Understanding Your First Results
Interpret what Autotag did and evaluate tag quality.
Last updated: 2024-12-01
After running Autotag, you'll see tags throughout your view. This guide helps you understand what happened, evaluate the results, and know when to adjust your profile or use Arrange tools.
What Autotag Did
When you ran the Tagging command, Autotag:
- Scanned visible elements matching your profile's category filters
- Applied system type filters (if configured in the profile)
- Calculated tag positions using placement and overlap rules
- Placed tags using your project's loaded tag families
- Arranged tags to minimize overlaps
Reading the Results Summary
The job completion summary shows:
| Metric | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Elements Found | Elements in the view matching your profile's filters |
| Tags Placed | New tags created by this run |
| Already Tagged | Elements skipped because they already had tags |
| Skipped | Elements not tagged (no tag family, overlap issues, etc.) |
Evaluating Tag Quality
Good Results
- Tags near their elements without overlapping geometry
- Consistent positioning relative to elements
- Leader lines (if used) are short and clear
- Readable at the view's scale
Areas That May Need Cleanup
- Congested equipment rooms or shafts
- Tags near crop region edges
- Clusters of small elements (fittings, accessories)
Common Questions
"Some elements weren't tagged"
This is expected. Elements are skipped when:
- They already have tags (use Create & Organize All to re-tag everything)
- No tag family is loaded for that category
- They're in a linked model and Include Linked is off
- They don't match system type filters in your profile
- Placing a tag would violate overlap rules
"Tags show wrong information"
Tag content comes from the tag family, not Autotag. If tags display unexpected values, check your tag family definition—what parameters does it reference? You can also specify a different tag family in your profile.
"Wrong tag family was used"
Autotag uses whatever tag families are loaded. To use different families: load them into your project, then edit your profile to map each category to the preferred tag family.
Iterating on Your Profile
Most users follow this cycle:
- Run Autotag with the default or current profile
- Review results and identify issues
- Edit profile settings (categories, placement rules, overlap handling)
- Run again on the same view to see the effect
- Repeat until results match your standards
After a few iterations, you'll have a profile that produces great results with minimal manual cleanup—save it and reuse across projects.