If you insert titleblock text for your drawings, you know that keeping that text updated and accurate can be a chore. Also, many people place drawing numbers and names in more than one place in a drawing, requiring extra work.
You can use fields to automate the insertion of titleblock text – or any other annotation in a drawing. Especially if you use the text over and over again, you can save time and improve accuracy. Examples are the current date, the drafter’s initials, the company name and address, and so on.
In this tutorial, I assume that you’re using MText for your titleblock text, but you can use the same technique with block attribute text.
Follow these steps:
- You use the Drawing Properties feature to create custom properties. Choose the Application button> Drawing Utilities> Drawing Properties or choose File>Drawing Properties to open the Drawing Properties dialog box.
- Click the Summary tab. If you can use any of these properties, start here. For example, you can use the Title field for the drawing name.
- To add a custom field, c lick the Custom tab. Use a custom field for content that cannot use one of the fields that come with AutoCAD.
- Click the Add button. In the Add Custom Property dialog box, enter a field name and value and click OK.
- Repeat Step 4 for all of your custom fields.
- Click OK to close the Drawing Properties dialog box.
- To insert fields, start the MTEXT command and define the bounding box (or use the ATTDEF command to create an attribute definition).
- In the Text Editor (or Value or Default text box of the Attribute Definition dialog box), right-click and choose Insert>Field. You can do the same in a table.
- To find your custom fields most easily, choose Document from the Field Categories drop-down list. You’ll see all your custom fields listed.
- Choose the field you want, choose a format, and click OK.
- Repeat Steps 7-10 for all your custom fields.
- To use any of the fields that come with AutoCAD, again choose Insert>Field, choose a different category, field, and format.
Note: The CreateDate field creates an unchanging date field, based on today’s date. The Date field creates a date field that always changes to display today’s date.
The gray background tells you it’s a field; the background doesn’t print.
You can save your custom fields in a template and have them available for any drawings based on that template.
AutoCAD comes with some very interesting and useful fields. Browse through the list to see if some might be useful for you. For example, choose Insert>Field, choose the Objects field category, choose the Object field, and click the Select Object button to select an object in your drawing. Now you’ll see a list of properties that you can choose from. You can use this to create labels that display properties about your objects, such as the area of a circle or the coordinates (position) of any object.
Updated for AutoCAD 2012
How do you use fields? Leave a comment!
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Maybe I’m just dense but I’m still having trouble creating and using fields. I followed the tutorial on this page and no fields appeared. Can you direct me to a good video tutorial that shows how to create, insert, update, and edit fields and leaves nothing out; for example the instructions above tell me to, “In the Text Editor (or Value text box of the Attribute Definition dialog box), right-click and choose Insert>Field.”
Well, there is no VALUE field in the Attribute Definition dialog box. My DEFAULT field has a link to INSERT FIELD, but no VALUE Field.
Thanks,
Randy
Randy,
You’re right–the Attribute Definition dialog box has changed since I wrote that post. Use the Default field.
Thank you very much for your tip, I must admit I forgot these steps! You saved me a lot of time!
Hi,
I have a quick question about fields. I have a drawing that contains a block of a drainage manhole that is duplicated many time for all the required locations of manholes on site. For each manhole I have attached a field that displays the coordinates for each manhole block, but I have found no way of identifying which block a particular field is linked to.
Is it possible to do so?
Many thanks,
Lee
Probably best to leave the fields out of the block altogether and once the blocks are place, use the command “eattext”. This allows to extract all data from the block into a tabular format including co-ordinates of the block location based on the blocks origin.
is there a way to use fields so the field can refer to another drawing. Im thinking in the use of section labels that show the location of section. If additional drawings are added and the page numbers change then these labels would update accordingly. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Les
Yes, this is what the sheet set feature does. I don’t have a tutorial on that component of sheet sets, but there’s a basic tutorial at http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/acadblog/autocad-tutorial-create-a-simple-sheet-set/. I cover them much more completely in my book, AutoCAD 2012 Bible. More info at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118022211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ellenfinkelstein&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399701&creativeASIN=1118022211.
Is there an easy way to link these fields to en Excel file? This way it would be easier and faster to change all the title blocks of a project!.
Thank you, Jorge
In autocad 2012 I have detail drawing containing a block with attributes, one of which is a field line that refers to the drawing path and file name. It works great, until I xref the drawing into a sheet. At this point it alters the drawing path and file name. Is there a way to avoid this and insure the proper path and file name is displayed when I xref the detail into a new drawing. Thank you
Thanks, this was helpful to me.
Back around 2006 I read an article on using fields to label blocks that are contained within an x-referenced drawing. As an example, we xref the mechanical (HVAC) drawing into our electrical drawings. The mechaincal designers have labeled the devices (an attribute associated with the block)within their drawing. Their device label is frequently in an inconvenient location for the electrical designer, so we must re-label the device within the electrical drawing. As time goes on, the mechanical designer must sometimes rename their devices. The electrical designers must manually do the same, assuming they are aware that the devices were renamed.
The article explained how to create the blocks using fields and I believe some lisp code which could then be read through the xreferece so a label can be placed in the electrical drawing, and it would update as necessary.
Can you replicate this process? I’m going crazy trying to locate the article.
Thanks
Mitch
Is there way to change these data without opening the cad file?
Regards
Hmmm, you could probably create a script file or do something in AutoLISP or .NET that would automate the process of changing fields for multiple drawings.