Text is invisible in Paper Space

Hello All

On some drawings some of the text and dimensions don’t show up in paper space.

On other drawings they appear as required.

I have checked everything that I know how to check but can’t find what the difference is.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

In the drawings that the text and dimensions WON'T print, the layer of the objects isn't set to NON PLOT, is it?

Are the layers frozen in the current viewport?

Thanks SLW210 and Squirltech.

The layer is not frozen or set to NON PLOT.

Other objects on the same layer appear in paper space as expected

It sounds like the text and dimensions that don't show up could be set to a non plotting layer.

I have a layer set up called TEMP that I use to NOT plot certain stuff.

Are the text and dimensions "Annotative"? If so, make sure they have the an annotative scale that matches your viewport(s)

Can you post the .dwg file?

Hello all,

DODGE: No! All layers set to plot.

NESTLY: That could be the problem but I’m not sure how to do what you recommend. So I have uploaded the drawing file.

SLW210: I have posted the file.

Thanks for your responses. Sorry it’s taken some time to get back to you.

Just so you know…

35 years ago I practiced as a civil engineer. Back then all we had was a drawing board and a pencil. I have been running my own business since then where drawing has not been a feature. So I have come to AutoCAD late in the day.

Frankly I only have one project and when that is complete I will probably never draw anything again.

So I have no intention of becoming an AutoCAD expert – I just need to learn enough to get through.

I tell you this to excuse any blunders or technique defects you might find in my drawing.

For the detail:

The items that don’t show up in the Layout 1 view are the FFL levels on the house footprints, the dimensions on the main drainage runs and the small numbers on the magenta circles.

I hope you can find the problem. My resume is in need of a revision so I could do with a pat on the back SLW210.

Sample for CAD forum.dwg

The text layers are set to Not plot in the current viewport.

When you are looking at the Layout, go into Model space and have a look at the Layer Properties Manager. Those two text layers are set to No PLot.

Hello Eldon - thanks for the prompt response.

I must be looking at the wrong thing.

The jpeg is an image of my Layer Properties Manager. All the little printer icons are devoid of the none plotting symbol. They always have been. But the dimensions etc are not plotting or showing in Layout 1.

I am looking in the right place – aren’t I?

I don't think that you are looking in the right place. Click on the Layout tab, so that you are looking at the Paper Space. Put the crosshairs in the viewport and double click. This should put you in Model space in your viewport. Now go to the layer Properties Manager and you can see clearly in my picture that the two layers are set to not plot in the current viewport.

I have done exactly as you proposed Eldon.

The two jpegs clearly show that I am in LAYOUT / MODEL but the dimensions etc are not showing – they don’t show in PAPER either.

The second jpg shows the Properties Manager whilst in Layout/Model where (as far as I can see) nothing is set not to plot.

I am using AutoCAD 2011. So my screen shots are not like yours. Will this make a difference?

Maybe you have somehow moved those objects to your viewports layer. I can't open the drawing in AutoCAD since it was created in a version newer than my 2009. I opened it in TrueView and tried to convert it to 2007 so I could open it. No go, It is Read Only and I cannot change that. When I opend the drawing in the viewer I could see only one layer set to no plot, VIEWPORTS, and only one layer turned off. DEFPOINTS. In Paper/model I didn't see any layers set to no plot and only defpoints turned off. I don't get the conflicting discoveries.

By the way, you have some sort of object in modelspace WAY over to one side or the other about 30 miles or so away. When I zoomed extents your drawing backed so far away I couldn't see it any more.

Hello Dana W

I don’t get it ether. I will have to do some serious digging.

As for the distant object – I know about it but can’t find it. Do you have any suggestions about locating it? I have already purged the drawing so I do know its not an object with a zero dimension. Perhaps this is worth starting another thread.

Is there a "select all" comand?

I have done exactly as you proposed Eldon.

 

The two jpegs clearly show that I am in LAYOUT / MODEL but the dimensions etc are not showing – they don’t show in PAPER either.

 

The second jpg shows the Properties Manager whilst in Layout/Model where (as far as I can see) nothing is set not to plot.

 

I am using AutoCAD 2011. So my screen shots are not like yours. Will this make a difference?

If you look carefully at the list of Layers, there are two that show up in my screen shot, but do not show up in yours. "Annoations @ 1" and "DIMENSION @ 1". Those are the two layers that are set to not plot in the current viewport. Perhaps you could try and name those layers differently, using alphanumeric characters and no spaces.

Curious that no one has noticed this phenomenon before, but it is the first time that I have seen a layer name with the "'@" character and spaces

P.S. it is not very legible if you use a small type. My eyes are not what they used to be.

It is curious that Dana W had trouble opening your drawing. I used DWG TrueView 2010 and had no trouble converting it.

When you have a distant object, I zoom extents, then zoom .8x. This leaves a space around everything. Window the whole area, and you can see the grips of all the objects. Just zoom in to one of them and you can see what you are erasing.

As you are having trouble seeing what I am seeing, I thought it would be kind if I re-posted your drawing with the layers turned on and the distant object removed.

Sample for CAD forumA.dwg

I’m beginning to think there’s something more seriously wrong here, Eldon.

Firstly: I have opened your file. Guess what? The dimensions and annotations are still not showing in Layout. But the distant object has gone – what was it?

I can’t rename layers that do not exist on my list of layers. – And why should some layers be visible in your version of AutoCAD and not mine?

I have moved some of the dimensions that are on the “DIMENSIONS” layer that do not show up on the Layout view. I put them on the “NORTHPOINTER” layer. They still did not show up in the Layout view!!!

I tried the same thing with some of the no show items on the “ANNOTATIONS” layer – same result.

Similarly moving visible items from other layers onto the layers where the no show items exist has no effect. They continue to show. So is this a layer problem after all?

Earlier, Nestly said

“Are the text and dimensions "Annotative"? If so, make sure they have the an annotative scale that matches your viewport(s)”

Could that be the direction to go in?

What you proposed in respect of finding remote objects (zoom extents) I had already tried, but selecting the whole window does not produce grab handles. It merely fades the selected items which is ok for the stuff that you know about but not much use in finding something away to the right of the screen – I have spent a lot of time attempting to zoom in on a speck of dust on the display.

So I appear to have two problems.

Two notes:

1

When I started this drawing – (the one I posted was a cut down version of the actual drawing which was too large to upload) if I remember correctly, I started with a topographical drawing that I obtained from my surveyor. I don’t know what he prepared that on only that it came as a DWG file. I have added to it and deleted bits to get to where I am now – so there could be some legacy errors lurking in the file somewhere.

I have also imported parts of an engineering drawing from another source – again of uncertain providence – perhaps a DXF file. So I could just have a mess of stuff in this file. Could that be the problem?

2

To be honest I am also having some problems with this computer. It’s a new machine (7 months old) with a really high spec. but blue screens and freeze up are not uncommon.

Perhaps I should just re-establish the operating system and re-load all the software – but that’s out of the scope of this forum- and at least a day’s chore.

There is something peculiar with your drawing. I just downloaded it again, converted it with DWG TrueView and then tried to Recover it, and it crashed my AutoCAD.

Also I never saw the note about the Surface water, when I opened my converted drawing. My version of AutoCAD does not do Annotative text, so I can't comment on that.

The distant object was a block of a square drainage hatched cover at the coordinate x=877091173, y=803948349, but the insertion point was 53606 units away from the linework.

I suppose that you have tried to Audit the drawing, or even recover it before you open it. It seems to be in a bit of a muddle. Also have you tried to Wblock out your useful linework?

And PLEASE for the sake of my eyesight, please use normal sized text in your answer.

Your dimensions will show up in your paper space layout if you change their Annotative property from "Yes" to "No".

The same thing applies to the text (0, 1, and 2) surrounding the five circles with radial lines.

I have a question for you. When I am in your layout and try to do a Zoom > All, or Extents or Limits you drawing reduces to the size of a pinhead. Did you actually scale your paper space layout as well?

You had some items on Defpoints and Defpoints turned off. The text was set to background color.

You should move the items from Defpoints.