AutoCAD Platform Customization

AutoCAD Platform Customization

by Lee Ambrosius
Released January 2016
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9781118798881

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Book description

Make AutoCAD your own with powerful personalization options

Options for AutoCAD customization are typically the domain of administrators, but savvy users can perform their own customizations to personalize AutoCAD. Until recently, most users never thought to customize the AutoCAD platform to meet their specific needs, instead leaving it to administrators. If you are an AutoCAD user who wants to ramp up personalization options in your favorite software, AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond is the perfect resource for you. Author Lee Ambrosius is recognized as a leader in AutoCAD platform customization and can help you get the most out of AutoCAD.

  • Establish and manage CAD standards for the drawings you create
  • Control the startup process and settings that define the drawing environment
  • Modify the user interface to display the commands you use most frequently and create new commands
  • Create macros to speed up frequently repeated tasks
  • Define custom shapes, linetypes, and hatch patters to control the linework in a drawing
  • Use real-world tips and tutorials to reinforce the author's topical discussions

A perfect resource for CAD administrators, students, senior drafters, and other CAD enthusiasts, AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond features in-depth discussions of customization options as well as detailed examples and tutorials. As an eight-year customization and programming session leader with Autodesk University, Lee Ambrosius is uniquely qualified to help users get the most out of software based on the AutoCAD platform. His AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond is the go-to resource for those who are ready to take their software customization to the next level.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Publisher's Note
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. About the Author
  8. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Is This Book for You?
    3. Customization in AutoCAD
    4. What to Expect
    5. Other Information
    6. Styles and Conventions of This Book
    7. Contacting the Author
  9. Chapter 1: Establishing the Foundation for Drawing Standards
    1. Naming Standards for Projects and Files
    2. Managing Standards with Drawing Templates
    3. Choosing a File Format for Your Drawings
    4. Defining Plotter Configurations and Plot Styles
    5. Enforcing CAD Standards
  10. Chapter 2: Working with Nongraphical Objects
    1. Standardizing the Names of Nongraphical Objects
    2. Managing Object Properties with Layers
    3. Creating and Managing Annotation Styles
    4. Defining and Managing Other Nongraphical Objects
    5. Removing Unused Nongraphical Objects
  11. Chapter 3: Building the Real World One Block at a Time
    1. Defining and Editing a Block Definition
    2. Using and Managing Block Definitions
    3. Embedding Information in a Block Definition with Attributes
    4. Adding Dynamic Properties to a Block Definition
    5. Extracting Properties and Values from a Block Reference
  12. Chapter 4: Manipulating the Drawing Environment
    1. Getting Started with Drawing-Environment Customization
    2. Customizing the AutoCAD Startup Process
    3. Specifying Application Preferences
    4. Customizing the Elements in the Drawing Window
    5. Configuring Command and Dynamic Input
    6. Creating and Modifying Command Aliases
    7. Working with System and Environment Variables
  13. Chapter 5: Customizing the AutoCAD User Interface for Windows
    1. Getting Started with the CUI Editor
    2. Creating Commands and Defining Command Macros
    3. Customizing User-Interface Elements
    4. Setting Up Rollover Tooltips and the Quick Properties Palette
    5. Organizing the User Interface with Workspaces
    6. Working with Customization Files
    7. Controlling the Tools on the Status Bars
  14. Chapter 6: Customizing the AutoCAD User Interface for Mac
    1. Getting Started with the Customize Dialog Box
    2. Creating Commands and Defining Command Macros
    3. Customizing User-Interface Elements
    4. Controlling the Tools on the Status Bar
  15. Chapter 7: Creating Tools and Tool Palettes
    1. What Is a Tool Palette?
    2. Using the Tool Palettes Window
    3. Defining Tool Palettes
    4. Adding and Modifying Tools
    5. Organizing Tool Palettes with Tool-Palette Groups
    6. Sharing Tool Palettes and Tool-Palette Groups
  16. Chapter 8: Automating Repetitive Tasks
    1. Creating and Running Scripts
    2. Recording Action Macros (Windows Only)
  17. Chapter 9: Defining Shapes, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns
    1. Creating and Compiling Shapes
    2. Creating and Using Custom Linetypes
    3. Creating and Applying Custom Hatch Patterns
  18. Chapter 10: Using, Loading, and Managing Custom Files
    1. Deploying Your Custom Files
    2. Using and Loading Custom Programs
    3. Backing Up and Migrating Customization

Product information

  • Title: AutoCAD Platform Customization
  • Author(s): Lee Ambrosius
  • Release date: January 2016
  • Publisher(s): Sybex
  • ISBN: 9781118798881