How to use Quick Leaders

Free AutoCAD course how to use Quick Leaders

You can use leaders to add notes (annotations) that point to specific objects in your drawing.

this can create an MTEXT object (annotation) & another object that points to the desired area of the drawing (lines & arrows).

You can change settings by right-clicking in the drawing area at the first Qleader prompt & selecting Settings from the shortcut.

changes made to Settings are saved in your drawing so you can have different settings in different drawings.

Reduce the amount of clicking required by setting a maximum number of points to be prompted for when you create the leader.

– use 2 points to create only one segment (plus a small tail).

The Attachment tab for Qleader specifies how to attach the leaders to your annotations.
– you can have different attachment methods for text on the left compared to when text is on the right.
– this setting becomes important when you have more than one line in text annotations.

When you check Underline bottom line on the Attachment tab all of the other settings will be unavailable
– and the annotation is placed above a horizontal leader line.

Practice : AutoCAD quick leaders tutorial

1- Close the drawing from the previous exercise if it is open.

2- Open the T112_6.dwg drawing in your personal folder.

3- Pick Dimension + Leader and right-click in the drawing area to invoke a shortcut. Select Settings. Uncheck the Prompt for width box for MText options then pick the Leader Line & Arrow tab to continue.

4- Select Dot small for the Arrowhead. Enter 2 as the Maximum number of points. Pick the Attachment tab to continue.

So far you have made two adjustments that will save time (“quick” leader) when you create leaders.

– you eliminated the prompt for width (of the MTEXT object) so you do not have to specify a width each time (it will use a zero width)

– and you set the maximum number of points to 2 so that you will only be prompted for 2 points.

5- Select Middle of top line for the Text on left side (to match Text on right side). Then pick OK to continue.

6- Left-click on the OSNAP status bar button to turn this setting Off (if it is On).

7- Follow the command line history below to complete the first leader object shown.

Specify first leader point, or [Settings]<Settings>: (pick by eye near P1)
Specify next point: (pick by eye near P2)
Enter first line of annotation text <Mtext>: LOCKING ↵
Enter next line of annotation text: SCREW ↵
Enter next line of annotation text: ↵
Command:

You can continue to add as many lines for the MTEXT object as you wish and when you are finished adding lines you press <enter>.

– you can use the Multiline Text Editor to create the MTEXT object if you press <enter> at the first MTEXT prompt instead.

Now on your own…

8- Now that you have set your preferences for Quick Leaders in this drawing, complete the other leaders as shown below.

More practice ?

9- Erase all leaders & make them look like the ones shown.

10- Save the changes to this drawing & Close the file.