Refresh Auto Annotations Per Selection Set : ABD 593

"Fear of the Refresh Button"

I'm finding on larger projects, where each floor breaks into multiple sheets, that refreshing auto annotations can/will undo much more work than it updates.

Workflow, as standard, is create ductwork/piping/plumbing, then dynamic view, then drawing model and sheets.  (Presently the only auto annos employed in drawing-model are Top, Bottom, Centerline, and Invert-Level start/stop elevations).  After the drawing model is created, It's necessary to do some custodial work for presentation and re-arrange auto-annos, delete unnecessary auto-annos, and add DG anno cells.  Now if a small group of components change elevation in the design model (e.g. a 15' run of 8x6 duct lowered 2" toward the floor), refresh auto annotations will reflect that change in the drawing model, but will also undo 60-70% of the custodial work throughout the whole floor.  Depending on the size of the floor, redoing the custodial stuff can be extremely time consuming.

The items that are undone are all the deleted auto-annos, some of the re-arranged auto-annos, and the DG anno cells that were placed that indicate vertical components (like duct that passes thru to the floor above or below). The later just disappear, the former reappear.  (Oddly, only 40% of the re-arranged items are reset to default locations, the rest stay where I put them).

The only workaround I've discovered applies only to the DG anno cells mentioned above. If I drop them once then they will survive a refresh, but the drop forces them to lose their association with the component.

...and here's the request:

1. Please allow the Drawing Composition Task "Refresh Automatic Annotations" to present a tool-settings option: "Refresh Per Selection Set".


This would actually eliminate two issues I've experienced with "Refresh":  ...As noted above, and the "Visibility Calculator took longer than expected!" thingy.

Thanks,

Jeff