation and hide the plane

1. Create two layers, one for notes, and one for the annotation planes.

2. Place the note on one layer and the annotation plane on another layer.

3. Turn off the visibility of the layer that contains the annotation plane.