About Making an Existing Annotation Associative

Orientation Links

• An orientation link creates a link between the annotation and another element. When the reference element's orientation is changed, the annotation's orientation also changes accordingly. You can create orientation links for every type of annotation.
• If you create a link between an annotation and a dimension system, remember that the link can only be made on a single dimension of the system.
• When Create orientation link between the text and the reference check box is selected in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > Mechanical Systems > Drafting > Annotation and Dress-Up section, an orientation link is created during the text creation command. This option can be reversed by pressing Ctrl during reference selection. However, this option requires the snapping to be on, with a snapping mode that includes orientation snapping.
  Note: The Create orientation link between the text and the reference option is ignored in case of positioning an annotation on another annotation using an attachment point. In that case, the orientation link and the positional link are created automatically regardless of the value (selected or clear) of this option.

Snapping on Privileged Directions

• If an option to create a leader annotation perpendicular to the reference is active, the snapping on privileged directions is no more available.
• When creating a leader or adding a leader to an annotation, if the leader extremity is snapped to the perpendicular direction with respect to the reference, an orientation link is created between the leader and the reference. However, no orientation link is created for arrows.

Positional links

• If an option to create a leader annotation perpendicular to the reference is active, the snapping on privileged directions is no more available.
• A positional link creates a link between the annotation and another element. When the reference element moves, the annotation moves with it. You can create positional links for every type of annotation.

  There are two types of positional links:

  • Flexible_positional_links: You can modify the relative position between the annotation and the reference element by manipulating the annotation.

  • Rigid_positional_links: You cannot move the annotation manually with respect to the reference element.

• The rigid character of positional links created on text, table or geometrical tolerance bodies depend on the options you selected in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > Mechanical Systems > Drafting > Annotation and Dress-Up section, when using creation commands and the copy/paste operations.
• If you copy an annotation and paste it on an element that can be linked to an annotation (see Elements that can be Linked to Annotations above), an associative positional link is automatically created between the pasted annotation and this element.
• When the annotation is isolated, the positional link is removed, rigid or not. Flexible positional link of roughness symbols exhibit a peculiar behavior. The relative position of roughness can be modified while the distance between the roughness symbol and the reference element remains unchanged. This allows the annotation to slide along a line and turn around a point or a circle.
• If you create a link between an annotation and a dimension system, remember that the link can only be made on a single dimension of the system.
• In a Drafting context, certain types of generated elements (such as Pipe elements) are not associative. Therefore, positional links between an annotation and such elements are not taken into account.
• Annotations created in 3D Tolerancing & Annotation app do not support the creation of rigid positional links when views are generated from it.
• Annotation positional links created in earlier versions are flexible positional links.