Not enough labels in contour annotation

[BrianWilson]

Is there any way to tell the contour annotation tool to generate more / denser labels?

The "ladder" option seems to do nothing discernible.

When I use the tool to create contour annotation, the labels are very sparse. I'd rather have it generate 10x too many and delete the extras than have a page of contours with 1 or 2 labels.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

If you follow the associated threads at the bottom of the help file it leads to

repeating-labels-along-lines which suggests that you can increase the density there, but it is in the Maplex section

[BrianWilson]

This sounds like you are saying "use ArcMap+Maplex not the Contour Annotation tool". I know all about label density and maplex labels; thanks for the reference all the same; that's what I have been doing until now. I want masks though -- I don't want lines running through the labels.

Outside of using the unloved broken tool,  my understanding is that if want to mask the labels I must convert them to annotation. When I do that it drops 99% of the labels. So it is useless so far as well.

 The lines through the numbers still beat ink on mylar.

I have messed around with all the options including putting labels into an annotation group in the map. Feature linked, in a database, convert unplaced... tried even "Selected features" after selecting all contours. Nothing.

Labels work, conversion to annotation fails.  It comes down to either "it's broken" or "I am missing something". I've know I've done labels to annotation in the past with good results so I am just missing something. Usually I use it to fix up street names.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

Brian.. What is wrong with what is shown? Or is that what you want?  Looks good to me, but I rarely make maps .

None of the cartographically inclined have leapt in for support, so unfortunately I will have to leave you with my reference link and hope others will chime in.

[BrianWilson]

This is the "before" picture showing the great job Maplex does. When I click "Convert" then it will create a new annotation file that contains just a few labels. I can't figure out why it does not convert ALL the labels.

In Maplex labeling I can control the density of the labels in a reasonable way - I can intentionally make too many in Maplex and then after converting to Annotation I would by choice thin them out, removing the ones that are in the wrong place, shifting around the others etc.

But that is not working since they mostly vanish when I run "Convert to annotation". I would have sent a second screen shot showing this but it would have just shown the above picture without the labels.

[JayantaPoddar]

Brian,

You should try How To: Create labels on contour lines using Mask and Halo. 

[BrianWilson]

Thanks for the suggestion but the problem is labels are not appearing when converted to annotation.

In the example they show contours on a white background which would work but I typically put my contour onto an aerial photo. I think halos look bad when rendered over a photo. Creating a polygon mask and then using the mask to erase from the contour is best (in Arcmap anyway).

But I know how to do all that. It's the missing labels that's the problem. It's probably karma, I probably did something in a previous life in a galaxy far far away and now contour labels are the means of retribution.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

Or in the Maplex engine placing-labels-for-contours but I thought you were more interested in the label density?

[BrianWilson]

Oh! Look! an example in still written BASIC!  and yes -- density is the issue so though interesting that page is not helpful.

In this project I created a separate feature class for the major contour intervals using modulo.

[JakubSisak]

Maplex works fine and places everything perfectly. The problem is when labels are exported to static annotations. - most labels area dropped when the Contour Placement method is used.