About Column Grid Bubble Tools

Column grid bubble annotations are used for annotating column grids in a drawing. These annotations are available through tools on the tool palettes and in Content Browser. The column grid bubble is a true tool with tool properties.

The default column grid bubble tool is set to be annotative, which means that the annotations you insert with the tool are controlled by annotative scaling.

Attention: If you have legacy drawings with old DesignCenter-based annotation symbols in them, then the old block definition will continue to be used for new tool-based blocks if the blocks are identically named. In such a case, either change the Annotative setting manually by using BEDIT, or rename the old block before inserting new tool-based annotation symbols into the drawing.

The column grid bubble tool is based on a multi-view block. To make changes to the annotative behavior, you must change the referenced block within the multi-view block with BEDIT.

You can find a column grid bubble tool in these locations in a default US install of AutoCAD Architecture 2023 toolset:

• In the Annotation tool palette
• In Content Browser in these catalogs:
  • Stock Tool Catalog
  • Sample Palette Catalog (Imperial or Metric), under \Document\Annotation
  • Documentation Tool Catalog (Imperial or Metric), under \Miscellaneous

Tip: You can also search for these types of tools by name in Content Browser.

These properties of Column Grid Bubble tools can be customized:

Property Category/Name	Description
General/Layer key	Specifies the layer key for the layer to which the column grid bubble is assigned. To change, click the current value to access the Select Layer Key worksheet. The default layer is GRIDBUB.
General/Layer overrides	Specifies one or more layer key overrides. Click the worksheet icon to access the Select Layer Overrides worksheet.
General/Symbol	Specifies the block-based symbol to be used for the column grid bubble.
General/Symbol location	The location of the drawing file containing the specified symbol. Click the property and use the Browse option from the drop-down list to locate and enter the path to the file. If this property is unspecified (--), then only those blocks in the current drawing file are listed. Symbol blocks shipped with AutoCAD Architecture 2023 toolset are by default located in %AECCONTENT_DIR%\Styles\Imperial\AEC Annotation Symbols (Imperial).dwg or %AECCONTENT_DIR%\Styles\Metric\AEC Annotation Symbols (Metric).dwg.
Label prefix	Specifies the default bubble text. The last character of the prefix will be incremented if multiple column grid bubbles are inserted within one command sequence. For example, if the label prefix is A1, then subsequent bubbles will be named A2, A3, and so on. Note: When the command is ended, and later the tool is started again, it will start incrementing from 1 again.
Label both ends	Specifies whether a bubble is applied to only the selected node (No) or to the node on the opposite end of the grid as well (Yes).
Extension length	Specifies the length of the extension line from the column grid node to the bubble. Note: These values are defined in model space units.
Text/Attribute text style	This property specifies whether attribute text within the symbol uses the text style of the current drawing (Target drawing text style) or the style defined by the attribute tag (As defined by content).
Text/Attribute text angle	Specifies the angle for attribute text. The choices are Right reading (which keeps the text right-side up regardless of rotation angle), As inserted (which sets text rotation at the angle of the last leader segment), and Force horizontal (which keeps the text horizontal regardless of the match line rotation angle).