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LEVELTAG LISP: Place Elevation Markers in AutoCAD

August 3, 2026

LEVELTAG places elevation markers. It prompts repeatedly until you press Enter, drawing a tapered triangular pointer with the point’s UCS Y-coordinate as the text above it.

What LevelTag does

The level is read from where you pick rather than typed, which is the whole point — on a section drawn to true height, the marker cannot disagree with the geometry it is pointing at.

It keeps prompting, so a full set of levels down a section is one command rather than one command per marker.

How to use it

  1. Load the routine with APPLOAD, or put it on your support file search path.
  2. Set the UCS so that Y is your vertical datum, if it is not already.
  3. Type LEVELTAG.
  4. Pick each level point in turn.
  5. Press Enter to finish.

How it works

The text is the UCS Y-coordinate of the picked point, not the world one. That matters on any drawing where the section has been set up on its own coordinate system: the marker reports the level in the space you are drawing in, which is the one that means something.

The pointer is drawn as a tapered form — wide at the top, coming to a point at the level being marked — so the marker indicates a specific height rather than a general area.

Notes and limits

  • The level comes from the UCS Y-coordinate. Check your UCS before placing a run of them.
  • Pick accurately, or snap. The text reports where you clicked, so an imprecise pick produces a precise-looking wrong number.
  • The drawing must be at true height for the levels to mean anything — this reads geometry, it does not know your datum.
  • Set the current layer and text style first. The routine draws the marker; your standard supplies its appearance.

Download and details

NameLevelTag — place elevation markers with the level read from the point
DownloadLevelTag.lsp — 3.9 KB, plain AutoLISP source. Downloads directly; no zip to unpack.
TypeAutoCAD AutoLISP routine
CommandLEVELTAG
Requiresnothing beyond a CAD platform with AutoLISP.
Source size3.9 KB, 112 lines
Error handlingYes — a *error* handler restores every system variable it changed, on cancel as well as on error.
UndoThe whole operation is wrapped in a single undo group, so one U reverses all of it.
CompatibilityAutoCAD (any release with AutoLISP), BricsCAD, ZWCAD, GstarCAD, ProgeCAD and other IntelliCAD-based platforms. AutoCAD LT needs a LISP enabler. No .NET, no ObjectARX, no installer.
AuthorYZ, August 2026
LicenceFree to use, supplied “as is” with no warranty.

References

  • What AHD means on a drawing — the height datum levels are usually quoted against
  • Text heights in drawings — what height the level text should be
  • More free AutoLISP routines on this site
  • Wisey’s Steel Shapes — free structural steel section drawing program

Filed Under: AutoLISP Routines

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