How to Mirror in AutoCAD Without Mirroring Text?

Understanding Mirroring in AutoCAD

Mirroring is a fundamental feature in AutoCAD that allows users to create reflections of their drawings across a specified line. However, when dealing with text elements in your designs, it can be challenging to mirror your objects without inadvertently mirroring the text itself. This guide will provide a detailed explanation of how to achieve this in AutoCAD 2025 while keeping your text orientation intact.

Setting Up Your Drawing for Mirroring

Before initiating the mirroring process, ensure that your workspace is organized appropriately. Follow these preparatory steps:

1. Open Your Drawing: Launch AutoCAD 2025 and open the drawing that you intend to work on.
2. Select Your Objects: Use the selection tools to highlight the objects you want to mirror. This could include lines, shapes, or blocks, but avoid selecting any text at this point.

Using the Mirror Command

To proceed with the mirroring of your objects without affecting text, follow these steps:

1. Activate the Mirror Tool: Type MIRROR in the command line and press Enter, or find the mirror command in the Modify panel on the Home ribbon.
2. Select Objects: When prompted, manually select the objects you want to mirror. Ensure that none of the text objects are selected.
3. Specify the Mirror Line: Click to define the first point of the line along which you want your objects mirrored, followed by a second point to specify the line’s direction.
4. Choose Not to Erase: After selecting the mirror line, AutoCAD will prompt you with the option to erase the original objects. Choose “No” if you want to keep the original objects intact.

Preventing Text from Mirroring

To ensure your text remains oriented correctly, you can manipulate the MIRRTEXT variable before executing the mirror command:

1. Set Text Mirroring Variable: Type MIRRTEXT in the command line and press Enter.
2. Set Value to 1: When prompted for a value, type 1 and press Enter. This setting will ensure that when you mirror an object, the orientation of text will remain unchanged.

Finalizing Your Drawing

Once the objects are mirrored, and you have ensured that the text remains in its original orientation:

1. Review Your Drawing: Examine the mirrored objects to confirm they are accurately reflected and that the text is intact.
2. Make Adjustments: If necessary, move or adjust the mirrored items to align them perfectly with the rest of your design.
3. Save Your Work: Always save your drawing after making significant changes to prevent data loss.

Frequent Questions on Mirroring in AutoCAD

Q1: Can I mirror multiple objects at once while keeping text static?
A1: Yes, you can select multiple objects for mirroring, just ensure that none of the text elements are included in your selection.

Q2: What happens if I forget to set the MIRRTEXT variable?
A2: If you do not set the MIRRTEXT variable to 1, the text may mirror along with the other objects, resulting in a backward orientation.

Q3: Can I reverse a text orientation after mirroring?
A3: Yes, you can manually adjust the orientation of the text by using the text formatting options or by rotating it as needed post-mirroring.