Annotation & dimensions
Annotation in Design Studio is ordinary drafting with a few sprinkler-specific tools bolted on — and one big time-saver: the whole plan can dimension itself.
| What | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|
| Dimension / running dimension | W / Ctrl+W |
| Leader · text · text box | E · T · Ctrl+T |
| Revision cloud · plan callout | O · Ctrl+Shift+A |
| Everything else | The ANNOTATE group's More menu |
| Dimension the plan for you | Auto → Auto-Dimension, with the toggles in the AUTO group |
Dimensions
W places a linear dimension from two clicks; Ctrl+W starts a running string. Dimensions prefer walls when you are aiming at one, lock straight under ortho, and snap to each other so a string stays in line.
- Rounding is a property of the dimension, so one dimension can read to the nearest inch while its neighbour reads exact.
- Editing a dimension follows the standard rule: change the fields, press Apply. Nothing happens as you type, and your selection survives.
- You can snap to the middle of a drafted dimension — endpoints, midpoint and perpendicular all work along the drawn dimension line.
Dimensioning the plan automatically
Auto → Auto-Dimension (Piping + Plan) strings the drawing for you. Four independent toggles in the AUTO toolbar group decide what it does: Branch spacing, Head-to-head chains, Mains run lengths, and Walls offsets.
Auto → Dimension All Heads… is the head-focused version: running chains, governing-side wall offsets, violation flags, overlap cleanup, no strings running through a wall, and everything axis-locked. Inputs are feet-first.
Text and leaders
- T places a line of text or a keynote. With something selected, T jumps to its Properties instead — deselect first if you want the tool.
- Ctrl+T places a text box, with font, bold/italic/underline, size, alignment, colour, background and opacity.
- E draws a leader: arrow, bends, landing, and Enter places the text.
- Font changes apply across a multi-selection, so restyling a sheet's notes is one operation.
All text renders as filled Arial. That is a hard rule in the program, not a preference.
Callouts and revisions
- Ctrl+Shift+A draws a plan callout. It letters itself A, B, C, asks for a name, and its divided bubble carries the sheet reference. A callout can be linked to a viewport, which then adopts the callout's shape and tracks it live — see Sheets & plotting.
- O draws a revision cloud, either as a rectangle from two corners or freeform (click vertices, Enter or double-click closes). The bubble width is settable.
- Right-click → Add Revision Delta / Remove Revision Delta for the triangle tags.
Sprinkler-specific annotation
- Room Nameplates… — name, hazard and ceiling height in a box, with the text kept inside the box. Room names from the background can be converted straight into nameplate tags.
- Elevation flags — AFF or below-deck, with an optional ± prefix.
- Column lines (Ctrl+Shift+C) for grid references.
- Head clearance bubbles — the required clear space drawn around each head, at a distance you set.
- Plan symbols — Tools → Place Plan Symbol…, or right-click a head → Plan Symbol to change just that one (with an apply to all similar heads option).
- Pipe labels — diameter, cut length, segment or total, from a pipe's right-click menu, with Auto → Clean Up Labels to re-place them all so they stop colliding.
Hatching
- Tools → Hatch Fill (selected region)… fills a region you pick.
- X draws a crosshatch polygon directly.
- Right-click → Edit Hatch Pattern… to change an existing one. Patterns imported from a DWG keep their custom origins.
- Explode Hatch to Lines converts a hatch into linework — needed both for classifying an imported ceiling grid and for exporting to AutoSPRINK, which drops hatch patterns.
Scale
An annotation scale factor keeps text and symbol sizes sensible as the plot scale changes. Set it before you annotate heavily — changing it later re-sizes everything at once, which is usually what you want but occasionally a surprise.