To Define a Simple Symbol
1. Create the draft geometry and add notes to include as fixed or variable text in the symbol. The text size and placement should be proportional to the geometry. Symbol text and geometry remain proportional when you modify the symbol height.
2. On the Annotate tab, click > 
Define Symbol. The SYM DEFINITION menu appears on Menu Manager.
Define Symbol. The SYM DEFINITION menu appears on Menu Manager.3. Click Define.
4. Type a name for the symbol and press Enter. The SYMBOL EDIT menu appears.
5. Use the drafting tools to define the symbol shape or click Copy Drawing to copy entities from the format or drawing into the symbol edit window. Click Done when finished. The Symbol Definition Attributes dialog box opens.
6. Select the desired attributes from the Symbol Definition Attributes dialog box; then click OK. Using the Symbol Definition Attributes dialog box, you can specify the following symbol attributes:
◦ Allowed Placement Types
▪ Free, on an entity, or normal to an entity
▪ Left, right, or radial leader
◦ Symbol Instance Height
▪ Fixed
▪ Variable in drawing units, model units, or text-related
◦ Position and other characteristics
▪ At a fixed text angle
▪ With an elbow
▪ Mirror image of the original geometry or text
◦ Variable text
If you insert text notes with a backslash before and after them ( \notetext\ ) in the symbol definition, these notes become "variable text" notes. They appear in the Var Text tab of the Symbol Definition Attributes dialog box. Variable text means that you may enter a selection of values in the preset values text box for each variable text note. For example, if your note had the text
"Drafter Name \names\,"
"names" would appear in the Var Text tab. You could enter a list of employees names in the pre set values area to select from when the instance is placed. When you place the instance, you can select a name to follow "Drafter Name" from a drop down list in the Custom Drawing Symbol dialog box. (Select the symbol and click Properties on the right mouse button shortcut menu to show the dialog box.)
You may also enter a parameter as the preset value for the variable text, for example "&draftername". If there is a "draftername" parameter in the drawing, the symbol note will return its value.
7. Click > . The system confirms that it has successfully defined the symbol.