For those of you on the extreme in customizing your drawing details, here is a fun trick for custom balloons.  Change the shape of the balloon and/or associate parameters and/or text for easy reading.

	Figure 1.  Default Balloons
	Figure 2.  Custom Balloons Material Parameter shown on one.

We have used this in Pro/E 2001 as well as WF2.  Some of the menu picks differ, but the overall method works with both.  Wildfire 2 seemed a little easier.

To do it, create a custom balloon symbol and save it.  (Just for fun, we have included the balloon used in this example here for you to download if you wish.  (Zip file for downloading.)

To place it on the drawing, choose BOM Balloon from the Table menu and choose the repeat region.  Next, Change Type for the new balloon shape.  Select the Custom option from the BOM Bal Type menu and retrieve your custom balloon symbol.

In 2001, the balloons disappear, but when they are shown again, they are the new shape.  Wildfire updated immediately and kept all the balloon positions!

Associating a note with the balloon requires a parameter (in this symbol the parameter is "material").  To display, the parameter must be contained in each model, and be shown in the repeat region.  (It seems to me there should be a way to do this without the information also being displayed in the repeat region, but I don't know how.)

To use the symbol, simply change the parameter to one of your own, and it will show up next to the balloon.  For no text, leave the parameter empty.

To go the next step in customization, change individual balloons rather than the whole lot.  You can read about it in Pro/E Help.

We realize there is a lot of information not contained in this tip.  Things like constructing symbols and adding parameters are covered in Pro/E Help.

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