Adding multiple arrows to leaders

With a show of hands, how many are guilty of faking leaders in drawings? How many times have you or someone you love made a copy of a balloon or annotation and placed it on top of another? Just for the second or third leader, you sacrifice the integrity of the drawing. Come on, be honest. Did you shutter a little after doing it? This is the time to be honest. I, myself am guilty of the horrendous crime, that was before I saw the light. That was before someone smacked me upside the head and grumbled “What’s wrong with you?”

Excuse the dramatics, But I felt I needed to draw attention to this mistake by many users. I was half way complete with a completely different post today when I ran across a drawing that had multiple leaders created this way. Unless you dig through the help file or ask someone in the know, it is not obvious on how to create multiple leaders. That is exactly why I am here, to smack you behind the head…just kidding.

To add a second leader to an annotation or balloon is ridiculously easy. When you select a leader, you will notice a handle box at the tip of the arrow.

While holding down the Ctrl key, drag the handle to the second entity. This could be a part, feature, edge or surface.

Drop the handle on the entity and release Ctrl. The annotation or balloon now has a new arrow.

This procedure works on any dimension entity that has an arrow, such as a chamfer or radius call out. Now that you too have seen the light, no more should you be tempted to foul your drawing with faked leaders. Now, the SW-Geek does not condone violence but if you see someone faking a leader…. Smack them behind the head for me.