Learn how to configure AutoCAD for office use, from turning the grid on and off to locating and saving necessary files for distribution. This article also covers the process of saving and storing drawing template files and how to simplify the process for users to choose template files.
Key Insights
- The F7 button is used to toggle the grid on and off in AutoCAD. This feature can be useful in different design scenarios and contributes to a more versatile use of the software.
- Drawing template files, standard color table files, and user interface files are vital components in AutoCAD, and users should learn how to locate, save, and distribute these for more efficient use of the program.
- Organizing template files under a "customization" folder in the CAD 304 directory simplifies the selection process for users. This can also help reduce confusion and increase productivity when engaging with multiple file options in AutoCAD.
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We have now configured AutoCAD for use in our office. One more thing I'm going to do is simply to press the F7 button to turn the grid off on the screen. So again, F7 toggles the grid on and off.
I'm going to have the grid off, and then I will once again save the file. I can even type Save, Save As the template, overwrite it, yes, and it's VDCI-Template-01, and Control-S to save. Just a habit of mine.
Now, what we need to do now is to locate these files—the color table file, the CUIX file, and the DWT file. We need to find them, locate them, and then save them for us to distribute to our office mates. So I've already opened two folders.
On the left-hand side, I have my CAD 304 folder, and on the right side, I just have my C drive. So I'm going to go to my left pane for CAD 304, do a right button, New Folder, and I'm just going to call it Customization. So I'm just going to make a folder called Customization, and I will open that one up.
Now, I need to find some files. I'm going to be over here at the root drive on C. I'm going to go to my Users, and I happen to be logged on as Trainer 01. So I'm going to go to the Trainer 01 folder.
Now, what Autodesk does is they save files in user-based folders on the system. So there's a folder up here called AppData, application data, and there are three. There's Local, LocalLow, and Roaming.
I'm going to go into Local. I will then go into Autodesk. I'm going to go into AutoCAD, ENU, and you can see that I have a folder right here called Template.
If I double-click on Template, there's a file down here called DWT. Now, you can already see that I have some drawing lock files open. So what I'm going to do is go back to AutoCAD, and I'm going to close the program.
Now the lock files went away. The DWT, I selected, Control-C, go to 304 Customization folder, and copy it there. So I've now put a copy of my VDCI-Template-01 drawing template file on my C drive CAD 304 Customization.
Again, as the Systems Manager, you will have your place where you store these drawings. Now, here's what I'm also going to do. I'm back over in my Template folder.
I'm going to create a new folder, which is called Source. Click once. I'm going to pick at the top, hold down Shift, pick at the bottom, hold down Control, deselect the DWT, the BAK files, and I'm going to move all of these folders and files into my Source drawing.
Then I'm going to delete out my BAK file. So what I have going on right now is I only have one DWT file in my Templates folder. Now, if I go up to ENU, you'll see that there is a folder called Support, but this Support folder is different from the folder that we're going to be using later on.
So I'm going to go back to Local. I'm going to go back to AppData. Now I'm going to go to Roaming.
Double-click. Go to Autodesk. Go to AutoCAD.
ENU. Under Plotters, double-click. I have a folder called Plot Styles.
Here's my VDCI-Standard-01. Select it once, Control-C. Pop it in over there, Control-V. Go back up to ENU. I will go down to Support.
I will go to my CUIX file, Control-C this. Go over to here, Control-V that. So right now, I have the three major files that I need in CAD 304 Customization.
I have my User Interface file, my drawing template file, and my standard color table file. What I'm now going to do is to launch AutoCAD. When I launch AutoCAD, and I might have to pause this for a second, when I launch AutoCAD and when I say File, New, you will notice that there will not be as many drawing template file options there because what I've done is I've moved all of the standard template files that ship with AutoCAD into my Source folder.
If I go to Templates, start a drawing with a template, you can see that there is the drawing template file in that one folder. And I have other options below it. I have Sheet Set options and my Source options right there.
So I'm just going to go ahead and say drawing template file. I've now started a new drawing. You can see, for example, that if I type in STYLE, Text01, Text02, Text03 are there.
If I type in DDIM for dimensioning, that I have my Tick 48, TickTick96, and Leader 48 there. So again, what we've done is we've simplified the number of selections that users have for choosing template files. So let's go ahead, if you would please, take these files and go ahead and save them on your CAD 304 folder.
Create a new one called Customization. And if you would please copy those files into the correct location and then move the template files like I showed you, I will be providing you guidance within the learning management system on the folder structures where you'll be copying these files from.