About Annotative Objects

Annotative objects are defined as objects that participate in annotation scaling; that is, they scale accordingly when the annotation scale changes. You can identify whether an object is annotative by doing either of the following:

Select the object, enter list, and view the value for Annotative in the dialog box
Move the cursor over the object. An icon ( ) is displayed if the object is annotative. (Multiple shapes indicate the object supports multiple scale representations.)

An AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset drawing might include

AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset objects that are annotative
AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset objects that are not annotative but have annotative components
AutoCAD and AutoCAD Architecture 2023 toolset objects that are annotative

Annotative AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset Objects

In Architecture, labels are annotative objects if the corresponding label curve style is configured to be annotative. You configure a label curve style to be annotative in one of 2 ways depending on the type of style.

If the label curve style uses block graphics or flow arrow graphics, and Use Annotation Scale for Block is selected in the style, then the style is considered annotative. (As a convenience, this is selected by default when you select a block whose Annotative property is set to Yes, but you can deselect it.)

Example block-based label curve style

If the label curve style uses a text style, then the configuration of the text style determines whether the label curve style is considered annotative.

Example text-based label curve style

The following table describes how labels are scaled based on the configuration of the text style that is used by a label curve style.

If the Annotative property is ...	And the value for Paper Text Height (or Height) is ...	Then labels of the style are scaled to ...
selected or cleared	zero	the annotation plot size (specified in the Drawing Setup dialog box) multiplied by the current annotation scale.
selected	greater than zero	the value specified for Paper Text Height multiplied by the current annotation scale.
cleared	greater than zero	the value specified for Height. Note: When the text style is configured in this way, the label curve style is not considered annotative.

When you modify a label curve style to make it annotative or non-annotative (using the methods described above for block-based styles and text-based styles), all labels using the style are updated accordingly in the drawing. In the case of a block-based style, you cannot make the style annotative or non-annotative by modifying the Annotative property in the underlying block definition.

Note: Schedules are not considered annotative. Therefore, they do not scale accordingly when the annotation scale changes. When you insert a schedule into a drawing, it uses the annotation scale that is current at the time of insertion, and its scale does not subsequently change.

AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset Objects with Annotative Components

Some AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset objects are not annotative, but they have components that are (or can be) annotative. The following table lists these components.

Domain	Annotative Components of AutoCAD MEP 2023 toolset Objects
All	Rise symbols and drop symbols View blocks of MvParts if Use Annotation Scale is selected in the corresponding MvPart style definition. You select this on a per-view basis on the Views tab in Style Manager.
HVAC	Flow markers Annotation pattern on flexible ducts Flow arrows on air terminals if Use Annotation Scale for Block is selected in the MvPart properties. You select this on the Flow tab in the Multi-view Part Properties dialog box.
Piping	Flow markers Annotation pattern on flexible pipes Placeholder pipe In Graphical 1-Line: rise symbols, drop symbols, in-line/anchored MvParts, and reducers
Electrical	Home runs, tick marks, and gaps on wires Pattern on cable trays View blocks of devices and panels if Use Annotation Scale is selected in the corresponding device style or panel style. You select this on a per-view basis on the View tab in Style Manager. Tip: You can use the conversion tools provided with the software to update large numbers of devices to be annotative.
Plumbing	Plumbing fittings Note: Plumbing fittings are always scaled according to the current annotation scale in model space. Gaps on plumbing lines
Schematic	Schematic symbols Note: Schematic symbols are always scaled according to the current annotation scale in model space. Start symbols, end symbols, connections symbols, and gaps on schematic lines Tip: You can use the conversion tools provided with the software to update large numbers of schematic symbols to be annotative.

The Hatch display component is not an annotative component of an object. Therefore, it does not scale accordingly when the annotation scale changes.

Attention: Objects with annotative components that are block-based (for example, flow arrows on air terminals, and view blocks for devices) are considered annotative based on whether Use Annotation Scale (for Block) is selected. The Annotative property in the associated block definition has no bearing on whether the object is annotative.

Other Annotative Objects

The following AutoCAD Architecture 2023 toolset objects can be annotative depending on their configuration:

Multi-view Blocks (MvBlocks)
AEC dimensions

The following AutoCAD objects can be annotative depending on their configuration:

Text
MText
Dimensions
Leaders
Blocks
Hatching
Linetypes
If the MSLTSCALE system variable is set to 1, linetypes displayed in model space are scaled according to the annotation scale. If the PSLTSCALE system variable is set to 1, linetypes displayed in paper space are scaled according to the viewport scale in paper space.