Creating SmartLeaders

Use the SmartLeader command to draw Leader lines that connect annotations to a drawing entity. Leaders are useful when the Dimension text or annotation does not fit next to the corresponding drawing entity. You can optionally place single or multiple lines of Text, a geometric tolerance, a Block Reference, or a copy of another Leader at the end point of the Leader line.

Draw Leaders as straight line segments or spline curves. By default, the start point of a Leader is an arrow head you can customize.

You can also use the Leader command to create a Leader. The SmartLeader command provides additional formatting features.

To create Leader lines:

1. Click Dimension > Leader (or type SmartLeader).
2. Enter the first leader point or optionally press Enter to use the Format Leaders dialog box to customize the Leader settings. To customize the annotated Text, use the Annotations tab of the dialog:
1. Click the Type of annotated Text:
• Block: Prompts for a Block insertion to be appended to the Leader after you specify its vertices.
• Copy entity: Lets you specify a single or multiple line Text, a Block, or a geometric tolerance to append at the end of the Leader after you specify its vertices.
  
  Note: Prompts to enter annotation text and lets you invoke the Edit Note dialog box to enter and format the annotation.
• Tolerance: Lets you create a feature control frame for tolerances at the end of the Leader using the Geometric Tolerance dialog box.
• None: Creates the Leader with no annotation so you can draw a Leader line from one drawing entity to another.
2. In Note options, customize the display for annotations when you use the Note option:
• Left justify: If left justifying, you do not enter a line width. The text lines you enter can be of any length without any automatic line break.
• Specify width: Prompts for the width of the annotation before you enter the text. The editing tool enters line breaks automatically as necessary.
• Show text frame: Places a frame around the annotation.
3. Specify Reuse settings:
• Reuse current: Applies automatically after you specify Reuse next.
• Reuse next: Reuses the next annotation you create for subsequent SmartLeader commands.
• Do not reuse (default).
4. To customize text placement, specify where to attach the Text that is to the left or right side of the Leader: you can place Text on the top of top text line, center of top text line, center of multiple line text, center of bottom text line, or bottom of bottom text line. Or, you can also underline the bottom text line.
3. To customize the Leader line, use the Arrows/Lines tab:
1. Click the Leader line type:
• Straight: Draws straight lines between the leader points you specify.
• Spline: Draws a spline using the leader points you specify.
2. Specify Angle settings for the First segment and Second segment:
• 15°, 30°, 45°, or 90°: Specifies a particular angle.
• Horizontal: Forces the segment to be horizontal.
• No Constraints: Allows any angle (default).
3. Specify Vertex settings:
• Unlimited: Disables the Vertex maximum list.
• Vertex maximum: Specifies the number of leader points prompted for before prompting for the annotation Text.
4. In the Arrow style list, select a type for the arrow head.
4. Select multiple points for the Leader and press Enter to complete the Leader.
   
   The points define the locations of the segments of the Leader line.
5. Specify the width for the annotation Text, assumed the Specify width option is set.
6. Enter the first line of annotation Text or press Enter to use the Edit Note dialog box to type and format the annotation.

Access

Command: SmartLeader

Menu: Dimension > Leader