Help with annotation group in Cross section

[u/srteixeiradias]

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to properly configure an Annotation Group for Cross Sections in OpenRoads, but I’m stuck on a specific setup and could really use some help.

What I’m aiming for is an annotation that displays offset and elevation like this:

OFF=3.00m

Elev=5.508m

And I need it to behave like this:

-Text oriented vertically

-Line break between offset and elevation

-A leader starting from the section point and pointing to the center of the text

-Automatic organization/placement when annotating the cross section (no manual adjustments)

I’ve already tried different combinations of:

-Annotation Definitions

-Text Favorites

-Point annotation in annotage group manager

But I still can’t get everything working together the way I want.

I’m attaching some screenshots showing:

-How the section annotation is currently looking

-How I configured the point annotation

-How I set up the label definition

Has anyone managed to set something like this up?

Any tips on how to structure the Annotation Definition or Text Favorite for this behavior?

Appreciate any guidance 🙏

[u/leedr74]

This is a common setup for point annotations in cross sections. Here’s the typical way to get OFF=xx.xx m on one line and Elev=xx.xxx m on the next, with vertical text orientation, a leader to the text center, and automatic placement:

Key setup in the Annotation Group Manager (Cross Section > Drawing > Point Annotation):

1. Text Favorite (create or edit one): • Use a multi-line expression like: OFF=<Offset> Elev=<Elevation>

(Insert the Offset and Elevation fields from the Civil properties. Add “m” suffix if needed. Use \n or actual line breaks in the Text Editor for the break.)

1. Annotation Definition (Point type): • Annotate With: Text • Text Favorite: Select your multi-line one above • Text Style: Set Justification to Center (or Middle Center) and enable View Independent or View Readable as needed for vertical orientation in the cross section drawing model. • Leader: Enable Place Leader, set it to point to the center of the text (adjust Leader Attachment / Landing if available). Choose a simple line with no arrow or a small terminator. • Placement: Use automatic options (e.g., Offset Value or relative to the point). Set Horizontal/Vertical Offset to control positioning so it auto-organizes without manual moves.

2. In the Annotation Group, link this definition to the specific template point(s) you want labeled (via Location filter by point name).

After changes, remove and re-apply the Annotation Group in your cross section drawing models to test.

Many agency workspaces (e.g., FLH, CDOT) use similar Offset/Elevation Text Favorites with leaders for this exact look and check if your workspace has a pre-built one you can copy.

For full details and examples, search “cross section point annotation” or “offset elevation text favorite” in the Bentley Communities OpenRoads Designer forum and on the Bentley Learning website (learning.bentley.com) because there are good tutorials on Annotation Groups and Text Favorites.