Displaying CAD and VPF annotation

Displaying CAD and VPF annotation

You can display and query CAD and VPF annotation in ArcMap. You can add annotation in these formats to ArcMap as a layer, select and identify the annotation, and change the display properties of the annotation in ArcMap. Editing of annotation in these formats is not supported, so you cannot edit the position or appearance of individual pieces of annotation.

You can use ArcMap to convert CAD and VPF annotation to geodatabase annotation. Geodatabase annotation is fully supported by ArcGIS, meaning that you can edit it. An essential step in converting to geodatabase annotation is to first correctly set the display properties of your CAD or VPF annotation.

Learn how to convert VPF annotation to geodatabase annotationLearn how to convert coverage or CAD annotation to geodatabase annotation

ArcMap interprets CAD and VPF annotation similarly. Both formats appear as layers in the ArcMap table of contents. You can change the display properties for CAD annotation layers on the Fonts tab of the Layer Properties dialog box, and you can change the display properties of VPF annotation layers on the Layer Properties dialog box and on the Symbols tab.

Learn more about annotation in ArcGIS

Tip:

You can optionally display the annotation geometry by clicking the Draw the annotation geometry check box on the Display tab. It is useful to display the text path of the annotation features since the text path is the geometry used for selection for these data types.

Changing the display of CAD annotation

Steps

1. Right-click the annotation layer name in the table of contents and click Properties.
2. Click the Fonts tab.
3. Click an entry in the list of symbol numbers to see its display properties.
4. Modify the display properties as necessary.
5. Click the Symbol button to choose another text symbol or to change additional properties.
   Note:

   You cannot change the size of CAD annotation in ArcMap.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for all symbols as desired.
7. Click OK.

Tip:

Because ArcMap uses only TrueType fonts, the appearance of your CAD annotation in ArcMap may differ from its appearance in the originating CAD software. Some CAD software vendors offer TrueType equivalents for their fonts. Obtaining these equivalent fonts will allow you to create a more exact appearance match in ArcMap.

Learn more about using text symbols with CAD annotationLearn more about creating and working with text symbols

Changing the display of VPF annotation

Steps

1. Right-click the annotation layer name in the table of contents and click Properties.
2. Click the Symbols tab.
3. Click the entry in the symbol list to see your text's display properties.
4. Modify the display properties as necessary.
5. Click the Text Symbol button to choose another text symbol or to change additional properties.
   Note:

   You can only specify one text symbol for your VPF annotation layer. All text in your layer will be displayed with this symbol.
6. Click the Levels tab of the Layer Properties dialog box to toggle the display of VPF annotation levels.
7. Click OK.

Tip:

If your VPF annotation contains leader lines, an additional symbol chooser will appear at the bottom of the Symbols tab in the Layer Properties dialog box. Leader lines do not respect any text size settings for the text with which they are associated. Therefore, you should size the symbol appropriately and set a reference scale in the data frame if you want to ensure proper relative sizing between the leader line and the text.

Learn more about creating and working with text symbols

CAD and VPF annotation placement

You cannot edit the placement of CAD annotation or VPF annotation in ArcMap. Also, although you can view the attribute table in ArcMap for CAD and VPF annotation layers, the table is not editable. In ArcGIS, only geodatabase annotation and map document annotation are editable.