You can annotate Autodesk Civil 3D objects with labels that update dynamically when the drawing objects change.
Labels can contain single or multiple lines of text, blocks, ticks, lines, and direction arrows.
As you create Autodesk Civil 3D objects in a drawing, they are labeled automatically using specified label styles. However, after an object is created, you can add more labels manually.
There are three levels of label settings in addition to settings that you define in the label styles themselves. For more information, see About the Hierarchy of Label Settings.
Labels are defined by the following properties:
- Type. There are three types of Autodesk Civil 3D labels:
- Anchored. Anchored labels are dependent upon a parent object for their location in the modelspace. If the parent object is moved, the anchored label moves with it. Examples of anchored labels include plot segment labels and alignment chainage labels.
- Unanchored. Unanchored labels are placed at a specific X-Y location in modelspace. If the object it labels is moved, the unanchored label stays in its X-Y location. Examples of unanchored labels include note labels and surface spot level labels.
- Label Sets (or, group labels). A label set is a collection of label definitions for multiple anchored label types, such as chainage labels and geometry point labels. For example, alignment chainage labeling can be composed of major chainage labels, minor chainage labels, and geometry point labels.
- Location. Label location in a drawing depends on the object using the label.
For example, a plot area label is usually placed at the center of the plot, and surface contour labels are usually placed on the contour line.
- Appearance and Visibility. Whether a label is visible, and how it appears in a drawing, can be specified in the label style or by managing the AutoCAD properties. You can define different display settings, such as color, lineweight, and linetype, for each label component.
- Mode. Many label styles have two modes: label and tag. Tags are used to identify labeled objects within a table.
- Placement. A label is placed in relation to an object or another label style component. For more information, see About Anchor Points and Attachment Points for Label Style Components.
- Plan-Readable text. Labels can be placed at any angle, but you can select a plan-readability setting to maintain legibility. For more information, see About Specifying Plan-Readability for Labels and About Specifying the Label Insertion Location.
- Orientation. Label orientation refers to the rotation angle of the labels in 3D space. For more information about label orientation, see To Specify Label Orientation.
Group and Single Labels
Label objects include two distinct object types: group and single labels.
Group label objects and single label objects behave differently with respect to screen interaction and AutoCAD object management. By default the entire group is highlighted when selected and you can simultaneously edit the entire group of labels. Labels that are part of a group can be selected individually and changed using “Ctrl+click” selection.
