In practice the need to add textual elements often arises. They can be composed of just a few characters, and there are also situations that require a more detailed description, entering more text. In any case, it is essential that you master the Text Notes function well, and in this lesson I will show you how to use it.

As an example, I chose a drawing that represents the facade of a simple object, so I can immediately get down to work. The Text Notes function can be started in several ways, and one of them is via the icon located at the top of the screen. You can easily recognize it by the capital letter A, although the same effect can be achieved by opening the Annotate section, as it contains almost the same button. I will opt for this second method, and if you prefer to use the keyboard, feel free to use the shortcut in the form of the T and X keys.

To create a new text element, just click on the corresponding point and enter the desired content using the keyboard. After that, you just need to click on the free part of the screen and complete the whole process. If you are used to using Enter to complete a function, you will have to come to terms with the fact that pressing this key is used to move to a new line. If you press the Esc key after entering the text, the program will interpret it as a quit, but will still give you the option to save the existing text. To that end, it is enough to click on the Yes button, and if you really want to undo what you have done so far, simply select the adjacent option (No). It is precisely for this reason that I would like to emphasize once again that it is best to simply click on the free surface of the screen and thus complete the entry of a new text element.

The existing inscription can be changed very easily. To that end, you need to interrupt the current function by selecting the Modify button and select the corresponding element. After that, two characteristic icons will appear above it, and they allow you to change the position or angle at which the entire text is located in a very simple way. I will use the opportunity to click on the icon in the form of a quadruple arrow to move this inscription, and if I similarly use the icon on the opposite side, I will be able to change its angle. If I make a sufficient difference, the program will automatically reverse the entire text and thus maintain its readability.

Since all this was just an example, I will press the Delete key to remove this text and select the caption I entered at the beginning of the lesson with one stroke. To make it clearer which part of the drawing it refers to, I will add a special element in the form of an arrow, which in CAD programs is usually called Leader. Before that, I’ll zoom in on this part of the drawing and look for the segment on the toolbar that shows the different arrows. As you can see, they can be straight or curved, and there is also the possibility to select the side to which they will be directed with one move. At the moment, the right arrow with the tip pointing to the right is the most suitable for me, so I will click on this icon and use the characteristic points to determine the final shape of the new element.

I could achieve the same effect in a somewhat simpler way, and to show you how it is done, I will first click on the icon that allows me to create the corresponding arrow and then determine its initial position. After that, I just need to move the mouse to the left and define the final shape of the future arrow with a few clicks. In doing so, I will be able to precisely position the characteristic points and match them with the elements that are already in the drawing. As soon as I complete this part of the work, I can enter the appropriate text and click on the free part of the screen to complete the entire inscription. At that moment, the program will automatically change the position of the text and it will be moved to the left side, exactly where it belongs according to all the rules.

If I stop this function by selecting the Modify button and select the inscription, you will notice that it is aligned to the left block. In order to prove it to you, I will move this control point to the left and thus reduce the space provided for displaying the text. At that moment, the entire inscription will be divided into two parts and its left edge will be used for alignment. If you don’t like it, you can always choose one of the offered options and automatically change the position of the text. I prefer the text to be placed in the left block, so I will activate the appropriate option and in one move expand the frame as much as it is necessary for the entire inscription to fit in one line. This change will automatically be reflected in the length of the auxiliary line, which means that the entire element will be returned to its initial position very quickly.

If you want to change the place where the entire inscription is located, you need to select it first and then use the four-fold arrow that will be displayed on its left side. In this way, I will move the inscription related to the top of the parapet and the program will help me align it with the other text element. Since this change was automatically reflected in the appearance of the auxiliary line, I will use one of the control points and extend the first segment. As you could see for yourself, Revit has a large number of auxiliary functions, so it will not be difficult for you to adapt the labels to your needs.

In this sense, I would like to introduce you to another nice function, so first I will reduce the scale a bit and then select the inscription related to the brick wreath (Brick Soldier Course). If you pay attention to the icons related to drawing auxiliary lines, you will notice that they can be combined with existing elements. To that end, it is enough to just click on the corresponding icon, so that a new arrow will appear next to the selected inscription, and I will use the opportunity to draw a few more auxiliary lines. On the other hand, if you want to remove one of them, simply click on the icon with a minus sign next to the letter, but keep in mind that the deletion will be done in reverse order. This practically means that you will not be able to freely select an element that you no longer need, but the system will automatically remove those that you created later. Regardless of this shortcoming, I will first remove the arrow located on the opposite side with just a few moves of the mouse and then add a new auxiliary line and move its tip to the appropriate position.

Before I continue adding new elements, I will move the entire drawing to the left and then select the appropriate icon to start the Text Note function. This time I need an inscription without auxiliary lines, so I will opt for the option that serves to enter plain text and mark its position with one click. After that, I only need to enter the appropriate content and complete the entire process by clicking on the free area of the screen. If you magnify this detail a little more, you will notice that the entire inscription is on a white background, which in this case makes it much more readable. If you don’t like it, simply select the appropriate element and look for the Edit Type option in the Properties section. After that, a box will appear on the screen that includes all the relevant parameters, so it will not be difficult for you to check which family and type this inscription belongs to. The currently selected values can easily be changed, but at the moment I am more interested in the content of the table located in the lower part of the frame. One of these items is related to the background, and I will take the opportunity to completely change its character by selecting the Transparent option. In other words, if I now apply new parameters by selecting the Apply button, the surface around the inscription will become completely transparent, which will significantly affect its readability. So from this menu I will again select the Opaque option and thus activate the opaque background.

If you want to drastically change the appearance of this text, you can do it through the parameters found in the last section. To that end, it is enough to choose a different type of letters (Text Font), change their size or apply one of the offered styles. For example, I will activate the Italic option and thus slightly curve the entire inscription.

Unfortunately, this change will also affect other text elements, so I’ll go back to the parameters box and undo the last change. On the other hand, there is something I would really like to change and that is the shape of the arrow pointing to the selected element. This can be achieved by changing the Leader Arrowhead parameter, so to that end I will select the Arrow Filled item from this menu and select the Apply button to check what I have achieved. As you can see, the arrows are now much more noticeable, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve.

Before I finish this lesson, I’d like to show you how you can add a little more text to your drawing. To that end, I’m going to move to a free part of the screen and immediately start the Text Note function. Since I intend to enter a bit longer text this time, it would be best to simply copy it from an existing document. Its content can easily be displayed in a suitable program, and for that purpose I will use Notepad and select the entire text in one move. If I then launch the Copy function by pressing the Control + C keys, it will not be difficult for me to transfer the selected content to the drawing. This can be achieved most easily by using the Paste function, by pressing the keys Control + V, but do not forget that for the final confirmation of this operation it is still necessary to click on the free surface of the screen.

If I reduce the scale a little more, you will see that some bodies of text occupied a really large part of the drawing, so it is not difficult to assume that this distribution comes from the original document. This practically means that the first paragraph ends at the word Description and that only after pressing Enter is a transition to a new line made. Regardless of the internal organization of the original document, there is an opportunity to adapt the text I just transferred to my needs, so to that end I will first interrupt the current function, select the entire text element and use the control point located on its right edge. In other words, it is enough to reduce the width of the text with one move of the mouse, and the program will automatically adapt it to the new conditions. As you can see, now the first paragraph consists of several lines, but the division into basic segments is still present.

If you want to make any changes related to the content of the text, simply click on it and select the part you don’t like. After that, it won’t be difficult for you to apply any of the formatting functions, and I’ll use this opportunity to skew, underline, and bold certain words by selecting the Italic, Underline, and Bold options.

Since the number three refers to the annotation, it would not be a bad idea to select it and select the Superscript option to move it to a higher level. In a similar way, I can edit the rest of the text, so for that purpose I will select the appropriate segment and apply one of the options found in this part of the palette. If I click on the first icon, the selected content will be converted into a list, and if I continue further, numerical or letter marks will appear next to individual lines. I will stick to the numbers for now, and if I subsequently select only those items that fall into the second category (Sub Item), it will not be difficult for me to move them to the right in one move. In the same way, I can create another level and the program will make sure to mark each level with different symbols.

After multiple swipes to the right, it’s no wonder that some parts of the text were forcibly moved to a new line, so by choosing this icon, I will close the so-called Text Editor and return to normal working mode. Since the text I want to change is still selected, I can immediately run the Edit Type function and look for the parameter that corresponds to the distance between the label and the accompanying content in the box that follows. It’s called Tab Distance, so I just need to click on the corresponding field and enter a slightly smaller value. I assume that 5 mm will be quite enough, and I can check that by selecting the Apply button. Now that everything is in place, I have no choice but to close this box and complete the lesson.