Trying to get labels to display better

[jbaehmer]

Here is a sample of what I am coming up against.  I have the joists and beams showing how I want in plan view, but the labels are partially hidden.  Can't figure out how to keep the beams/joists/posts to stay how they are, and yet have the labels more readable.  Thoughts?

Label Test.plan

[DavidJPotter]

The labels can be selected and moved in plan view and also they can be move to the front using each label's dialog box-Line Style tab.

 

DJP

[Greg_NY61]

You can select joist and set the transparency so you can see the labels. You can select the post and select labels and change offset to -2 or something like this, you can select joist and remove the solid fill. There is a number of ways you can do this.

[MarkMc]

Select one post, then  "match properties" (ctrl + j on my system) check automatic label 6 x 6 post, then click drawing order, set to first group.

Dunno why that plan blanked, musta been pilot error. Here is replacement. (though I'd agree with Michael about losing the labels) any way this does them all at once.

 

Label Test.plan

[Alaskan_Son]

Aside from using manually placed text boxes, moving and rotating the labels is the only thing I can think of that will get you what you're after...

 

Now having said that, I would personally really consider doing away with a lot of those labels and just using plan notes/footnotes and/or text boxes with arrows in this particular instance just to clean up some of the redundancy.

[jbaehmer]

Thanks for the responses....appreciate all of them.  What I have put on was an example of the situation...not an actual client's plan.  I generally will do similar to what Michael is suggesting (with moving and rotating labels), but there are occasions where I am trying to do it differently.  So I intentionally left it that way.  I didn't make that clear in my initial post... my apologies.

 

Mark - It appears to now show the joists hanging off the beam which is not the desired result.  Unfortunately, it looks like the labels follow the display layer of the object.

 

DJP, not sure what you are suggesting with selecting the label and changing the line style.  Don't see any settings that would affect it in the way I am looking.

 

So, it looks like as of this moment there isn't a way.  Again, thanks for the suggestions.  Really do appreciate your time.

[DavidJPotter]

19 minutes ago, jbaehmer said:

DJP, not sure what you are suggesting with selecting the label and changing the line style.  Don't see any settings that would affect it in the way I am looking.

 

The settings that I alluded to exist and are there, that you cannot see them is your concern, not mine. There is no substitute for the ability to look and see what is there, I am sorry if you cannot or will not see what is there to see.

 

DJP

[jbaehmer]

5 hours ago, DavidJPotter said:

 

The settings that I alluded to exist and are there, that you cannot see them is your concern, not mine. There is no substitute for the ability to look and see what is there, I am sorry if you cannot or will not see what is there to see.

 

DJP

 

I did see the settings, so there is no concern.  Didn't say they were not there, just don't see how they would accomplish what I am looking for as the label being attached to the object is in the same drawing layer.  Even, after attempting the idea for a while, I just don't see how adjusting the line style or any other setting would do it...and I don't think it is possible... right now.  Essentially, I was going for the label of the beam to show on top of the joists while at the same time the beam itself is under them showing the joists running over the beam.   If there is anyone who understands what David is suggesting, I would be open to it.  I definately do not know everything with the program, so it is possible I am just missing it.  I just don't see how it is possible.  Again, thanks everyone for your suggestions.  

[Joe_Carrick]

Jared,

 

For Beams and Posts you can set defaults for the Labels (x,y offsets and angles).

For Joists and Rafters I group select - then adjust the Label offsets (x or y). 

 

You can also modify the Text Style for the any of the Framing Layers to make the Text Background Transparent or Not-Transparent.

 

It would be nice if all this stuff was consistent and had Defaults like the Beams and Posts - but it's still doable currently.

 

 

[Alaskan_Son]

Jared,

 

It just occurred to me that there actually IS a way to do this.  I only spent a few minutes so I didn't thoroughly test or perfect but check out the attached files to see how I did it.

Label Test.layout

 Label Test.plan

[glennw]

Jared,

 

I am not sure if I am missing something as my solution sounds too simple.

Select the joists and use the View Draw Order Edit Tools and then Send Backward option twice.

You want them to end up on the 18 Drawing Group - that is the back of drawing group 18..

This changes the Drawing Order within the Drawing Group and places the joists under the labels and also under the posts - I am assuming that is what you want.

Have a play with the Send Backward and Bring Forwards buttons to dynamically see the results in the floor plan. 

Or...select the joist and use the Select Drawing Group option  by changing the Drawing Group to 18 and then use the Send Backward option...same result as the other way. 

 

[Alaskan_Son]

Glenn, your suggested method kinda works except that as you probably know it wouldn't have worked for that 3rd row of posts down from the top had the label been in a different position and it also doesn't work for the beams.  It kinda only works in just the right circumstances.  

 

The method I used was to overlap 2 layout boxes...one with the normal plan view and labels turned off and another with just a reference set...all line styles set to the blank line style and reference floor set to draw last.  That method essentially allows all labels to be placed onto the front drawing group.  

[glennw]

7 minutes ago, Alaskan_Son said:

Glenn, your suggested method kinda works except that as you probably know it wouldn't have worked for that 3rd row of posts down from the top had the label been in a different position and it also doesn't work for the beams.  It kinda only works in just the right circumstances.

Michael,

Why doesn't it work for the third row down - seems to work OK here.

I don't understand why you are saying it doesn't work for the beams - they are in Drawing Group 19 and thus draw under the joists and under the labels - once again, looks OK here.

[Alaskan_Son]

4 hours ago, glennw said:

Michael,

Why doesn't it work for the third row down - seems to work OK here.

I don't understand why you are saying it doesn't work for the beams - they are in Drawing Group 19 and thus draw under the joists and under the labels - once again, looks OK here.

 

I could be misunderstanding Jared's request but I don't think I am.  I believe the goal is to keep the drawing so that posts are drawn under beams, beams are drawn under joists, and ALL labels are brought to the front group.  In your example it looks like you are essentially drawing the posts OVER the joists...that is all except the row I mentioned which it looks like you left alone.  If the labels in that row had landed under a joist then once you moved the labels to the front of the drawing group then the posts would have been moved forward too and therefore they would be drawn above the beams and joists (incorrect).  

 

With reagrd to the beams...In your attached example the labels are still being drawn beneath the joists which is what I believe we're trying to avoid.  

 

Hopefully that makes sense.  

[jbaehmer]

9 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

 

I could be misunderstanding Jared's request but I don't think I am.  I believe the goal is to keep the drawing so that posts are drawn under beams, beams are drawn under joists, and ALL labels are brought to the front group.  In your example it looks like you are essentially drawing the posts OVER the joists...that is all except the row I mentioned which it looks like you left alone.  If the labels in that row had landed under a joist then once you moved the labels to the front of the drawing group then the posts would have been moved forward too and therefore they would be drawn above the beams and joists (incorrect).  

 

 

 

Yes, Michael... that is what I am going for.  I did download your test plan and layout file.  I think you found a fairly simple solution that I can save in my template for the time being for when these types of things come up.  Didn't think of using a reference layer for the labels and sending that to layout over the plan view.

 

I still think this is something CA needs to change since they provide labels and they show under objects like in this case with the joists.  Yeah, we can move labels around, but there are times where I want them in a specific location, but they do not display well.  Time to put a suggestion in for a fix.