Multiple Plug-ins Ribbon Tabs...

...instead of one Add-ins ribbon tab, in AutoCAD^® Architecture 2018. I found this Autodesk Knowledge Network article on the topic, indicating it was for AutoCAD^® Map 3D, 2014/2015, but also applying to AutoCAD^® and other verticals, for the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 releases. The instructions worked just fine in AutoCAD Architecture 2018.

As noted, I did not need to do Steps 2, 3 and 4, but I did check to see that was all in place prior to proceeding with the balance of the steps. After unloading the partial customization files for the two plug-ins that I had installed and then closing and restarting the program, the individual panels for the plug-ins showed up on a single Add-ins tab. I did have to turn on the display of the Add-ins ribbon tab, but that was easily done by right-clicking on a blank area of the ribbon and choosing Show Tabs > Add-ins from the context menu.

Oddly, it all came in on one Add-ins tab for AutoCAD^® MEP 2018, on the same machine.

ACA/AMEP: Adding a Properties Ribbon Panel

The ACA.cuix and MEP.cuix that ship with AutoCAD^® Architecture and AutoCAD^® MEP do not contain a Properties ribbon panel. This was done intentionally, to encourage you to control the display of AEC objects via the Display System. (This is also why AEC objects do not have many of the basic object properties exponsed on the Design tab of the Properties palette.) I understand the thinking here, and agree that the Display System should be the first place you go to control how AEC objects look. But there are times when you just want to apply a linetype to an AEC object and really do not want to set an object-level or style-level display override for just that - particularly as that makes all of the other display settings an override, and will not be affected by changes made at the drawing default level (or style level, for object overrides). Do not get me started on "other" people who accidentally set the default object properties to something other than ByLayer; having to clean up that mess without being able to quickly see what properties are set on an object is frustrating. And while you can select one or more AEC objects, right click and choose Edit object display from the context menu and then use the General Properties tab of the Object Display dialog, some prefer the immediacy of a ribbon panel tool, especially those who have been users long enough to have used the control tools on the old properties toolbars.

The good news is that the ribbon controls are still defined in the ACA.cuix and MEP.cuix and that it is relatively easy to add whichever ones you like to a ribbon panel and add that panel to the ribbon tab of your choice. I made a Screencast to show just how easy it is. I do not have a good setup for adding narration to the Screencast (and I am not particularly skilled at talking and doing at the same time, either), so I will include some notes here on the process, in case it is difficult to see on the Screencast. You can click on the double diagonal arrow icon in the lower right corner of the embedded Screencast to go to full-screen mode, or you can hover over the Screencast and click on the title in the upper left corner to view the Screencast on the Screencast website. You will be able to see the command timeline on the Screencast website.
Notes:

1. The examples shown in the video are just that, examples to demonstrate the techniques. Want a different arrangement, or want to add and/or remove commands and controls? Go for it - it is, after all, your customization.
2. Creating a new ribbon panel requires using the Customize User Interface dialog. You can type CUI at the command prompt, or use the Workspace Switching tool on the Application Status Bar, and selecting Customize on the pop-up menu. The Screencast shows the latter method.
3. I prefer, and recommend, that customizations be created in a separate customization file other than aca.cuix or mep.cuix, even if you eventually intend to add the customizations to those files. This makes it easier to back up your customizations and to move to later releases without having to drag the old main CUIX file along with you, possibly missing out on new features added to the new aca.cuix or mep.cuix. To do so, I use the Transfer tab to create a new customization file, which I then load as a partial customization file on the Customize tab, in the upper left pane.
4. After loading the new partial customization file, the upper left pane will show just that file, and you will note that there are no commands shown in the lower left pane, because this CUIX is currently "empty".
5. To get a list of commands and controls to add to our new file, change the setting of the upper left pane to show All Customization Files, using the drop-down list. Scroll down in the upper left pane, if necessary, and expand the following nodes: Partial Customization Files, your customization file name and Ribbon.
6. Select the Panels node, right click and choose New Panel from the context menu. Give the panel a name, such as Properties.
7. Right click on Row 1, and choose New Sub-Panel. Repeat this a second time, to add a second sub-panel. You could just add rows, and stack things up that way, but creating two sub-panels to handle two columns of controls builds in some flexibility, as you will see later in the Screencast.
8. Right click on Sub-Panel 1 and select New Row to add a second row to the Sub-Panel. (Commands and Controls are always added to rows, so each panel and sub-panel will always start with one row when created.) Add a third row to this panel, and then add two additional rows to Sub-Panel 2.
9. The framework is now in place for the first ribbon panel, and we need to add the Commands and/or Controls we want. In this example, all of the items are Controls, so the first thing to do is, in the lower left pane, change the selection in the drop-down list from All Commands Only to All Commands and Controls.
10. Using the search feature in the lower left pane, search for the Command or Control you want to add. (You can scroll the list, but it will be easier and faster if you type in a key word or two to narrow the list.)
11. When you find the item you want, such as the Object Color Gallery, left click, hold, and drag it to the upper left pane. I find that if I take the direct route, straight up, that the upper left pane will usually scroll away from the place I want to put the item, so I usually swing over to the right side and then up and back over to the upper left pane, entering it from its right side. There will occasionally still be some scrolling, but generally not enough to move the destination beyond the visible part.
12. Hovering over the destination row in the upper left pane, release the left mouse button to add the control to that row. To see a preview of the results so far, select the panel name, or any part of its "structure," such as a row or sub-panel. The preview will show in the upper right pane.
13. Repeat the previous three notes for each additional Command or Control you want to add to your panel. I added the Layer List Combo Box, Ribbon Combo Box - Linetypes, Ribbon Combo Box - Lineweight, Transparency Method Drop-down (changing the button style from Small Without Text to Small With Text and Transparency ribbon controls in the example). See below for additional observations on the Transparency Method Drop-down.
14. Now that the panel is completed, it needs to be added to a ribbon tab, so that it can be displayed in the workspace. I chose to create a Test 01 panel in the newly created partial customization file. You may want to add it to an existing tab in another CUIX file that you have loaded. If you do so, note that this will copy the panel into that CUIX file, so any future changes would need to be made in both places. Right click on the Tabs node (under the Ribbon node) and choose New Tab from the context menu and then give the new tab a name.
15. Left click and hold the Properties panel node under the Panels node, and drag it up to the destination tab. In this example case, there are no other panels on the Test 01 tab, but if there are panels on the tab where you are trying to place a panel, you can drag the mouse (with the left button still held down) to the desired position (indicated by a blue horizontal line) relative to the other panels where you want the new panel placed. When you have the right position, release the left mouse button to add the panel to the tab.
16. If you created a new ribbon tab, select the tab to see its properties. If the Default Display property is set to Add to workspaces, when you load the partial customization file, this tab should be automatically added to all Workspaces in the main CUIX. This will not occur now, because we added the ribbon tab after we loaded the partial customization file.
17. Select the OK button to close the Customize User Interface dialog. Note that the new ribbon tab did not appear in the interface. (If you added your panel to an existing tab that was already in the current Workspace, you can skip the next few steps.)
18. Re-open the Customize User Interface dialog. Under the main customization file (ACA in this example, as I did the Screencast using AutoCAD Architecture 2016), in the upper left pane, expand the Workspaces node, if necessary, and select the current Workspace. In the upper right pane, expand the Ribbon Tabs node and note that the Test 01 tab is not on the list.
19. Select the Customize Workspace button at the top of the upper right pane. Note that all the items in the upper right pane turn blue. This indicates that you are in the Workspace editing mode.
20. In the upper left pane, find and expand the customization file that has the ribbon tab with your new panel. Expand the Ribbon node and then expand the Tabs node. Note the toggles in front of the items that can be added to a Workspace while you are in Workspace editing mode. In the Screencast, I clicked on the toggle in front of the Tabs node to add all of the tabs to the current Workspace, since there was only one tab in that customization file. If you have multiple tabs, and you do not want to add all of them to the current Workspace, use the toggles in front of each individual tab to control which ones are in the current Workspace.
21. Back in the upper right panel, notice that the Ribbon Tabs node expanded itself and the newly added tab is shown, in black type. You can drag the tab to a different position in the listing if you do not want the new tab at the end; I chose to leave it at the end.
22. Select the Done button in the upper left pane to ratify the changes made to the Workspace, and to exit the editing mode. Select the OK button to close the Customize User Interface dialog and to confirm the changes made. Give the program a few moments to process the change and display the new tab in the interface.
23. Those who added the new panel to an existing ribbon tab can jump back in at this point. Select the tab with the new panel to make it current, and check out the Commands and Controls you added, to verify that they work as expected. You have successfully created a new panel, with properties-related controls, and had it displayed in your Workspace.
24. The balance of the Screencast shows the creation of a second panel, this time with just one "column" of controls, placing those beyond the third row in the "Slideout". These can be seen by selecting the panel title (which will feature a downward pointing arrow icon to let you know there are more tools). It also shows the benefit of having used sub-panels in the first example, as we can copy those to the new panel to get that panel started.
25. Reopen the Customize User Interface dialog, and, in the upper left pane, find and expand the node for the new partial customization file created for the Properties panel. Expand the Ribbon and Panels nodes.
26. Expand the Properties panel node, and the Row 1 node beneath it.
27. Create a new panel by right clicking on the Panels node and choosing New Panel. Provide a name for the panel; in the Screencast, I used Properties 2.
28. Rather than start this version of a Properties panel from scratch, I chose to copy the sub-panels from the previously created one. Select Sub-Panel 1 under Properties (under Row 1), right click and select Copy from the context menu.
29. Select Row 1 under the Properties 2 panel, right click and select Paste from the context menu. A copy of the panel will appear.
30. Select the Properties 2 panel and add a new row. Notice that since Row 1's sub-panel fills all three rows that are always visbile, Row 2 appears under the SLIDEOUT item.
31. Copy Sub-Panel 2 from the Properties panel, and paste it to Row 2 under the Properties 2 panel.
32. I chose to add two additional rows to the sub-panel under Row 2, and add the Locked layer fading and Xref fading Controls to them.
33. In order to test the new panel, I added it to the Test 01 ribbon tab, and then selected the OK button to ratify the changes and return to the drawing.
34. The Properties 2 panel now appears on the Test 01 ribbon tab. The three Controls from the original Sub-Panel 1 appear on the panel, and the Properties 2 title bar has a downward-pointing arrow icon adjacent to the panel name.
35. Selecting the panel title expands the panel and displays the balance of the Controls. Selecting the pin icon at the left side of the expanded panel title pins the panel in the expanded position. (Press again to un-pin the panel.)

I did not look at the vanilla AutoCAD Properties panel (ACAD.cuix) prior to creating this video. This version stacks all of the controls in one "column", but includes a large button for the Match Properties command, which could easily be added to the Properties 2 panel I created, by placing it on Row 1, before the Sub-Panel on that Row. I also failed to include the Plot Style Gallery Control. This could easily be added to Properties 2 by adding another row to the Row 2 Sub-Panel. A third Sub-Panel would be required to add another Control to the Properties panel, provided that you want all the controls to be visible all the time for that version. The vanilla AutoCAD version also includes a dialog launcher (indicated by the open arrow icon at the far right side of a panel title bar) for the Properties palette. This can be added to either of the panels created in the Screencast by dragging the Properties command (from the ACA or MEP customization files; choose the one with the Element ID of ID_Modify) up to and drop it on the Panel Dialog Box Launcher item. The image below shows the Properties and Properties 2 panels, with the Properties 2 panel pinned open. The Plot Style Gallery Control and the Properties dialog launcher have been added to the Properties 2 panel in the image below. The Match Properties tool was not added, as that is available on the ACA and AMEP Home ribbon tab, Modify panel.

You may have noticed that there were two Transparency Method Drop-down ribbon controls, and that I selected the one further down on the list, rather than the first one. I tried using both, and found that the "upper" tool would not allow me to set the drawing default transparency (with no object selected) and would not change the displayed value when the drawing default setting was changed, whereas the "lower" tool did both. I cannot promise that these two controls will always maintain that repsective relationship, but if you make certain that the current drawing default value is set to ByLayer before you open the Customize User Interface dialog to begin creating your panel, the "right" control will display the ByLayer icon (three stacked parallelograms, top one blue, other two white). The "wrong" control will show the "Use Current" icon (thin blue square around what looks like closely packed blue dots) and text, if you change the button type to Small With Text.

ACA: ACA.dll File Location

Somewhat related to this previous post, is the location of the ACA.dll file. While this has not necessarily moved its location, if you were to copy the ACA.cuix and rename the copy in order to customize the copy while retaining the out-of-the-box version, you will also want to copy the ACA.dll file and rename the copy to match the name of your copied CUIX file, in order that your copied version will maintain the tool icons that are defined in that DLL file, such as ribbon tool icons for the AutoCAD-Architecture^®-specific tools.

For the Autodesk Bulding Design Suite Premium 2014 package, the default installation location for the ACA.dll file is the
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\ACA
folder. For older releases or non-suite versions, you may need to look in the folder in which ACAD.exe is installed. Depending upon how your file permissions are set up, you may need administrative rights to copy/rename files in this folder.

I ran into this today because I wanted to have a separate profile to which I can add my own customizations (additional search paths, additional trusted locations, additional tool palette file locations and partial CUIX files) without messing with the office-standard, along with an associated workspace. Since the workspaces are defined and saved in the CUIX file, I decided to make a copy of the office standard CUIX file under a different name. That will require that I keep my copy of the CUIX coordinated with any changes to the office standard, but it will prevent me from having to strip out my customizations should the need to modify the office-standard CUIX arise in the future.

ACA: Double Click a Tag to Edit Property Data

I had a request today to be able to double click on a Schedule Tag, such as a Room Tag, and have the Edit Property Set Data dialog open, so that the Property Data attached to the tagged object can be edited, without having to go to the Extended Data tab of the Properties palette. I was able to grant the request; here is what I did.

The out-of-the-box ACA.cuix file already defines a Double Click Action for Multi-View Blocks (which is what Schedule Tags are), but it is set to edit the Multi-View Block definition.

As it turns out, the CUI does not have a command defined that runs the AECPROPERTYDATAEDIT command. But it is easy enough to add one.

1. Type CUI at the Command: prompt. (Or, on the Manage ribbon tab, on the Customization panel, choose the User Interface tool.)
2. Verify that the CUI dialog is fully expanded (arrow button in the lower right corner of the dialog points to the left) and that the Customize tab is the current tab (as seen in the image above).
3. In the Command List panel (lower left side; expand the panel if it is "closed"), select the Create a new command button.
   
   A new command, named Commandn will be created, where n represents an integer, most likely 1 unless you have done this before and not renamed the added command(s).
   
4. In the Properties panel (lower right side, expand the panel if it is "closed"), edit the properties of the new command as shown in the image below. I was not intending to use this command on a ribbon panel or a toolbar, so I did not create a custom button image, but used the out-of-the-box one for Property Set Definition edit. The Element ID will be automatically generated; yours may vary from what is shown here.
   
5. In the Customizations in... panel (upper left side, expand the panel if it is "closed"), expand the ACA node (if necessary) and then expand the Double Click Actions node under the ACA node.
   
6. Scroll down in the Customizations in... panel, if required,to find the Multi-View Block node under the Double Click Actions node and expand the Multi-View Block node.
   
7. In the Command List panel, left click and drag the Property Data Edit command up to the Customizations in... panel and drop it on the Multi-View block node.
   
8. The Property Data Edit command replaces Multi-View Block Edit as the Double Click Action for Multi-View Blocks.
   
9. Select OK to dismiss the Customize User Interface dialog and to register your changes.

Now when you double click on a Schedule Tag, the Edit Property Set Data dialog will open, for the object to which the Schedule Tag is attached. Note that if you double-click on a non-tag Multi-View Block, you will also get the Edit Property Set Data dialog and will be able to edit Property Data attached to that Multi-View Block, as well as add Property Sets that apply to Multi-View Blocks or remove any of the Property Sets that are attached.

If you want to edit the Multi-View Block Defintion, you can still select an instance and, on the Multi-View Block contextual ribbon tab, on the General panel, select the Edit Style tool, or right click and choose Edit Multi-View Block Definition from the context menu.

Having edited the ACA.cuix file, you will want to back up the modified version so that you can restore it later, should the CUIX file get reset by a reinstallation or lost/corrupted through some catastrophic event. Also, as always, you can click on any of the images to see a full-size version.

ACA: MNL Files Have Moved in 2014

AutoCAD^® AutoLISP^® Menu Source files have long been used to enable the loading of AutoLISP code and support files used by an AutoCAD Customization File (CUIX) and, if you go back far enough, the old AutoCAD Menu files. All that is required is that the file name (other than the file extension) of the MNL file match that of customization file and that the MNL file be found in the AutoCAD search path, and when the customization file is loaded, so is the MNL file.

In previous releases, the MNL file was kept in the same folder as the associated CUIX file, so if you knew where the CUIX file was, you knew where the MNL file was, as well. The default installation location in Windows 7 was under C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ACA 20xx\enu\Support, where [USERNAME] is your user name and xx represents the last two digits of the release year for the version being used.

In ACA 2014, this has changed. The default installation location for the CUIX files remains the same, but the MNL files are now installed in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\Support\en-us (Windows 7).

Why should you care? If you are running ACA more or less out-of-the-box, or at least using the ACA.cuix file as your main customization file, you probably do not need to care. But if you choose to make a copy of the CUIX file and give it a different name (in anticipation of making customizations for yourself or your office), then you will also want to copy the ACA.mnl file, renaming it to match the name of your copied/renamed CUIX file. ACA uses the MNL file to undefine and then redefine several AutoCAD commands, including the FILLET command (which is redefined to run the AECFILLET command, enabling it to work on Walls as well as the usual AutoCAD objects). If you want that to happen for your renamed CUIX file, then you have to be able to find the MNL file in order to copy and rename it.

Frozen Ribbon

No, it is not a new way to beat the summer heat (my apologies to readers in the southern hemisphere, who may be more interested in a way to stay warm, but this has been a particularly brutal summer here in Philadelphia); it is a frequently reported occurrence in AutoCAD^® Architecture 2010 and 2011. Often triggered by the use of the MTEXT command, the freeze occurs if you have more than one CUIX file loaded and two or more each have a contextual ribbon tab (such as the Text Editor tab triggered by the MTEXT or MTEDIT commands) that is triggered by the same command or object selection.

This most frequently happens when both the ACA.cuix and ACAD.cuix files are loaded simultaneously, often so that an ACA user can have access to elements in the ACAD.cuix file that are not part of the ACA.cuix file. Unfortunately, loading both as they are, out-of-the-box, will result in having multiple contextual ribbon tabs for the same triggering action.

The solution is to either not load both at the same time, or, if you must have access to items in both, to create a custom CUIX file that has the items you want from the ACAD.cuix file, but does not have the contextual ribbon tabs (or at least not any that overlap those in the ACA.cuix file). You will need to decide whether it is easier to make a copy of the ACAD.cuix file under another name, and remove the overlapping contextual ribbon tabs -OR- set up a new CUIX file and transfer only the items you want/need from the ACAD.cuix file.

ACA 2011 CUI Glitch

I found a minor problem with the ACA.cuix file that ships with the 2011 release. On the View ribbon tab, on the Navigate panel, the 2010 release had a single command on the expanded panel, to toggle the ViewCube on and off. The 2011 View ribbon added a User Interface drop-down button to the View tab, on the Windows panel that provides an equivalent. While the View Cube control that the 2010 command on the Navigate panel ran has apparently been removed from the 2011 CUI, the Navigate panel still has the non-functional command listed, so the Navigate panel still indicates that the panel can be expanded to show more commands, as evidenced by the triangle icon next to the panel name.Unfortunately, when you expand the panel in 2011, there are no additional commands displayed.If this bothers you and you have editing rights to the ACA.cuix file, you can fix this by running the CUI command. (I usually just type CUI and press ENTER, but you can also find the CUI command on the Manage ribbon tab, on the Customization panel.) On the Customize tab, under the ACA customization file, expand the Ribbon and Panels nodes......and then scroll down and expand the View Navigate - ACA panel node. If you simply want to eliminate the expandability of the Navigation panel, then delete the Row 2 item below the SLIDEOUT listed under View Navigate - ACA. If you want to keep the panel expandable, and add the ViewCube toggle back to the panel, find the ViewCube Display command in the Command List pane (lower left of the Customize User Interface dialog) and drag it up under the Row 2 listing. (I left the old View Cube command - you could delete this.) The out-of-the-box ViewCube Display command shows only a Small icon, with no text. I chose to add a name (ViewCube Display) and change the display to SmallWithText, as shown in step "2" below.The result, shown in the Panel Preview above and in the actual ribbon below, is that the expanded panel once again has a ViewCube toggle command.

AutoCAD® Architecture 2010 - UI Changes, Part 8 - The Ribbon, Manage Tab

Manage Tab
The Manage tab is the sixth static (always available) tab provided in the out-of-the-box ACA CUI. The image below and all screen captures in this article are based on the shipping version.
Navigate Panel
The Action Recorder Panel contains commands related to using the Action Recorder to save, edit and play back command sequences.The Record command button starts the Action Recorder (ACTRECORD command). The Insert message command button allows you to insert a message in the Action tree, which will then be displayed during playback (ACTUSERMESSAGE command). The Insert Base Point command button is used to establish a point using absolute coordinates, for use by the prompts that follow in the macro (ACTBASEPOINT command). The Pause for User Input command button allows you to insert a request for user input in the macro (ACTUSERINPUT command). The Play command button plays back the macro selected in the Action Macro drop-down list. The Preference command button allows you to determine the behavior of the Action Recorder panel during recording and playback as well as indicate whether or not you want to be prompted for a macro name when recording is stopped. The Manage Action Macros command button allows you to copy, rename, modify or delete action macro files (ACTMANAGER). The Available Action Macro drop-down list allows you to choose from a list of available macros. The chosen macro is available for playback and is displayed in the Action Tree. The ACTMANAGER command can also be launched from the last item on the list.Click on the Action Recorder title bar to expand the panel and reveal the action tree. The contents of the macro chosen on the drop-down list will be displayed in the Action Tree.
CAD Standards Panel
The CAD Standards Panel contains commands related to the AutoCAD^® CAD Standards feature.The Check command button runs the CHECKSTANDARDS command to check the current drawing for standards violations. The Configure command button allows you to associate the current drawing with one or more standards files (STANDARDS command). The Batch Checker command button allows you to specify one or more drawings to be checked (BATCHSTANDARDSCHECKER command). The Layer Translator command button runs the LAYTRANS command, allowing you to map the layers in the current drawing to layer names and properties in another drawing file or in a standards file, and then convert the layers in the current drawing based on that mapping.

Project Standards Panel
The Project Standards Panel contains commands related to the AutoCAD Architecture Project Standards feature. You must be working in an AutoCAD Architecture project (using Project Browser and Project Navigator) in order to make use of these tools.The Synchronize DWG command button will update the current drawing using the styles and settings defined in the project standards drawing(s) for the current project (SYNCHRONIZEPROJECTDRAWING command). The Configure command button allows you to indicate the project standards with which the current drawing will synchronize (PROJECTSTANDARDS command). The Synchronize Project command button runs the SYNCHRONIZEPROJECT command, which will synchronize all of the drawings in a project to the styles and settings in the project standards drawing(s). The Update command button will update the project standards check file (AutoCAD standards) for each file in the project. Select the Project Standards title bar to expand the panel and reveal additional command buttons related to Project Standards: Apply Versioning to Current Drawing (VERSIONMODIFIEDOBJECTS), Update Standards from Drawing (UPDATESTANDARDS), Synchronize Project Standards (SYNCHRONIZESTANDARDS), Setup Report (PROJECTSTANDARDSSETUPREPORT), Audit Report (AUDITPROJECT) and Audit Project Drawing (AUDITPROJECTDRAWING).

Style & Display Panel
The Style & Display Panel offers commands related to AutoCAD Architecture styles and display system.The Style Manager command button opens the Style Manager, allowing you to create, edit and/or delete styles and definitions (STYLEMANAGER). The Display Manager command button opens the Display Manager, so that you can create and/or edit drawing default settings for Display Representations, create and/or edit Display Representation Sets and create and/or edit Display Configurations (DISPLAYMANAGER). Click on the Style & Display title bar to expand the panel and reveal seven additional command buttons. The Dimension Style Wizard command button opens the AEC Dimension Display Wizard, allowing you to change the display properties of AEC Dimension Styles (DIMWIZARD). The Profile Definitions command button opens the Style Manager, filtered for Profile Definitions (PROFILEDEFINE). The Member Shape command button opens the Insert Member Shapes dialog, which allows you to insert one of the structural member shapes defined in the drawing (MEMBERSHAPEINSERT). The Insert as Polyline command button allows you to insert a profile defined in the current drawing as a polyline (PROFILEASPOLYLINE). The Structural Member Catalog command button opens the Structural Member Catalog dialog, which allows you to create Structural Member Styles (and the associated Structural Member Shapes) from a listing of predefined, industry-standard shapes (MEMBERCATALOG). The Structural Member Wizard command button opens the Structural Member Style Wizard dialog, which allows you to create Structural Member Styles based on user-input dimensions for a variety of basic shapes (MEMBERSTYLEWIZARD). The Show Display Overrides command button (SHOWDISPLAYOVERRIDES) allows you to easily identify objects that have an object-level display override by highlighting and/or listing them.

Applications Panel
The Applications Panel has commands related to custom applications that can be run in AutoCAD Architecture, such as AutoLISP or VBA routines.The Load Application command button runs the APPLOAD command, allowing you to load and unload custom applications and to add customizations to the Startup Suite, which will then be loaded each time you start AutoCAD Architecture. The Run Script command button allows you to execute script file (SCRIPT command). The Visual Basic Editor command button displays the Visual Basic Editor, allowing you to edit VBA projects (VBAIDE). The Visual LISP Editor command button runs the VLISP command, calling up the Visual LISP Integrated Development Environment window, where you can create and edit LISP routines. The Run VBA Macro allows you to run, edit or delete a VBA macro (VBARUN). Click on the Applications title bar to expand the panel and reveal two additional command buttons: Load Project, to load a global VBA project into the current work session (VBALOAD) and VBA Manager, to manage your VBA projects in a dialog box (VBAMAN). Note that in the 2010 release, Microsoft^® Visual Basic^® for Applications software is not installed when AutoCAD Architecture is installed. You can download the files needed to use VBA in AutoCAD at http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download.

Customization Panel
The Customization Panel has commands related to customizing the AutoCAD Architecture user interface.The User Interface command button opens the Customize User Interface dialog, which gives you full access to customizing most aspects of the user interface (CUI command). The Tool Palettes command button opens the Customize dialog, allowing you to customize the organization of tool palettes and tool palette groups, the one part of the interface not covered by the CUI dialog (Customize command). Click on the Customization title bar to expand the panel and reveal four additional command buttons. The Import CUI command button opens the Customize User Interface dialog, with the Transfer tab current, ready to transfer items from an enterprise or partial CUIX file to the main CUIX file (CUIIMPORT command). The Export CUI command button also opens the Customize User Interface dialog to the Transfer tab and allows you to export items from the main customization file to an enterprise or partial CUIX file (CUIEXPORT command). In fact, you can use either of those tools to move files between the main CUIX file and any other CUIX file you choose to open. The only difference is the Import CUI command button puts the main CUIX file on the right side, and the Export CUI command button puts the main CUIX file on the left side. The Edit PGP command button opens the first ACAD.pgp file found in the search path for editing (on my computer, in Notepad). The Generate Tool Catalog command button opens the Populate Tool Catalog from Content Drawings dialog, which allows you to create tools for selected ACA object types from a selected source file and place the tools in a new or existing tool catalog (AECTOOLCATALOGGENERATOR command). The tools can be created in Categories or in Palettes.

AutoCAD® Architecture 2010 - UI Changes, Part 7 - The Ribbon, View Tab

View Tab
The View tab is the fifth static (always available) tab provided in the out-of-the-box ACA CUI. The image below and all screen captures in this article are based on the shipping version.
Navigate Panel
The Navigate Panel contains commands related to navigating within a drawing.The Steering Wheels split button allows you to activate the Steering Wheel and choose the desired type.The drop-down list offers a choice between the Full Navigation Steering Wheel and three “mini” steering wheels; the main button initially defaults to Full Navigation, but will change to the most recently selected item from the list. The Pan Realtime command button executes the PAN command. The Orbit split button allows you to initiate one of three orbit types.The drop-down includes the Orbit (3DORBIT), Free Orbit (3DFORBIT) and Continuous Orbit (3DCORBIT) commands. The last one chosen becomes the one activated by the main command button. The Zoom split button allows you to perform various ZOOM command options.These are the same options available from the Zoom split button on the View panel (floating/Home tab), with the exception of omitting the Pan Realtime button, which is available separately on the Navigate panel. Click on the Navigate panel title bar to expand the panel and reveal the View Cube command button. This will only be active when your visual style is set to something other than 2D Wireframe; when active, it toggles the display of the View Cube on and off in all locations (main drawing window as well as other windows, such as the Object Viewer).

Appearance Panel
The Appearance Panel contains commands related to the drawing view and the appearance of objects.The View drop-down button displays a list of defined Views in the current drawing and allows you to restore one by selecting it.Use the up and down arrows at the right to scroll the list or use the drop-down button at the bottom right to see the defined Views in a drop-down list and expose the View Manager button, which opens the View Manager dialog (VIEW command). The Previous View command button runs the Previous option of the VIEW command. The Regenerate split button offers a choice of three regeneration-related commands: Regenerate Drawing (REGEN command), Regenerate Drawing and Viewports (REGENALL command) and AutoCAD-Architecture-specific Regenerate Model (OBJRELUPDATE command).The main button always runs the Regenerate Drawing (REGEN) command. The Visual Styles drop-down button allows you to choose one of the currently defined visual styles in the drawing from an icon list (choice runs VSCURRENT command), save the current visual display as a named style (VSSAVE command) – provided that 2D Wireframe is not the current setting or open the Visual Styles Manager palette (VISUALSTYLES command).Expanding the panel by selecting the Appearance title bar provides access to four additional buttons. The 3D Walk & Fly Settings button opens the Walk and Fly Settings dialog (WALKFLYSETTINGS). The 3D Adjust Clip Planes button (3DCLIP) opens the Adjust Clippling Planes dialog. The Point Style button opens the Point Style dialog (DDPTYPE), allowing you to specify how Point objects appear on the screen. The Theme – Fire Rating drop-down button allows you to activate one of seven out-of-the-box Display Themes (DISPLAYTHEMEADD command).Each of the buttons on the drop-down runs a ribbon tool.

Coordinates Panel
The Coordinates Panel contains commands related to the User Coordinate System (UCS) and the UCS Icon.The World command button sets the UCS to “World,” aligning it with the World Coordinate System (WCS) (UCS command, World option). The X, Y and Z command buttons (left buttons on top, middle and bottom rows of the main panel) allow you to rotate the current UCS about the X-, Y- and Z-axes, respectively (UCS command; X, Y and Z options). The Named command button (top row, right button) opens the UCS dialog to the Named UCSs tab, allowing you to manage the defined user coordinate systems in the current drawing (UCSMAN). The Previous command button (middle row, right button) restores the previously current UCS for the current space (model or paper) – the last 10 in each space are retained (UCS command, Previous option). The Face command button aligns the UCS to a selected face on a 3D Solid (ALIGNUCSTOFACE). Selecting the Coordinates title bar expands the panel to reveal ten additional command buttons. The Z-Axis Vector command button moves the UCS origin to the first point selected and then rotates the UCS to have the Z-axis pass through the second point selected (UCS command, ZAxis option). The Origin command button moves the UCS origin point to a specified point (UCS command, Origin option). The 3-Point command button allows the user to establish a UCS by specifying an origin point, a point on the positive X-axis and a point on the positive Y-axis. (UCS command, 3point option). The Display UCS Icon command button toggles the visibility of the UCS icon in the current viewport (UCSICON command, ON and OFF options). The Apply command button applies the current UCS to a selected viewport (UCS command, Apply option). The Move command button moves a defined UCS (UCS command, Move option). The difference between the Origin and Move options is that Origin creates a new UCS with the specified origin point while Move redefines the current UCS, possibly affecting other viewports (unless the WCS is current, in which case Move also creates a new, unnamed UCS). The Icon Origin command button toggles between the two possible locations for the display of the UCS Icon – at the UCS Origin, if the current view permits, or always in the lower-left corner, even if the current view would permit (UCSICON command, Noorigin and Origin options). The Icon Properties command button opens the UCS Icon dialog, which allows you to control the appearance of the UCS Icon, including style, size and color.

Viewports Panel
The Viewports Panel contains commands related to both tiled (Model tab) and floating (Layout tab) viewports.The Set Viewports drop-down button, only active when the Model tab is active, allows you to choose from a list of pre-defined tiled viewport configurations (VPORTS command).The Create Viewport split button, only active when a Layout tab is active, has two command buttons on the drop-down list: Create Polygonal, allowing you to draw a polygonal viewport by selecting vertex points (-VPORTS command, Polygonal option) and Create from Object, which allows you to select a closed polyline or a circle and create a viewport in that shape (-VPORTS command, Object option).The last button selected on the drop-down list becomes the command executed by the main button. The Named command button opens the Viewports dialog to the Named tab, where saved viewport configurations can be selected (VPORTS). The New command button opens the Viewports dialog to the New Viewports tab and allows you to create a new named viewport configuration, or edit existing ones (VPORTS). The Clip command button, which can only be used in a Layout tab (TileMode 0), runs the VPCLIP command, which allows you to clip an existing floating viewport, either using an existing closed object (polyline or circle) as the clipping boundary or allowing you to draw a polygonal boundary on the fly. The Join command button, only active when the Model tab is current, allows you to join two adjacent tiled viewports, provided that the end result is a rectangle (-VPORTS command, Join option).

Face Effects Panel
The Face Effects Panel contains commands related to the way faces of 3D objects display.The VSFaceStyle split button allows you to choose type of shading used on the faces, no shading, realistic or gooch.The Color split button allows you to set a new value for VSColorMode: 0 (regular), 1 (monochrome), 2 (tint) or 3 (desaturate).The Lighting split button allows you to set a value for VSLightingQuality: 0 (facet), 1 (smooth) or 2 (smoothest).The main command button will change to the last option selected from the drop-down for all three of these split buttons. The X-Ray Effect command button toggles the sign of the value of VSFaceOpacity, turning the x-ray effect on and off. When it is on, the Opacity slider control allows you to change the level of transparency, from 0 to 100. On my computer, both 0 shows with full opacity, 1 is the most transparent and 100 is full opacity. For this to be effective, the current visual style needs to be a type that hides and face shading must be turned on.

Edge Effects Panel
The Edge Effects Panel contains commands related to the way edges of 3D objects display.The VSEdges drop-down button allows you to select an edge display type: No Edges, Isolines or Facet Edges (VSEDGES). Supported edge types varies between the available visual style types.The Edge Overhang command button toggles on and off the effect that extends the edge lines of 3D solids and Mass Elements beyond the end of the edge (VSEDGEOVERHANG). The adjacent slider control allows you to control the amount of the overhang (VSEDGEOVERHANG). The Edge Jitter command button toggles on and off the effect that makes the edges of 3D Solids and Mass Elements “wavy” (VSEDGEJITTER). The adjacent slider control allows you to control the degree of waviness. The Silhouette Edges command button toggles on and off the display of a silhouette around the outer edges of 3D Solids and Mass Elements (VSSILHEDGES). The adjacent slider control allows you to control the width of the silhouette. Selecting the Edge Effects title bar expands the panel to reveal two toggles and three drop-down lists command buttons. When VSEdges is set to Facet Edges, the Obscurred Edges (VSOBSCUREDEDGES) and Intersection Edges (VSINTERSECTIONEDGES) become active, allowing you to toggle the display of obscurred (hidden) edges and the edges at the intersection of two 3D Solids or Mass Elements. When toggled on, the adjacent drop-down list becomes active, allowing you to set the color of obscured edges (VSOBSCUREDCOLOR) or intersection edges (VSINTERSECTIONCOLOR). The bottom drop-down allows you to set the color of visible edges of 3D Solids or Mass Elements (VSEDGECOLOR).
Windows Panel
The Windows Panel contains commands related to drawing and other interface windows.The Switch Windows drop-down button allows you to make any of the currently open drawings active, by selecting it from a list.The Tile Horizontally, Tile Vertically and Cascade command buttons allow you to control the display of the currently open drawing windows (SYSWINDOWS). The Status Bar Options drop-down list allows you to control the display of icons and notifications on the Application Status Bar.The Drawing Status Bar command button toggles the display of the Drawing Window Status Bar (STATUSBAR). The Text Window command button toggles the display of the AutoCAD Text Window (TXTSCR). The Command Line command button toggles the display of the Command Line Window (COMMANDLINE). Clicking on the arrow icon at the far right of the Windows title bar executes the OPTIONS command, opening the Options dialog to the Display tab.

AEC Content on the Ribbon - AU Tech Talk

October 19, 2013 Update: The links to the Autodesk website no longer work for me, so I assume that the AU Tech Talk content has been taken down. I have posted the contents of my article on putting AEC Content on the ribbon in this post.

The December 2009 Edition of the AU Quarterly Newsletter is out. If you do not already receive the newsletter, you can do so by becoming a member of the AU Online site and requesting the newsletter in your profile, under the Preferences category. This edition includes a link to an AU Tech Talk article I wrote about accessing AEC Content from the ribbon. I had a chance to look into this topic more deeply since I last blogged about this topic.

The article is a fairly detailed tutorial (with pictures!) on how to customize a CUIX file to add a ribbon tool that "runs" a tool palette tool, enabling you to add your own custom AEC Content to a ribbon tab. You can access the AU Tech Talk page and look for my smiling face,or go right to the article (sorry, there is a picture of me there, too).