AutoCAD Tip: AutoCAD Annotative Scale Troubleshooting

Seeing text, dimensions, hatches, or leaders vanish when you change scale? Use the steps below to diagnose and fix annotative scale issues quickly and reliably.

Quick diagnostics

• Set the intended Annotation Scale on the status bar before placing annotative objects.
• Select a “missing” object. If it appears only while selected, it’s lacking the current scale. Set SELECTIONANNODISPLAY to 1 to visualize this behavior more clearly.
• In Properties, confirm Annotative = Yes (for text, dimensions, leaders, hatches, blocks that should scale).
• Use OBJECTSCALE to Add the needed scale(s) to selected annotative objects.
• Temporarily set ANNOALLVISIBLE = 1 to reveal all annotative objects regardless of scale, then fix each by adding the correct scale, and set it back to 0 for production.

Viewport checks (Paper Space)

• Inside each viewport, set the intended scale, then ensure model objects include that scale via OBJECTSCALE.
• Lock viewport scales after you’re done to prevent accidental changes.
• Verify layer states: VP Freeze can hide annotation layers in a single viewport.
• If linetypes look “off,” review MSLTSCALE/PSLTSCALE; they affect linetype display, not annotative behavior, but are often confused with it.

Common fixes that save time

• Update legacy content: run ANNOUPDATE on selected objects after you change their annotative status.
• Repair bloated or duplicated scale lists: run SCALELISTEDIT (or -SCALELISTEDIT) and use Reset to clean up scales imported from other files.
• For annotative blocks: open Block Editor, set the block to Annotative, ensure internal text/attributes are annotative, save, then run ATTSYNC.
• For dimensions: ensure the dimension style itself is Annotative (DIMSTYLE), and that placed dimensions have the needed scales (OBJECTSCALE).
• If drawings feel unstable, clean and verify: -PURGE Regapps, PURGE, then AUDIT.

Prevention checklist

• Start from a template with a clean, standardized scale list (SCALELISTEDIT > Reset in your DWT).
• Keep ANNOAUTOSCALE = 1 while you’re setting up views so newly created annotative objects automatically gain the current scale; turn it off later if it adds unwanted scales.
• Establish team conventions: which scales are allowed, who owns templates, and when to lock viewports.
• Avoid manual non-uniform scaling of annotative blocks; keep their X/Y/Z scales at 1.

Commands and variables to remember

• OBJECTSCALE – Add/Remove annotation scales on objects.
• ANNOUPDATE – Refresh annotative objects after status/style changes.
• SCALELISTEDIT / -SCALELISTEDIT – Clean or reset scale lists.
• ANNOALLVISIBLE – Temporarily show all annotative objects across scales.
• ANNOAUTOSCALE – Auto-add current scale to new annotative objects.
• SELECTIONANNODISPLAY – Show hidden-by-scale objects when selected.
• DIMSTYLE, ATTSYNC, PURGE, AUDIT – Style alignment and file health.

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