Annotations allows you to make a note by way of explanation or comment to your drawing. CabMasterPro provides a number of ways to do this.

This tutorial discusses the commands highlighted above. These are...

• Leader Line
• Shapes
• Trim / Extend tool
• Symbols

Leader Line 

A Leader Line is a line that connects a data label and its associated data point. It is helpful when you have placed a data label away from a data point.

1. Click the  Annotate > Note  command button.
2. Place note/Leader Line on your drawing and drag to required position.
   
   
   

   Click to view Leader Lines properties and Line page amendments

3. Select and Format Leader Line, as shown, to enter in descriptive text, format or reposition.
4. To End, click on another command e.g. Select.
5. To Start another Leader Line, click again on the  command button and select 'Yes' to message.

   Message

   Click No if you want to keep drawing the current leader line (or shape as applicable).

   

Shapes

 

Rectangle and Square

Simply click on the Rectangle command button and then click on drawing and drag.

• For a perfect Square, hold down the Shift key while dragging.

Circle and Ellipse

Simply click on either the Circle or the Ellipse command button.

• To resize an ellipse and maintain the proportion, hold down the Shift key while dragging (click on image)

Click to view Ellipse resized with proportion maintained

Poly Shapes

Click on the PolyArc command button to create an arc or a series of arcs i.e. to create a shape (click on image).

• Each time you left click on the drawing page, a new line starts;
• Continue clicking to complete arc in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction;
• Double click to finish the selection;
• To End click on another command e.g. Select
  • To Start another Polyarc, click again on the command button again and reply to the message.

The same process can be used to create a Polygon which is a closed shape.

Click to view steps and example

Click on the PolyCurve command button to make the curved lines, then...

Trim or Extend a Shape

To Trim or Extend you need to start with at least two polylines that intersect, as the trim tool helps to join precisely to other lines in your drawing. You can trim a line segment belonging to a polyline, polygon, horizontal panel that has curved edges or wall.

Trim

In this example, we will create a pentagon shaped HPanel and curve one edge.

HPanel example - click to view

Then a two point Polyline was added to the HPanel created above. 

Next click on Trim or Extend command and watch the prompts on the status line at the bottom of the screen.

1. The prompt first asks you to click on the reference to trim against;
   • in this case click on the curved edge (as per arrow head image #1 )
   • the curved edge is displayed as selected (shown image #2).
2. Next it asks you to click on the line piece to trim off;
   • in this case is the line segment at the top outside the HPanel (as per arrow head image #2).
3. The result is that this gets trimmed off (image #3).

Extend

To Extend you essentially repeat the same steps as above, except we click near/towards the reference object you want to 'Extend' to.

1. Click on reference to extend to i.e. left side of triangle;
2. Click on line piece to extend i.e. the blue line;
3. Result blue line extended to touch the relevant side of triangle.

Symbols

Symbols can be drawn/created using drawing tools (in the Annotations group), Shapes or by importing a dxf.

These can then be saved for use in future drawings or used in an individual session (i.e. only be available for selection until you close the application).

Create a Symbol

To create a symbol, simply draw using single/multiple shapes, pictures, leader lines etc or import (discussed below).

Then select your newly created symbol and either...

• click on the Annotate > Create from Selection command;

  or

• from the rclick Item menu, select the Use as Graphics Symbol command.

It will be added to the ribbon palette in the Session symbols area as a single entity. (Click on More  to display as per example below).

Click to view creation of Session symbol

Save a Symbol

If you want to Save for future use, click Save Symbol, as shown.

This will be saved as a .qtd file, in the ToolData folder (click on image) and displayed in the Saved symbols area.

Click to Expand

Importing a file

Symbols can also be imported using the 3D Model tool.

In the following example (and video), we located some dxf files and placed them in a folder called DXF Files.

1. Click on the 3D Model tool and place on drawing;
2. Then double click on placement (or use the Format menu option) to open the 3D Models property sheet (as shown);
3. Click on the Browse button and select the required file;
4. Click on Save Symbol command to create a qtd file in the ToolData folder (as discussed above).

Video

Watch our tutorial video to find out how you can enhance your CabMaster drawings by creating/importing, saving and using Graphic Symbols. [4:54 mins]