Annotations

You can add annotations for notes and for linking items to specific areas of a drawing. When you add an annotation, it's automatically private (visible only to you). However, you can make it public, so it's available for other people.

You add some text annotations to a drawing to capture some rough notes. Later you edit your notes and add some annotations that are linked to related files. Then you make the annotations public, so other project members can see them.

When a new revision is published, only the annotations from the most recent revision are included. If you add annotations to an old revision after a new one is published, they aren't copied to the current version.

  1. If the Layers panel is closed, click layers (Layers) on the navigation toolbar.
  2. Ensure that the Show Annotations toggle is on.
  3. To hide the public or private annotations, turn off the Show Public Annotations or Show Private Annotations toggle.
  4. In the Records section, filter the annotations based on linked records.
    • Record Types: The record types that you have access to.
    • Status: The statuses for the record types that you have access to. This list is filtered based on the selected record types.
    • Assigned To Contact: The project contacts with open assignments for linked records that are unlocked.
    • Assigned To Company: The companies of the project contacts with open assignments for linked records that are unlocked.
  5. In the Annotations section, filter the annotations by their properties.
    • Type: The annotation types.
    • Color: The stroke and fill colors from the Annotation toolbar and Annotation menu. If the stroke and fill colors of an annotation are different, the annotation is displayed when you select either color.
    • Created By: The users who added annotations that are visible to you. Your name is included even if you haven't added any annotations yet.
  6. To hide the labels for linked records, turn off the Show Annotation Labels toggle.
  7. To hide the linked or unlinked annotations, turn off the Show Linked Annotations or Show Unlinked Annotations toggle.
  8. To hide the measurement annotations, turn off the Show Measurements toggle.

    9. If you turn on the Show Measurements toggle and the measurement annotations aren't showing, check the Type filter. To make the measurement annotations visible, make sure none of the types are selected, or select the Measurements checkbox.

    Measurement filters
  • An annotation must meet all the selected filters to be visible in the drawing.
  • If you select any filters in the Records section, any annotations that are unlinked or linked to other items such as drawings are hidden.
  • The selected filters are applied as new annotations are added or linked records are updated. If an annotation disappears, you can click Remove Applied Filters to see all the annotations.
  • All the items in the Links panel are available even when the linked annotations are hidden.
  • The selected filters are still applied when you click Previous item icon (Previous) or Next item icon (Next) to navigate to another drawing.
  • At the bottom of the drawing, click Remove Applied Filters.

    • —Or—

    In the Layers panel, click Reset Filters.

The visibility of an annotation depends on who added the annotation, whether it's public or private, and what it's linked to. You can see an annotation if:

  • It's an annotation that you added to the drawing.
  • It's an unlinked public annotation.
  • It's a public annotation that's linked to an item that you have access to.
  • It's a photo annotation, which is always public.

In a drawing, you see the following annotations:

  • A private annotation that you added and linked to a file.
  • A public annotation that another user added and linked to an RFI that you have access to.

You don't see the following annotations:

  • A private annotation that another user added.
  • A public annotation that's linked to a draft record created by another user.
  1. Click the annotation.
  2. On the Annotation menu, turn the Public toggle on or off:
    • Public annotation icon (Public)
    • Private annotation icon (Private)

If you don't have permission to create and modify public annotations, you can make your own annotations public by linking them to a record, spec section, or specification set. To make the annotation private again, you can unlink the item.

The Annotation toolbar contains the tools for adding and styling annotations. For styling tools with multiple options, the button displays the most recently used one. When you click an annotation on the drawing, the toolbar displays the styling options that were used for it.

The selected styling options, such as the color and border width, apply to any new annotations that you add. You can also style the annotation after you add it.

Default button Name Tool type Description
Pencil Annotation Draw a freehand line, straight line, or arrow.
Cloud annotation

Cloud

 Annotation Draw a cloud shape.
Shape Annotation Draw a rectangle, circle, or polygon shape.
Link tool icon Link Annotation Add an annotation with a predefined shape that links to a record, drawing, or file.

For more information about linking to annotations, see Links.
Text Annotation Draw a text box, and enter the text.
Link tool icon Photo Annotation Add a photo annotation, and link multiple photos and videos.

Photo annotations are visible only in the ProjectSight web app.
Color annotation Color Styling Set the color for the text, stroke (line or border), and fill (background).

This tool doesn't apply to quick link annotations and photo annotations.
Opacity Styling For line annotations, set the opacity of the line.

For cloud and shape annotations, set the opacity of the background fill color.
Line width tool Line width Styling Set the width for a line annotation or for the line around an annotation.
Text size Styling Set the text size.
Measurement annotation Measurement Annotation Add a measurement annotation for the distance, perimeter, or area.

After you add an annotation, you can edit it or link it to an item.

You can't copy and paste annotations.

  1. On the Annotation toolbar, select the styling tools.
  2. Click , and then select a tool.
    3. Button Name Description
    Pencil annotation tool Pencil Freehand line
    lens Highlighter Transparent freehand line
    remove Line Straight line
    Arrow Straight arrow
    Multi-Point Line Series of connected straight lines
  3. To draw the annotation, do one of the following:
    • Pencil annotation tool (Pencil) or lens (Highlighter): Click the drawing and draw the line. There's a brief delay before the annotation is created so you can draw multiple lines.
      • Example of multi-line annotation
    • remove (Line) or (Arrow): Click the drawing and draw the line. To adjust the line, click and move an endpoint.
    • (Multi-Point Line): ClosedDraw the first line, and then add the connected lines.
      1. To draw the first line, click the drawing, draw the line, and then click again for the endpoint.
      2. For each connected line, click for the endpoint.
      3. To finish the annotation, double-click for the endpoint.

    To draw a straight line with a 0, 45, or 90 degree angle, press the Shift key as you draw the line, arrow, or multi-point line.

  1. On the Annotation toolbar, select the styling tools.
  2. Click Cloud annotation or , and then select a shape.
    3. Button Name Description
    Cloud annotation Cloud Rectangular cloud
    Custom cloud annotation Custom Cloud User-defined cloud
    Rectangle Rectangular shape
    Circle Round shape
    Custom shape annotation Custom Shape User-defined shape
  3. To draw the annotation, do one of the following:
    • Cloud annotation (Cloud), (Rectangle), or (Circle): Click the drawing and move the pointer to draw the shape.
    • Custom cloud annotation (Custom Cloud) or Custom shape annotation (Custom Shape): ClosedDraw the first side, and then add the other sides.
      1. For the first side, click the drawing, draw the side, and then click again for the endpoint.
      2. For each additional side, draw the side, and then click for the endpoint.
      3. To finish the annotation, double-click for the endpoint.
  1. On the Annotation toolbar, click Link tool icon, and then select an item type.
    2. Button Item type Predefined shape
    RFI Red cloud
    Issue Blue rectangle
    Punch item Stamp (can't be resized or rotated)
    The center color of the annotation matches the workflow status of the linked record.
    Model view icon Drawing Blue circle
    Model view icon Model view Blue circle
    File Blue circle
    • You only see the item types that you have access to.
    • If a record is linked, a label with the record type and number is displayed below the annotation.
      • I: Issues
      • P: Punch items
      • RFI: Requests for information

      The abbreviations can also be changed in the nomenclature.

    • If a new drawing revision is published, the new revision displays the link to the record. However, the record doesn't display a link to the new revision.
  2. To add a punch item annotation, click the drawing.

    3. —Or—

    For the other annotations, click and draw the shape.

  3. Select the item to be linked.

    4. —Or—

    For a record link annotation, create, copy, or select a record.

    The Create and Copy options are only available if you have permission to create this record type.

  1. On the Annotation toolbar, select the styling tools.
  2. Click (Text).
  3. To draw the text box, click the drawing and move the pointer.
  4. Double-click the text box, and then type the text.
  5. To finish, click outside of the text box.
  1. On the Annotation toolbar, click Link tool icon (Photo).
  2. To place the photo annotation on the drawing, click the drawing.
  3. On the Annotation menu, click Upload from computer.
  4. Browse to and select one or more photos or videos from your computer.
    • The supported image types are .bmp, .heic, .heif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, and .tiff. After you upload .heic or. .heif files, they are converted to .jpeg files.
    • The supported video types are .mov, .mp4, and .webm.
    • Photo annotations are visible only in the ProjectSight web app.
    • After you save the drawing, the linked photos are available in the Photos module, and the linked videos are available in the File Library.
    • If you don't link any photos or videos to the photo annotation, the annotation is deleted automatically when you save the drawing.
  1. If the calibration isn't set yet, calibrate the drawing.
  2. Draw the measurement.
  3. Edit the scale for the measurement.
  4. Link an item to the measurement.

You can add notes and replies to annotations.

  • On the toolbar, click question_answer (Comments).
  1. In the Comments panel, click Filter, and then select the filters.
  2. Click Apply.
  • In the Comments panel, select an option:
    • Position: Sort the notes by the order (top to bottom) that they appear in the drawing.
    • Created Date: Sort the notes by the date that they were created.
    • Modified Date: Sort the notes and replies by the time that they were modified.
    • Status: Sort the notes by the status.
    • Author: Sort the notes the author's name.
    • Type: Sort the notes by the annotation type.
    • Color: Sort the notes by the annotation color.
  1. In the drawing, click an annotation.
  2. On the toolbar, click question_answer (Comments).
  3. In the Comments panel, enter a note for the selected annotation.
  1. In the Comments panel, click the note.
  2. At the top-right of the note, click the status icon, and then select a status.
    3. Set status
  1. In the Comments panel, click the note.
  2. Enter your comment in the reply field, and then click Post (Post).
  1. In the Comments panel, click the note.
  2. In your reply, click Notes panel > Edit or Delete.
    • You can only edit but not delete the first note of an annotation.
    • If you have permission to add and modify notes and replies for public annotations, you can edit the first note that you or another user added. Otherwise, you can only edit the first note that you added.
    • You can only edit and delete your own replies to the first note of an annotation.

You can edit public annotations, if you have permission to do so, and your own annotations.

  • For punch item annotations, the selected annotation color only affects the record label.
    • Annotation linked to punch item
  • By default, callout annotations don't have a border or fill. You can click (Line / Border Size) or Opacity icon (Fill Opacity) on the Annotation toolbar to add them.
  1. Click the annotation.
  2. On the Annotation menu, click Style button in the annotation menu (Style).
  3. Do any of the following:
    • To change the color of an annotation, click a color. Depending on the type of annotation, you can select a color on the Text, Stroke and Fill tabs.
      • Tabs for styling annotations

      Style tabs that may be available for an annotation

    • To adjust the opacity of an annotation, click and move the Opacity slider.
    • To adjust the stroke width of a line annotation, click and move the Stroke slider.
    • To adjust the text of an annotation, modify the options on the Text tab.
  1. Click the annotation.
  2. To move the annotation, click and drag the middle of it.
  3. To resize the annotation, click and drag a sizing handle.
    4. Annotation sizing handles example

You can delete public annotations, if you have permission to do so, and your own annotations.

  • If you delete a photo annotation, the linked photos remain available in the Photos area, and the linked videos remain available in the File Library.
  • If you remove all the photos and videos that are linked to a photo annotation, the annotation is deleted when you save the drawing.
  1. Click the annotation.
  2. On the Annotation menu, click delete (Delete).

    3. —Or—

    Press the Delete key.