LYTALIGN-bgol (Rotate Text to Match Layout Twist)

Command Type: AutoLISP routine, 2-command pair (works in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, ZWCAD and most AutoLISP-compatible CAD platforms)
Developed by: BGol Community, bgol.in

Inspired by the general concept of layout-rotation text compensation utilities used in CAD drafting. This is an original, independently written routine, new file name, new command names, new source code, created so the CAD community has a free, editable, open-source alternative.

Overview

When a paper-space Layout viewport is rotated (a common trick for fitting long linear projects like roads or pipelines onto standard sheet sizes), Model Space text that looked correctly oriented can appear tilted in the printed output. LYTALIGN-bgol.lsp provides a two-command workflow to fix this: RTLA tags Model Space text with its intended reference angle, and RTLM creates a rotated copy of that text compensated for the layout's twist, so it reads correctly on the printed sheet.

How to Use

1. Load LYTALIGN-bgol.lsp into your CAD session (drag-and-drop the file onto the drawing window, or use the APPLOAD command).
2. In Model Space, type RTLA and press Enter.
3. Select the text entities that should carry a reference angle (their current rotation is stored as the reference).
4. Switch to (or activate) the target Layout / rotated viewport.
5. Type RTLM and press Enter.
6. Enter the viewport's twist angle in degrees when prompted.
7. Select the same tagged text again, a rotation-compensated copy of each is created on a dedicated layer, BGOL-RTLM (colour blue), oriented so it reads correctly given the layout's rotation.

Why Use It

• Keeps text readable, compensates automatically for a rotated layout/viewport instead of requiring manual angle recalculation for every label.
• Repeatable, once text is tagged with RTLA, RTLM can be re-run any time the layout's twist angle changes.
• Non-destructive, RTLM creates new compensated copies rather than altering your original Model Space text.

Where to Use It

• Drawings where the printing Layout has been rotated to better fit long linear projects (roads, pipelines, alignments) onto a standard sheet.
• Multi-sheet plotting workflows where several layouts at different rotation angles reference the same Model Space content.
• Any drafting task needing text to stay legible in a rotated viewport without manually recomputing each label's angle.

Notes

• The reference angle is stored as XDATA (application name BGOL-RTLA) on the original text, so it persists with the drawing and can be re-used across multiple RTLM runs.
• RTLM computes each compensated angle as reference angle − viewport twist angle (both in radians internally; the prompt accepts degrees).
• If a selected text was never tagged with RTLA, RTLM falls back to using that text's own current rotation as the reference.
• Source code is fully open, feel free to study, modify, and redistribute it under the same open, free-for-all spirit.

Credits

Developed and shared for the CAD community by BGol Community. Website: https://bgol.in/ Free and open-source, use it, modify it, share it, for personal or commercial work alike.