- Chapter Objectives
- Introduction
- Using Isometric Snap
- Switching Isometric Planes
- Using COPY and Other Edit Commands
- Drawing Isometric Circles with ELLIPSE
- Drawing Text Aligned with Isometric Planes
- Drawing Ellipses in Orthographic Views
- Saving and Restoring Displays with VIEW
- Chapter Summary
- Chapter Test Questions
- Chapter Drawing Projects
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Drawing Text Aligned with Isometric Planes
Adding text to isometric drawings has some challenges you may not have encountered previously. To create the appearance that text aligns with an isometric plane, it needs to be altered in two ways. First, the whole line of text needs to be rotated to align with one side of the plane. Second, the obliquing angle of individual characters needs to be adjusted to match the plane’s tilt. Rotation angle, you recall, is handled through the command sequence of the TEXT command. Obliquing angle is set as a text style characteristic using the STYLE command.
Typically, text in an isometric drawing aligns with one of the three isometric planes. In order to demonstrate how this works, you add a single-line text object to each of the planes of the bracket, as shown in Figure 11-15. Though you will be drawing on three planes, you can accomplish this with only two new text styles. These will be simple variations of the Standard text style, with the oblique angles needed for isometric alignment. The right isoplane will use a 30° oblique angle, while the top and left planes will use a −30° angle.
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Figure 11-15 Drawing text in isometric view
To begin, you should be in the bracket drawing created in the previous sections. Isometric snap and grid modes should be enabled.- Click the Home tab, expand the Annotation panel, and then click the Text Style tool in the top left, next to the name of the current text style (Standard).
This opens the Text Style dialog box. The first new text style you create will be used for drawing text on the right isoplane. If you look at Figure 11-15, you can see that this text (the word Right) is rotated along the 30° X-axis of the isoplane. What may be less obvious is that the individual characters are also drawn at a 30° oblique angle. You enter the rotation angle when creating the text. Here, you set the oblique angle for this plane.
- In the Text Style dialog box, click the New button.
- In the New Text Style dialog box, type isotext30.
- Click OK.
- Change the Oblique Angle to 30.
- Click Apply.
You repeat these steps to create a style with –30° obliquing angle.
- Click the New button.
- In the New Text Style dialog box, type isotext-30.
- Click OK.
- Change the Oblique Angle to –30.
- Click Apply.
- Highlight isotext30 in the Styles list.
- If you see a message saying the current text style has been modified, click Yes.
You should now be back in the drawing with isotext30 as the current text style. You are now ready to add the single-line text.
- Click the Set Current button.
- Click Close.
- Make sure to be on the right isoplane. Press <F5> to cycle through the isoplanes until you get to the right isoplane.
- On the Annotation panel, click the Multiline Text/Single-line text drop-down menu and choose the Single Line text tool.
- Use the Justify option and set the justification for the new text to Middle Center (MC).
- Specify the middle point on the right front of the bracket, as shown by the placement of the word Right in Figure 11-15.
- Specify a text height of .30.
- Type 30 <Enter> for the rotation angle.
- Type Right <Enter>.
- Press <Enter>.
The word Right should be drawn on the bracket, as shown in Figure 11-15. Now draw the word Left on the left isoplane, as shown. This will use the isotext-30 style and a rotation angle of –30°.
- Expand the Annotation panel and select isotext-30 from the Text Style drop-down list.
- Press <F5> to set the left isoplane current.
- Click the Single Line text tool from the Annotation panel.
- Specify the middle point on the left side of the bracket, as shown by the placement of the word Left in Figure 11-15.
- Specify a text height of .30.
- Type –30 <Enter> for the rotation angle.
- Type Left <Enter>.
- Press <Enter>.
Finally, for text in the top isoplane, use isotext-30 with a rotation angle of +30°.
- Press <F5> to set the top isoplane current.
- Click the Single Line text tool from the Annotation panel.
- Specify the middle point on the top of the bracket, as shown by the placement of the word Top in Figure 11-15.
- Press <Enter> for a text height of .30.
- Type 30 <Enter> for the rotation angle.
- Type Top <Enter>.
- Press <Enter>.
Your drawing should resemble Figure 11-15.
This completes the present discussion of isometric drawing. You can find more in the drawing suggestions at the end of this chapter.
Next, you go on to exploring the nonisometric use of the ELLIPSE command and saving named views with the VIEW command.