How to Bubble, Annotate, Using Text Bubbles and Multileaders in CAD.

Looking for a quick an easy way to bubble and annotating your drawings?  In the video tutorial above I am using a drawing template which you can download below. It’s got all the text styles and Multileader styles already set up for you so check this out at the bottom of page.

There are a couple ways to bubble your AutoCAD drawing. But in the video above I’m using an AutoCAD alternative called AViCAD so the steps are the same.

One way to bubble your drawing in AutoCAD is by using text bubbles or the MARKER command. This method involves using a simple dialog to insert bubbles to into your drawing.

Another way to bubble your drawing in AutoCAD is by using Multileader Bubbles. This method is similar to using text bubbles,  but it allows you to place both a bubble and an arrow all in one step.

Inserting bubble callouts with text
(MARKER command)

Bubble creation is made easy using the MARKER command, which provides an easy to bubble dialog box. This tool allows you to place balloons in your drawing and automatically number them.

Simply start the bubble callout tool with the number one or any desired number, and then click on the shape to begin.

As you insert balloons, the bubble callouts automatically sequence  in numerical order. For example, if you start with the number one and then add a balloon with the number three, the tool will fill in the number two balloon automatically.

In addition to the text bubble tool (MARKER), there is a command called TCOUNT, which allows you to re-order and make balloon edits. To use this command, click on the bubble letter itself,  making sure you also  select them in the order you need to ensure the numbering order is correct.

If you need to start the numbering sequence at a different number, such as four, you can use the 4,1 (4 as the starting number, 1 as the increment) and then choose to overwrite the existing numbering sequence. With these MARKER command creating and labeling bubbles with the circles or other shapes is very straight forward.

Inserting bubble callouts using Multileaders in CAD
(MLD command)

Another way to create bubbles is by using Multileaders. This way you can insert a bubble and callout arrow at the same time.

You first want to check your Multileader Styles by typing the MLS at the command prompt.

You can also create blocks for the bubble in the Multileader Styles dialog box. Creating a style allows you to reuse the same bubble style in the current drawing or other drawings once it’s created.

Once you have selected the size of your bubble, you can use the shortcut for Multileader, or the command MLD. Then point to something in your drawing and insert a tag number.

If you need to customize your bubble, you can also use a block for a bubble. For example instead of a bubble circle you could create a rectangle save it as a block and then attach it to the style. An alternative bubble block could be any shape like an oval, but you may have to play with the balloon size.

To add the custom block to the Multileader bubble, navigate to the CONTENT tab and choose the pulldown menu for MULTILEADER TYPE, then select BLOCK and navigate to the block file.

See also bubble callout schedules tutorial as referenced in the video

Other useful references

The template will work both AutoCAD and AViCAD users, there’s no differences. Have a look at the first video that I did that shows you more about this and how to use it with scaling and annotations as well.

• See also free drawing template which includes Dimstyles, Test Styles and Multileader Styles plus a title block with 3 different text sizes: 8 1/2 x 11, 11 x 17 and 24 x 36.
• We offer a downloadable cheatsheet with over 55 simple commands and shortcuts.
• We also have a 9 hour online CAD course (called ShortcutCAD) which. is divided into 10-20 min learning sessions. The course is completely self paced and never expires.

Other related CAD videos:

• https://youtu.be/elIlOWrNSqA (ISO plus how to create a weld map table)
• https://youtu.be/lCf-yCeCYOE (how to use a drawing template)

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