Is there a ʼScaleʼ setting specifically for annotations in BricsCAD?

ByCADbrief Staff

Short Answer

Yes — in BricsCAD, annotation scaling is handled through annotative objects rather than a separate universal “Scale” switch just for all annotations. The most common professional method is to use the SCALELISTEDIT command together with annotative styles and the current annotation scale. Limitation: non-annotative text and dimensions will not auto-scale this way.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: If your text, dimensions, or hatches are not set to annotative, changing the annotation scale will not resize them as expected. A very common failure is mixing annotative and non-annotative objects in the same drawing, which causes inconsistent plotted sizes between viewports.

How to Set Annotation Scale in BricsCAD

  • Command: SCALELISTEDIT

  • Shortcut: No common default shortcut

  • Quick Steps:

    1. On the Ribbon, go to the annotation or status controls and check the current annotation scale; then run SCALELISTEDIT.
    2. In the Scale List dialog, add or verify the required scale, such as 1:50 or 1:100.
    3. Select your text or dimensions and make sure the Annotative property is enabled in Properties, then set the current annotation scale from the status bar.

Variables & Settings

  • System Variable: CANNOSCALE (Default: drawing-dependent)

  • Expert Setting: CANNOSCALE controls the current annotation scale applied to annotative objects in model space. If this scale does not match your intended viewport or plotted scale, annotative text and dimensions may appear too large, too small, or not display as expected.

Why it Fails

  • Cause 1 (Geometry): The object is not annotative, so changing annotation scale has no effect on its displayed size.

  • Cause 2 (layers/Locks): The annotation may be on a locked layer, preventing edits to annotative properties or scale assignment.

  • Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Users often expect SCALE to control annotation plotting size, but annotation scaling in BricsCAD depends on annotative settings and CANNOSCALE, not geometric scaling.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

  • Quick Fix: Select the annotation, open Properties, turn on Annotative, and set the correct current scale using CANNOSCALE or the status bar scale list.
  • Manager’s Verdict: Use annotative text and dimensions for multi-viewport production drawings. Avoid manual object scaling unless you are working in a simple single-scale file.

FAQ

Can I scale dimensions in BricsCAD without making them annotative?

Yes, but that is manual scaling and is less reliable for multi-scale layouts.

Does the SCALE command resize annotation properly for plotting?

No, SCALE changes geometry size, not annotation behavior for plotted scale.

Can one annotative object display at multiple scales?

Yes, if the object has multiple annotation scales assigned.

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