Creating geometry in a drawing is only part of the design process; communicating essential information is just as important. Whether you need to add general notes to a title block or provide specific explanations for a particular view, text plays a crucial role in clarifying your design intent. To ensure that a design is easily understood, AutoCAD offers the MTEXT command to add precise notes and annotations in your drawing. In this blog, we will explore how to effectively use text in AutoCAD to enhance your projects and deliver clear and professional documentation with a drawing.
Multiline Text
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You can use the
(Multiline Text) (MTEXT) command to create, edit, and format paragraphs of text.
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Any text created in the Text Editor becomes one object, no matter how many lines it contains. Because you are typing it in a Text Editor, the text automatically wraps at the end of the line, as shown below.
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Text should be placed on its own layer.
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Set the layer and the text style before you start the MTEXT command. The text style sets the default font of the text.
Adding Multiline Text
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In the Annotate tab>Text panel or in the Home tab>Annotation panel, click
(Multiline Text).
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If you are creating an annotative object, you might be prompted to set the annotation scale.
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An example text string (abc) displays near the cursor, as shown below. This preview indicates the current text height and font.
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Select two points in the drawing to define a boundary box for the text. The Text Editor opens, as shown below.
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When creating the boundary box for the text, an arrow displays indicating the direction in which the text is going to flow, based on the current vertical justification. The boundary determines the location of the text and its width (i.e., the length of a line before words wrap to the next line) but does not limit the number of lines you can type.
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Type the text in the Text Editor and apply formatting options from the contextual tab.
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Click
(Close Text Editor) or click in the drawing window to finish creating the text. The text is inserted in the drawing as one object.
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The background of the Text Editor is transparent. This enables any drawing objects that are covered by the text box to be displayed.
Setting Up the Text Height
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In the Annotate tab>Text panel or in the Home tab>Annotation panel, click
(Multiline Text).
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Select the first point of the boundary box.
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Select Height from the Command Line or shortcut menu (<Down Arrow>), as shown below.
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The text height specified with the Height option becomes the default text height for that text style. If you change the text height in the Text Editor, it is not saved.
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Enter the text height and press <Enter>.
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Select the other point of the boundary box.
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Text can be placed in Paper Space or Model Space. In most cases, and especially if you are using an annotative text style, you should specify the height of the text to be the final plotted size.
Copying Text
You can copy text from a word processing software or other text editor and paste it directly into the Text Editor, as shown below.
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In a document file, copy the text to the Windows Clipboard.
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In the AutoCAD software, in the Annotate tab>Text panel or in the Home tab>Annotation panel, click
(Multiline Text).
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Select points for the boundary box.
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In the Text Editor, right-click and select Paste. The text you copied is pasted into the Text Editor.
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If you use Paste Special, you can set the copied text to be pasted without character or paragraph formatting, as shown below.
Importing Text
You can import text files that are saved in the ASCII or RTF format.
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In the Annotate tab>Text panel or in the Home tab>Annotation panel, click
(Multiline Text).
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Select points for the boundary box.
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In the Text Editor contextual tab>expanded Tools panel, click Import Text. You can also right-click in the Text Editor and select Import Text.
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In the Select File dialog box, select the file that you want to use and click Open to import the text.
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Imported text does not include formatting.
In summary, effectively adding text in AutoCAD is essential for clear communication and professional presentation of your designs. By using the MTEXT command, you can make your drawings easier to understand and more impactful.
The information above was pulled from our AutoCAD 2027: Essentials guide, which is available for you on Amazon or on our ASCENT eStore.
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