About Label Sets

This topic provides information about the definition of label sets linked to bridge layout or bridge geometrical models.

An annotation is a graphical representation within the geometric context of a design, that attaches a labeled information to the objects. Thanks to labels, you can identify the elements, with text, attributes, dimensioning, in your design.

This page discusses:

Label Set Feature

When you use the Label Set command, you generate Label Set features that contain three types of information, listed in the table below.

Types of information In Bridge Design Context In Component-based Design Context
A Annotations on each bridge support Annotations on each specification feature
B Span distances between bridge supports Distance between specification features
C Bridge name and associated span distribution Specification Set name and associated pattern distribution

User Interactions Within the Label Set Command

The Label Set boxes within the dialog box vary according to the user-selected options, as explained in the table below:

Bridget Set Specification Set
Display bridge name Display set name
Span distribution Pattern distribution
Display span lengths Display distances between specifications
Display support annotations Display specification annotations

Label Name

You can choose a label name.

Line 1 The name. By default, the name of the element to annotate is proposed. You can edit it. Note that the name text is a string parameter, so you can customize it via a knowledge function such as f(x).
Line 2 Optionally, the pattern distribution/span distribution.
  • If the distribution can be computed, it is displayed in the dialog box (for example: 4x20m) and cannot be edited.
  • If the distribution cannot be computed, the Span Distribution box is empty and disabled.
  • If the input alignment is an alignment feature, then the bridge center station (K7+733 in our example) will be added before the distribution, and the line 2 text will become: K+733, 4x20m.

Diversity of Annotation Texts and its Graphic Representations

The table below illustrates different support annotation texts. The list is not exhaustive.

Naming Rule Start Abutment Pier 1 Pier 2 Pier 3 End Abutment
1 0 1 2 3 4
2 A1 P1 P2 P3 A2
3 ABUT 1 PIER 1 PIER 2 PIER 3 ABUT 2

  • The default format is %c, with its first number set to 0. It corresponds to annotation texts of rule 1 in the above table.
  • Another format is used to generate annotation texts of rule 2 and 3 of the above table: %Nt. N is an integer (1, 2,…), first N characters of the type.
    • If we set %1t, for type Abutment, we get the result A. For type Pier, we get P.
    • If we set %4t, for type Abutment, we get the result Abut. For type Pier, we get Pier.
  • The difference between %Nt and the existing format %t:
    • %t returns all characters of the type.
    • %Nt returns the first N characters of the type.

Consider a support with 2 abutments, and 3 piers, with the following parameters:

  • Used format is %1t.
  • First number is 1.

You obtain:

Default/Per Type Start Abutment Pier 1 Pier 2 Pier 3 End Abutment
Default A1 P2 P3 P4 A5
Pier Type A1 P1 P2 P3 A2

The format to obtain results of rule 1 and of rule 2, 3 of the table 1 is summarized below:

Results of Rule 1: 0, 1, 2, 3, 5

Results of Rules 2, and 3:

A1, P1, P2, P3, A2
Format %c %1t%c
First Number 0 1
Default/Pier Type Default Per Type

The graphic visualization of support annotation is based on the base annotation feature.

Font and text options are managed in the base annotations, such as text with leader (change size, font, style, frame, anchor,…).