OVERVIEW

CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter describes the standardized use of text fonts, linetypes, line widths, and hatch patterns in CAD drawings. The chapter includes some CAD standards.

Traditionally, text in CAD drawings looked awful. In the early days, text was sometimes referred to as "stick fonts" due to their sparse look. The sparse look was a trade-off for display speed. An example is the Txt font, shown in the figure on the next page.

Faster computers meant that fonts could be smooth and filled. Examples are the commonly used Simplex font and the TrueType fonts (shown on the following page).

In addition to the fonts provided with the CAD software package, there are thousands of fonts available for CAD and most other software. During the 1990s, the price of fonts plummeted from several hundred dollars per font to practically free. For example, the CorelDraw package includes, at no extra cost, hundreds and hundreds fonts in PostScript and TrueType formats.

The drawback to rich font selection is that you might be tempted to use many of them, giving the "r a nso m not e" look to drawings. Several different fonts in a drawing looks unprofessional, and proves more difficult to read. Aim to work with two fonts in a couple of styles and sizes. One font should be a clear proportionally-spaced font used for notes and dimensions. The other font should be a monospace font, which is used to ensure that text in tables lines up.

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