3.3.3 Annotation Best Practices

  • All text displays should be automatically programmed within the TxDOT Workspace for Open Roads Designer (ORD). If that is not the case, display all text with the applicable Text Style from the Text Style library within the TxDOT Workspace. Note the Normal Text Styles in the Workspace use font type Engineering.
    Exception: special fonts on Title Sheet as discussed in
    Section 3.1.1.1
  • Show all text with a line style of solid.
  • Use the Annotation Scale to proportion text size to the scale of the sheet using civil production tools. For information only –
    Table 3-6
    and
    Table 3-7
    show sheet text sizes and sheet dimensions.
  • Avoid clutter; pull annotation away from the picture.
  • Line up annotation and avoid unclear abbreviations.
  • Break leader lines at conflicts only where readability would be improved.
  • Employ uniform leader lines at the same angle for neatness (i.e., 15°, 30°, etc.).
  • Use a circular arc for curved leaders.
  • Minimize mixing of curved and straight leaders on the same page.
  • Include only the annotation required for construction.
    Exception: hydraulic calculations
    .
  • Additional designer’s notes may be placed outside the sheet boundary in CADD files.
  • Place annotation in the “Default Model” or “Drawing Model,” not the “Sheet Model.” An “Annotation DGN” can also be used to place annotations.
  • Minimize clip masking by employing better text location.