Reference Notes (RefNotes): Getting Started

Quick video

Converting an Existing Plan to a "Smart" Plan

Reference Notes Manager Overview
- Reference Note Types
- Grid View
Adding Reference Notes
- Adding a Note
Using Reference Notes to Spec Amenities from Manufacturers
Assigning a Detail to a Reference Note
- Listing Details in the Reference Notes Schedule
User Fields and Values
Leader and Callout Style Options
Placing Reference Notes
Highlighting RefNotes in Your Drawing
Referencing Multiple Sheets in One Drawing
RefNotes and MultiLeaders (MLeaders)
Importing Reference Notes from a Template or Project
Reference Notes Callouts and Schedules

Calling Out RefNotes in Your Xrefs

Reference Notes Preferences
- Organizing Your RefNotes
- Customizing the Text in Your RefNotes
Adding Color to RefNote Hatches
Electrical Symbols
Having a Hatch Issue? Download Our Updated Hatch Patterns Manually
Related Webinars
Troubleshooting

Want to place a site object or hatch? Try using Reference Notes. Our Reference Notes (RefNotes) tool allows you to place site amenities, mulches, and any other site object you can think of – while also assigning data such as cost by unit, area, length, or volume.

Did you know you can quickly convert generic blocks (graphics) in your drawings directly into RefNotes with data, costs, etc.? Find out how!

Reference Notes Manager Overview

Open the Reference Notes (RefNotes) Manager:

F/X Site ribbon, RefNotes flyout

F/X Site ribbon, Site Amenities flyout

F/X Details ribbon, RefNotes flyout

F/X Site menu

Or use one of the following keyboard commands:

RefNotes
FX_Amenities

The Reference Notes Manager will open.

1. Select a RefNote type to filter the list to view only that type, or select All to view all types.

2. Use the Division menu to filter the list by RefNote Division Learn about RefNote organization and divisions.

3. Check this box to see your RefNotes in Grid View.

4. The list of Reference Notes shows results from each filter individually, or results from both filters combined.

5. Buttons to create a New RefNote, Edit or Delete an existing RefNote, Import a RefNote from another project, and Highlight all instances of the selected RefNote in the drawing.

6. Buttons to Place a note, mark a note with a Callout, and place a Reference Note Schedule.

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Power Tip: Site Tools in 6 Minutes

Reference Note Types

We offer several types of Reference Notes, each of which has its own specific function in adding items and data to your drawing. To learn about the different Reference Note types, visit our documentation sections on:

Notation Reference Notes: Place a numeric symbol referring to a text notation.
Amenity (Object) Reference Notes: Place one or more site objects, and calculate quantities and costs automatically.
Length Reference Notes: Place an item of linear quantity, and calculate data such as cost per foot.
Area/Volume Reference Notes: Place a material such as a mulch in your drawing, represented as a hatch, and calculate data such as cost and square or cubic footage.

You can select a Reference Note Type in both the Reference Notes Manager and the New Reference Note dialog box, which opens when you go to add a new Reference Note.

Use the options at the top of the RefNotes Manager to filter the list of RefNotes that have been added to your project by type, or to see all added Reference Notes at once by selecting All.

When adding a new Reference Note to a project, you'll select the type of Reference Note to add. Note that Area and Volume Reference Notes are combined into one category in this dialog box.

Grid View

The Reference Notes Manager includes a Grid View option, pictured to the right.

Check the Grid View box to see your RefNotes in a grid format, with columns for the RefNote Code (number), Note (title of the RefNote, and Detail (the detail you've assigned to a RefNote, if applicable).

The text within each of these columns is editable, which allows you to edit your RefNotes on the fly.

Uncheck the Grid View box to return the Reference Notes Manager to standard mode (pictured above).

Adding Reference Notes

Before you can place a Reference Note in your drawing, you'll first need to add it to a Land F/X project.

To begin adding a Reference Note to a project, click the New button in the Reference Notes Manager.

Select a Reference Note Type at the top of the New Reference Note dialog box.

Because each Reference Note type has its own set of data, this dialog box will have different options depending on the Reference Note type you selected. Pictured above are the options available for Notation Reference Notes.

For instructions on adding a specific Reference Note type, visit our documentation sections on:

Adding a Note

The Note field, available for all Reference Note types, is the most commonly used portion of the New Reference Note dialog box.

New Reference Note dialog box, Note field

At its most basic level, a Reference Note is a text notation to some aspect of the project. Our Reference Notes system includes three types of notes. You could easily use all three types in a project, or primarily only one type. The three note types are:

Basic Numbered Note: This simply applies a number from 1 to 99 to notes as you enter them. This type of note is best used if your project requires only a limited number of notes, such as a simple project where you want to enter a few notes. Remember: It's often of value to use this system even if you think you have only one note to enter. In many cases, you may think of another note later ... then another ... and pretty soon, you regret not using the system. Even with a very small number of notes, the system is of value.
CSI Division Organized Notes: These are notes that are organized by Construction Specification Institute (CSI) Division of construction. This type of organization is especially valuable in two ways: (1) You have a fairly large number of notes, and this system allows the notes to be organized and grouped by construction division, for easier retrieval and organization. (2) The notes you use on a project are organized by Division of construction, and just a list of the notes may be of value to your specification writer for the project.
One-Two Letter Identifier: These identifiers can be helpful in organizing notes in a user-friendly system relating to the note type, such as, D for Demolition, P for Paving, F for Fence, ST for Stairs etc. This system also allows the notes to be grouped by the topic.

If you want, you can even mix any and all of the above methods of notes on any one project.

You can add a cost factor to the note to keep track of costs of that item. You can also add a detail reference to any of the notes, where a detail will be added to our Detail System.

Using Reference Notes to Spec Amenities from Manufacturers

With Reference Notes, you can spec products from specific manufacturers' catalogs. Because of our Manufacturer Connection, you'll always have access to accurate, up-to-date information from the catalogs of manufacturers who choose to be included in our database. More information

Assigning a Detail to a Reference Note

Quick video

Power Tip: Advanced RefNote Tips

When adding or editing a Reference Note, you have the option of referencing a detail with that Reference Note (also known as assigning a detail to that Reference Note).

This option allows you to associate a detail with the RefNote you're creating, and thus add that detail to the current project’s Detail Manager. Once you've placed the detail in a drawing, its related detail number and sheet number will be listed automatically within the Reference Note Schedule in a column to the right of the RefNote associated with that detail. You can click Set Detail and associate a detail with a RefNote at any time – you don’t have to associate a detail right when you first create the RefNote.

As the detail number and sheet number appear just to the right of the RefNote they refer to in the schedule, a good way to deal with a detail reference within a RefNote is to include the text "See detail." at the end of the note. You can then associate a detail with that RefNote and later, when you actually place the detail in a drawing, that detail number and sheet number reference will apply automatically.

Assigning a detail to a Reference Note offers two main advantages:

For one, you can reference the details in a schedule (the Reference Notes Schedule). The schedule will reference the actual sheet where the detail was placed, along with the detail number on that page. You can also choose to export that information out to a spreadsheet. That way, you have an easy-to-copy list of detail locations to include in a bid sheet for contractors, giving them a quick way to reference the detail while bidding. More information and instructions

The second benefit comes into play when you're using project templates. If you import a Reference Note from a template, and that Reference Note is referencing a detail, it will also import the detail into the project. This lovely feature saves you an extra step of having to also import that detail before you place it on your sheet. For more information, see our Templates documentation page.

To assign a detail to a Reference Note, click the ... (Set Detail) button next to the Detail field in the Add Reference Note or Edit Reference Note dialog box.

Selecting a detail in the Detail Manager

The Detail Manager for the current project will open.

Here, you can select a detail to assign to the Reference Note. Once you've selected the detail you want to assign, click OK.

If the detail you want to assign to the RefNote hasn't been added to your project yet, click New and add the detail to your project.

You can then select the detail and click OK to assign it to the RefNote.

The detail will be assigned to the RefNote.

Listing Details in the Reference Notes Schedule

As mentioned above, assigning a detail to a Reference Note means you can list that detail in the Reference Notes Schedule.

To place a Reference Notes Schedule listing details you've assigned to RefNotes follow our instructions to place a Reference Notes Schedule.

Take care to check the option to Include Detail.

The Reference Notes Schedule will include all details assigned to RefNotes you've placed in your drawing.

Sending the Reference Notes Schedule to a spreadsheet

To send the Reference Notes Schedule to a spreadsheet to provide the contractor with a quick reference to your details, for example, select the Spreadsheet option when generating your Reference Notes Schedule.

User Fields and Values

You can add your own custom user fields to your Reference Notes, which will become columns in the Reference Notes Schedule.

The User Fields section of this dialog box includes buttons to:

Add Field: Create a new user field for a RefNote.
Add Row: Add a bolded second line to this section.

For further information and instructions on User Fields and rows, see the User Fields and Values section of our documentation on editing RefNotes.

Before you can assign a field to a RefNote, you'll need to assign that RefNote with a Division.

Leader and Callout Style Options

To assign a leader and callout box style to the callouts that will label your RefNotes, use the Callout and Leader options at the bottom of the Add Reference Note dialog box.

We've provided the ability to give each RefNote its own distinct style for callouts, should you want to do so. If you want all your RefNotes Callouts to look the same, take care to set the leader and callout styles the same in each RefNote you create or edit.

Click either the Callout or Leader preview thumbnail to see your style options for your callouts.

The Callout Options dialog box will open. Here, you can make all your selections for your callout box and leader styles.

After making your selections, click OK to save the changes and close this dialog box.

The options for leader types, each with its own arrow style, are at the type of this dialog box. Click to select your desired leader type.

For no leader at all, select the X option on the far right.

You have four options for your callout box style: Square, Stadium, Hex, and Circle

You can also choose to have your callout boxes include a Screen Fill and/or a Drop Shadow.

The Circle callout style now allows you to select a drop shadow as well.

Circle callout box style now includes Drop Shadow option

Screen Fill and Drop Shadow options for callout box

Placing Reference Notes

When placing RefNotes, you can press the F8 and F9 keys to toggle between Ortho and Snap modes, respectively. This will allow you to lock your leaders at certain angles.

When you place the note in Model Space (the preferred method), ensure that the scale is set correctly. For more information, see our Set the Scale documentation.

To place a RefNote, click the Place button in the RefNotes Manager.

Note that each RefNote type has its own set of options and methods of placement. For information on placing one of the RefNote types, see our documentation sections on:

Highlighting RefNotes in Your Drawing

The RefNotes Manager includes a Highlight button that allows you to highlight all instances of the selected RefNote in your drawing.

Reference Notes Manager, Highlight button

This button triggers our Highlight tool, which helps you locate specific plants, RefNotes, and other specific objects in your drawing.

Referencing Multiple Sheets in One Drawing

You may often find yourself wanting to reference several different sheets in one drawing. In these cases, you may want to differentiate between symbols and leaders on different sheets. The RefNotes tool is definitely the best tool to use for those notes.

However, using RefNotes for this purpose will require you to update your standards. We recommend using a single symbol style for all such notes. If you used just the Square style note for all note types, for example, you would technically have the ability to have all notes numbered 1 through 99 by sheet. However, we also recommend against that standard.

You can gain a great amount of capability by grouping your notes by Division. This type of grouping will make it far easier to import notes from other projects. It will also allow to generate a single overall schedule. This would only require setting a single-letter prefix – so your notes could be numbered D-01 through D-09 and S-01 through S-99, for example.

You could then still maintain the different symbol styles, although we do not recommend this practice. The system was engineered assuming there would be a single note style. So, for example, as you create Demo, Layout, and Grading notes, you would have to be careful to select the correct symbol style each time. The chance for error means errors, in our book.

Finally, the simplest way to group the notes by sheet is to have each sheet on a separate DWG file, which follows best CAD practices for sheet setup anyway. Within the same drawing, you could instead place the notes into Paper Space.

RefNotes and Multileaders (MLeaders)

The AutoCAD MultiLeader (MLeader) tool is now built into the following items:

Length RefNotes
Notation RefNotes
RefNotes Callouts

An MLeader is a native AutoCAD feature that renders the leader, arrow, and callout box into a singular, contiguous entity. For more information, see our MLeaders documentation.

Importing RefNotes from a Template or Project

If you find yourself adding the same RefNotes to multiple projects, we recommend setting up a project template and then adding your commonly used RefNotes to that template. You can then import them into a new project from that template. This practice can save you immeasurable amounts of time, considering all the data you need to fill out for each RefNote you create. With templates, you only need to add and configure your RefNotes once, then import them – along with all attached data – into the present project.

For more information and instructions, see our Importing Reference Notes page.

Reference Notes Callouts & Schedules

For information on calling out and creating an inventory of your RefNotes, please see our RefNotes Callouts and RefNotes Schedule pages.

Calling Out RefNotes in Your Xrefs

You can easily call out RefNotes in your Xrefs while still working inside your main drawing. Just make sure that both the drawing you’re labeling inside and the Xref drawing are set to the same Land F/X project. Then label your RefNotes as you would normally.

Reference Notes Preferences

Organizing Your RefNotes

RefNotes are organized by division and subdivision. Our RefNotes Preferences screen allows you to customize the organization of your RefNotes by adding or editing these divisions and subdivisions.

For a full breakdown of the divisions and subdivisions, please see our RefNotes Organization page.

Customizing The Text in Your RefNotes

Our software includes several default Text Styles, which are fully customizable. Several of these Text Styles govern the font, point size, and other characteristics of text that appears in your RefNotes, as well as RefNote callouts and schedules. Please see our Customizing the Default Text Styles page for further information.

Adding Color to RefNote Hatches

You can use our Color Render tool to add color to your RefNote hatches for a color presentation. See our documentation on adding color to RefNote hatches.

Electrical Symbols

Electrical symbols will be displayed in the Reference Note Schedule with thumbnail images of the symbols, and will not require a “note” callout.

You will want to add your own electrical symbols to the library. Use our Save Block tool to do this.

Having a Hatch Issue? Download Our Updated Hatch Patterns Manually

Are you experiencing any of the following issues with your hatches?

Hatches looking fragmented or broken apart
Hatches with scales that are too large or too dense
Hatches that place blank or empty
Hatches that are not appearing in schedules
File size bloating

If so, follow our steps to download our updated hatch patterns manually.

Related Webinars

Getting Started with RefNotes: Our Reference Notes (RefNotes) tool provides a quick way to spec and place site furniture, play structures, hardscaping materials, retaining walls, and pretty much any other item you need in your landscape plan. We'll go over the basics. (58 min)
Ask Us Anything! Spotlight on RefNote Schedules: Join us to see the unveiling of our revamped RefNotes Schedule and hear about our development intention. (54 min)
Hardscape Design: Hardscape design with Land F/X is all about Reference Notes (RefNotes). Learn about the myriad options available within our RefNotes tool that will streamline your project's workflow. We'll go over all the basics of RefNotes, including setting up and placing a RefNote, calling out your features, and placing a schedule. (1 hr 2 min)
Streamlined Life Cycle of a Site & Hardscape Project: You have the tools at your fingertips – including our RefNotes tool – to take your site and hardscape design from concept to construction documentation, complete with quantities, data, callouts, and cost estimates. Learn a complete process spanning the life cycle of each project that will start cutting days off your overall drafting time. (1 hr 3 min)
Understanding the Manufacturer Connection: The Manufacturer Connection is a dynamic and invaluable relationship that we at Land F/X have pioneered into an exclusive, easy to use tool that benefits both designers and manufacturers. Learn about the work we put into manufacturer content and how to enhance your CAD design and specification processes for site amenities, lighting, and hardscape. (1 hr 1 min)
Intro to Site Tools: This webinar covers the basics of what our Site tools have to offer, including a segment on the Reference Notes Manager. (1 hr 2 min)
Common Land F/X Questions: This webinar covers some of our lesser-known tools, including Reference Note User Fields. (1 hr)
How The Manufacturer Connection Works: The Manufacturer Connection works in conjunction with our Reference Notes tool to help you spec site amenities and hardscape materials from specific manufacturers. Learn all about it here. (53 min)
Using RefNotes & Cost Estimates: Setting up a project with RefNotes right from concept can help speed up the process to produce accurate detailed drawings, and construction drawings, with cost estimates at every step along the way. We'll go through some advanced-user tips with RefNotes using an actual project. (46 min)
Importance of Lines in Design: Lines, partitions, and edges are some of the most powerful design tools in a landscape architect's arsenal. Daniel Martin from Permaloc explains the significant economic and environmental benefits of edging with expertise. (54 min)