AutoCAD 2013: Creating Leaders without Text

by John Flanagan

On a recent training course in AutoCAD 2013 a delegate posed the following question:

Question:

How do you draw a plain close arrowed leader without text in AutoCAD 2013 without getting into multileader?

Answer:

You can draw a multileader and skip the text, but you are then left with more grips than you need.

Open up the Customize User Interface (CUI) dialogue box and scroll down the list till you find "Dimension, Leader" in the commands section and drag it to your toolbar.

You can access the CUI by typing CUI on the command line and clicking enter or you can go the manage tab on the Ribbon and find the CUI button there (Fig1).

Fig 1: The CUI Interface Button

If you are using the ribbon feature you have to add it to the "ribbon" dropdown menu in the CUI

Fig 2: Dimension Leader Location in the CUI

Click and drag the Dimension Leader to the appropriate panel in the Customization section in the CUI

Fig 3: Customization Files Location in the CUI

When you have successfully located your Dimension Leader you can select it from the Leaders Panel on the Ribbon (Fig 4).

Fig 4: Dimension Leader Icon

You can also place a leader by typing QLEADER at the command prompt. You'll notice when you do this that you can either pick your first point or hit "s" for settings. Go into the settings and adjust them to suit your needs.

Don’t forget the old LEADER command.

A simple LE will also get you a quickleader

You can add many individual features to your tool bars by following the steps outlined above.