Last month, I covered some of the resources that can aid in your quest to learn how to customize AutoCAD. In this article, I'll touch on some of the various ways to customize AutoCAD. There are many different levels of customization. Some are used by people everyday, but they don’t realize it.
Below is an outline of the beginning methods of AutoCAD customization and what might be needed to get started, beyond the information resources. I’ll cover some of the more advanced customization options in future articles.
Blocks and Templates
File extension: DWG/DWT
Related Command(s):
Wblock
New
Saveas
Additional software required: None
Everyone has created a block at some point in time. This is the easiest form of customization in AutoCAD and is performed without the thought that it is customization. A block can be of a drawing that has geometry or doesn’t, but is reusable in other projects or designs.
Just like blocks, Drawing Templates are created and used to help simplify the process of creating new drawings. This is another example of customization due to it storing settings, like Dimensions Styles, Layers, and other settings that help to enforce company standards.
Scripts
File extension: SCR
Related Command(s):
Script
Additional software required: Text editor such as Notepad
This type of customization is a combination of storing commands and input in a text file that can be run in AutoCAD later on, but with a couple of exceptions. First, a script can be interrupted by a dialog box. So as an alternative, commands that normally display a dialog box can be prefixed with a – (hyphen). The other exception is that a script cannot pause for user input, like picking a point on screen or typing in a command option. All information for command options and/or point coordinates must be supplied in the Script.
Scripts can be helpful in setting up a large number of Layers in drawing quickly for company standards. This can help if Layers are accidentally purged out of a drawing that might still be needed. As a side note, AutoCAD doesn’t ship with any Script files, but there are plenty of examples that can be found on the Internet.
Aliases
File extension: PGP
Related Command(s):
Aliasedit (Express Tools)
Additional software required: Optional, text editor such as Notepad
Aliases are commonly used and are the one or two character shortcuts that can be used instead of entering the full command name. For example, L represents the LINE command. New ones can be defined or changed based on the commands that you use.
The Alias Editor, which comes with the Express Tools, is a very useful utility for modifying the Acad.pgp file, easier than using Notepad.
Toolbars (Part of Menu file)
File extension: MNU/MNS
Related Command(s):
Customize
Additional software required: Optional, text editor such as Notepad
Toolbars are a popular form of customizing AutoCAD that use meaningful pictures to reference commands. They can be created within minutes and save time by allowing quick access to commands that might normally be hidden in or unavailable from a Pulldown.
However, something that sounds so good can easily consume drawing space quickly if too many of them are visible on the screen. When creating Toolbars it is important to identify what commands or tools will be used frequently, add them and then eliminate others. This helps to keep the numbers of buttons at bay.
Pulldowns/Pop Ups (Part of Menu file)
File extension: MNU/MNS
Related Command(s):
Menu
Menuload
Additional software required: Text editor such as Notepad
Next to Toolbars, Pulldowns (or Menubars) are one of the most widely used ways to access commands. Pulldowns are one of the most popular UIs in Windows applications and this shows in AutoCAD because it is the best place to find most of the commands available.
When compared to Toolbars, Pulldowns take up much less room on screen, though sometimes it can be difficult to find commands. To design a good Pulldown, try and limit menus to no more than three levels; otherwise the user will feel they are spending too much time chasing the menu fly-outs. Along with keeping levels to a minimum, the Diesel macro language can be used to manipulate menu items in different ways.
Design Center
File extension: Various
Related Command(s):
ADCENTER
Additional software required: None
Okay, maybe this is not a direct form of customization, but it is a tool within AutoCAD that needs just a little help to be useful. Basically all that Design Center needs help with is file management or placement of blocks and templates into folder structures to make them easy to use.
Once your content has been arranged. It can then be accessed quickly with the command ADCNAVIGATE added to a Toolbar button or Pulldown. It is always best to place your content and customization out of directories that are directly created by Autodesk when AutoCAD is installed. This will help when migrating to future releases.
An example to display layers of a drawing in ADC:
c:\\samples\\test.dwg\\Layers
Tool Palettes
File extension: ATC
Related Command(s):
Customize
ToolPalettes
Additional software required: None
The newest UI and customizable element in AutoCAD is Tool Palettes. Tool Palettes were introduced with AutoCAD 2004 and then enhanced with an extension that became available under Subscription. So based on what you have installed, you might have a wide range of tools like Blocks, Hatches, and even Commands.
Content can be created in a variety of ways including from Windows Explorer and Design Center. Tool Palettes contain tools that are arranged on tabs and help enforce standards through defining Layers and other properties when the Tools are used.
Other Methods
Some of the other ways of customizing AutoCAD are Tablets, Shape Files, Icon or Image menus, Accelerator Keys, Diesel (used with Pulldowns), Screen menus, Linetypes, Hatch Patterns, and Profiles. I’ll try to cover some of these in future Customization Corner articles.
Really, Customization can be summed up as changing something to suit your personal preferences or your company’s needs. Keep that in mind when working through the day. You will notice that there has been customization done around you and how things can be customized further in AutoCAD to improve tasks.
Submitted by Lee Ambrosius of HyperPics.
