ACA: Column Labels

Those who have used the AecColumnGridLabel command (COLUMNGRIDLABEL also works; on the Column Grid contextual ribbon tab, on the Label panel, the Label tool) to add grid bubbles to a "standard" Column Grid object will recall that there are radio buttons on both the X-Labeling and Y-Labeling tabs to choose either an Ascending or Descending order for the labels.

For Custom Column Grids created by converting linework, the AecCustomColumnGridLabelAdd and AecCustomColumnGridLabelEdit commands (CUSTOMCOLUMNGRIDLABELADD and CUSTOMCOLUMNGRIDLABELEDIT; on the Column Grid contextual ribbon tab, on the Label panel, the Add Labels and Edit Labels tools) allow you to select one or more of the custom grids and add/edit grid bubbles. When more than one grid is selected, an increasing sequence of label values is generated, based on the order the grid were selected, so you can control the ordering when selecting the grid lines.

Control over the ordering of grid labels when creating or editing Enhanced Custom Column Grids is also possible. You could place the grid and then use the same commands/tools noted above for Custom Column Grids, but that would not allow you to take advantage of the automatic secondary label formatting available with the enhanced custom grid. The good news is that you can control the ordering of the labels either when initially creating an Enhanced Custom Column Grid (AecCustomColumnGrid or CUSTOMCOLUMNGRID; on the Home ribbon tab, on the Build panel, the Enhanced Custom Grid tool) or editing one (AecCustomColumnGridEdit or CUSTOMCOLUMNGRIDEDIT; on the Column Grid contextual ribbon tab, on the Custom Grid panel, the Edit Grid tool). Either of these actions opens the Column Grid dialog.

The bad news is the location of where you would indicate whether you want an ascending (the initial default) or descending order is not immediately obvious, as it is in the Column Grid Labeling Dialog for standard Column Grids. What you need to do is select the X-Labeling and/or Y-Labeling drop-down lists in the Bubble Parameters area, Label Format sub-area, and choose the Custom: ZZZ option, where ZZZ is a varying string indicating the currently selected labeling options. As shown in the image below, the Custom Label dialog that appears after making that selection allows you to choose the ordering (Left to Right or Right to Left for the X-Labeling and Bottom to Top or Top to bottom for the Y-labeling).

Any changes made in the Custom Label dialog will be reflected in the Preview pane of the Column Grid dialog, and, after pressing OK to dismiss the Column Grid dialog, in the actual labels in the drawing.

ACA 2012 Enhanced Feature - Column Grids

Two improvements to the Column Grid feature have been added in the 2012 release.

Automatic Labeling of Custom Column Grids
With the linework you wish to convert to a custom Column Grid drawn, on the Home ribbon tab, on the Build panel, select the arrow icon at the right side of the Enhanced Custom Grid split button and choose the Custom Grid Convert tool.(As always, click on an image to see a full-size version. Use the Back button in your Browser to return here.) Following the Command: line prompts, select the linework to be converted. The next prompt asks you to specify the label extension distance. Accept the default value, enter a new value or type "N" (No labels command option) if you do not want to add labels automatically at this time. Type "Y" to erase the selected linework or "N" to keep it, and press ENTER to end the command.The custom grid will be created, and labels will be added at the ends of the grid lines, if you did not choose the No labels command option. Notice, however, that the labels all have "-" as a default value.Note: If you did choose the No labels option when creating the Column Grid, you can add labels to it by selecting it and, on the Column Grid contextual ribbon tab, on the Label panel, choosing the Add Labels tool.

With the new, default-labeled custom Column Grid selected, on the Column Grid contextual ribbon tab, on the Label panel, choose the Edit Labels tool.You can now pick a single grid line or a series of grid lines that are to be sequentially numbered, starting with the one to receive the lowest value. When you are done selecting, press ENTER and then enter the value for the first (lowest) grid line and press ENTER to change those values.

The prompt will repeat, so you can pick a second grid line or series of grid lines, starting with the lowest value, and label those as well. When you are done labeling grid lines, press ENTER to end the AecCustomColumnGridLabelEdit command.
The value you enter for the label can be alphabetic or numeric; either will be incremented when you select a series of grid lines. You can also enter something like "1.1" and choose a series of grid lines and get "1.1", "1.2", 1.3", etc. You can use the Edit Labels tool at any time in the future to edit the values of a single grid line or a series of grid lines.

Labels are automatically added to both ends of each grid line. You can ERASE any labels you do not want to keep.

Enhanced Custom Grids
You can now use an existing regular Column Grid or Enhanced Custom Grid as the starting point for a new Enhanced Custom Grid. On the Home ribbon tab, on the Build panel, choose the Enhanced Custom Grid tool.In the Column Grid dialog, click on the Set From button,and then choose the desired Column Grid. The parameters of the selected grid will populate the Column Grid dialog as a starting point for your new Enhanced Custom Grid. A non-enhanced custom Column Grid (created from linework) can not be selected as the "Set From" object.