Blanking Annotations  

This task explains how to blank an annotation and dimensions. 

To ensure the readability of documents, it is possible to display (and/or print) all around the text string of annotations and dimensions, a rectangle that blanks elements such as pictures or area fills when the annotation overlaps with this kind of elements.

Open the Brackets_views02.CATDrawing document.
  1. Click Area Fill Creation in the Dress-Up toolbar to fill an area. Hatch the rectangular half area excluding the circles.

  2. Click Text in the Annotations toolbar.

  3. Click where you want to insert the free text on the drawing.

  4. Drag and place the text such that it is half inside the area fill.

  5. Right-click to display the contextual menu and select Properties. Go to Text tab. In the Blank Background field we have 3 modes available:

    • No: does not create the blanking rectangle around the annotation and dimension.
    • Area Fill: a blanking polygon overlaps the area fill. This is default mode.
    • Area Fill and Geometry: blanking polygon overlaps both area fill and geometry.
     

    Select Area Fill and Geometry.

    The area fill and geometry are both blanked.

    The Geometry refers to the following:
    • Callout profile geometry
    • Dressup elements such as centerlines, axis lines and threads
    • Extension lines of dimensions and leaders
    • Folding lines of views
    • Geometrical constraints
    • Grid
    • View frames
    • All wireframe geometries which include interactive 2D geometry, generated items, 3D wireframe of view background (for 2D Layout for 3D Design only).
    • Points which includes interactive 2D geometry, generated points, 3D points of view background (for 2D Layout for 3D Design only).
    • 3D background surfaces (for 2D Layout for 3D Design only).

    The administrator can customize the annotation blanking properties in blank background. (Tools > Standards > [standard name] > Blank Background).  

  • For pre-R18 CATDrawing, had only the option of applying Area Fill blanking. If the standard is upgraded, the annotation will follow the behavior defined in the new standard and the default blank background property Area Fill will be applied, if the previous property had Area Fill blanking applied to it.
  • The symbol of each extremity of arrows will not be affected by the enhancement, which includes the callout and detail callout leaders.
  • The FTA annotations are displayed in the 2D Layout view cannot be blanked.
  • When using the Area Fill and Geometry option on an annotation with leader, a no blanking zone, perpendicular to the leader direction is applied in order to let the focused geometry be visible. This behavior may be incorrect for pointed geometry with a small angle.