Civil 3D Tip: Mastering Reference Text – Labeling Two Objects in One Label
Have you ever needed to label an intersection or crossing point between two alignments and found yourself manually placing two separate labels, tweaking their leader lines, and praying neither alignment moves?
There is a cleaner, fully dynamic way: Reference Text Components.
The Concept
In Civil 3D, a standard label text component can only read properties from the main object it is attached to. A Reference Text Component removes this limitation by allowing a single label style to pull data from multiple similar objects.
Instead of cluttering your drawing with separate, stacked labels, a single label can dynamically read and display information from different objects simultaneously. If a referenced object changes, the label updates automatically.
Example: Labeling Alignment Stations at a Crossing Point
Here is how to create and apply a single label that displays the stationing for both Alignment A (Primary) and Alignment B (Secondary) at their intersection point.
Create the Label Style
- Open the Toolspace and navigate to the Settings tab.
- Expand Alignment > Label Styles > Station Offset.
- Right-click Station Offset and select New…
- The Label Style Composer dialog box will open.
- In the Information tab, name the style (e.g. Crossing Alignment Stations).
Build the Label Components
- Go to the Layout tab.
- Press the red X to delete any existing component(s).
- Click the dropdown arrow next to the Create Component icon (the A+ icon) and select Text.
- In the Name field, enter “Alignment 1”.
- Click inside the Contents field, then click the three dots.
- Switch to the Format tab and select Left justification.
- Switch back to the Properties tab.
- If there is any text in the text area, delete it.
- Select Alignment Name from the Properties dropdown and click the right arrow to insert the text.
- Place the cursor after the Alignment Name code and add a space.
- Select Station Value from the Properties dropdown and click the right arrow to insert the text.
- Click OK in the Text Component Editor dialog box.
- In the Label Style Composer dialog box, click the dropdown arrow next to the Create Component icon (the A+ icon) and select Reference Text.
- Select Alignment for type and click OK.
- In the Name field, enter “Alignment 2”.
- Change the Anchor Component to “Alignment 1”
- Set the Anchor Point to “Bottom Left”.
- Set the Attachment to “Top Left”.
- Repeat steps 5 through 12 to create the text contents for the “Alignment 2” reference text component.
- Click OK in the Label Style Composer dialog box.
Place the Label in the Drawing
- On the Ribbon, go to the Annotate tab > Labels & Tables panel and click the Add Labels button.
- The Add Labels dialog box will open.
- Set the Feature to “Alignment” and Label type to “Station Offset”.
- Set Station offset label style to the newly created “Crossing Alignment Stations” style.
- Click Add.
- Select your primary alignment when prompted.
- Pick the exact intersection/crossing point of the two alignments as your station location.
- Pick the exact intersection/crossing point of the two alignments as your offset location.
- Select the secondary alignment when prompted.
- Press Esc to exit the label command.
- Use the label grips to position the label.
The Result
Your label now displays the exact stationing for both alignments in a single, unified text label. If you revise the geometry of either alignment, both stations update instantly; no manual math or re-labeling required!
