Autodesk AutoCAD AutoCAD Customization Guide

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac

Customization Guide

July 2011

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Chapter 1 Basic Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Overview of Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Organize Program and Support Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Overview of File Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Multiple Drawing Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Locate Customized Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Locate Plot Style Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Locate Plotter Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Locate Support Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Locate Drawing Template Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Locate Texture Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Create Command Aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Create Command Aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 2 Custom Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Overview of Linetype Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Simple Custom Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Simple Custom Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Text in Custom Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Text in Custom Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Shapes in Custom Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 3 Custom Hatch Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

iii

Overview of Hatch Pattern Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Overview of Hatch Pattern Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Hatch Patterns with Dashed Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Hatch Patterns with Dashed Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Hatch Patterns with Multiple Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Hatch Patterns with Multiple Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 4 User Interface Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Understand User Interface Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Overview of the Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Customization Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Customize Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Overview of Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Create, Edit, and Reuse Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Create, Edit, and Reuse Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Create Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Overview of Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Use Special Control Characters in Macros . . . . . . . . . . 40

Pause for User Input in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Provide International Support in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Use Built-in Commands in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Repeat Commands in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Use Single Object Selection Mode in Macros . . . . . . . . . 45

Use Conditional Expressions in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Use AutoLISP in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Control the Display of Command Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Create Tooltips for Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Create and Manage Images for Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Assign Images to a Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Customize User Interface Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Overview of Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Create and Manage Pull-down Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Tool Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Overview of Tool Sets and Tool Groups . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Create and Manage Tool Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 5 DIESEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

DIESEL Expressions in Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Catalog of DIESEL Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

+ (addition) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

- (subtraction) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

* (multiplication) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

/ (division) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

= (equal to) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

iv | Contents

< (less than) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

> (greater than) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

!= (not equal to) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

<= (less than or equal to) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

>= (greater than or equal to) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

angtos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

edtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

eq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

eval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

fix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

getenv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

getvar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

if . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

nth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

or . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

rtos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

strlen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

substr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

upper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

xor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

DIESEL Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Chapter 6 Command Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Create Command Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Overview of Command Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Overview of Command Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Run Scripts at Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Run Scripts at Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Chapter 7 Introduction to Programming Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

AutoLISP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Overview of AutoLISP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Use AutoLISP Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Automatically Load and Run AutoLISP Routines . . . . . . . . . . 80

Overview of AutoLISP Automatic Loading . . . . . . . . . . 80

The ACAD.LSP File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

The ACADDOC.LSP File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

The MNL File for an AutoLISP Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Prevent AutoLISP Errors When Loading Startup Files . . . . 83

S::STARTUP Function: Postinitialization Execution . . . . . 84

ObjectARX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Overview of ObjectARX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Use ObjectARX Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Contents | v

Install and Uninstall Plug-In Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

PackageContents.xml Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

ApplicationPackage Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

CompanyDetails Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Components Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Supported Locale Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Example of Basic .bundle Folder Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Example of Using Folders to Organize Components . . . . . . . 103

Chapter 8 Shapes and Shape Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Overview of Shape Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Overview of Shape Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Create Shape Definition Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Shape Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Vector Length and Direction Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Special Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Use Special Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Codes 0, 1, and 2: End of Shape and Draw Mode

Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Codes 3 and 4: Size Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Codes 5 and 6: Location Save/Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Code 7: Subshape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Codes 8 and 9: X-Y Displacements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Code 00A: Octant Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Code 00B: Fractional Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Codes 00C and 00D: Bulge-Specified Arcs . . . . . . . . . . 115

Code 00E: Flag Vertical Text Command . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Text Font Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Sample Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Extended Simplex Roman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Extended Standard Font for UNICODE . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Big Font Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Define a Big Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Define an Extended Big Font File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Use Big Font Text in a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Use a Big Font to Extend a Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Unicode Font Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Superscripts and Subscripts in SHX Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Superscripts and Subscripts in SHX Files . . . . . . . . . . 177

vi | Contents

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Basic Customization

Overview of Customization

AutoCAD for Mac can be customized in simple ways. For example, you can change the directory structure or create a custom title block to use on a layout. If you want to change the interface further, you can edit the Workflow palette or menu bar, and use DIESEL statements to create custom commands.

You can also use a number of powerful application programming interfaces (APIs) to add to and modify AutoCAD for Mac to suit your needs.

The list that follows is arranged from least to most complex:

■ Organize files. You can organize program, support, and drawing files. For

example, you can make a separate folder for each project that includes only the support files that project needs.

■ Create custom drawing templates (DWTs). You can create custom

drawing templates to use when creating a new drawing. Drawing templates are used to store the layers, blocks, and styles that you might use across all your drawings.

■ Run external programs and utilities from within AutoCAD for

Mac. You can, for example, copy a disk or delete a file from within AutoCAD for Mac by adding the appropriate external command to the program parameters (PGP) file, acad.pgp.

■ Define command aliases. You can define simple abbreviations, or aliases,

for frequently used commands from within AutoCAD for Mac by adding the command to the PGP file acad.pgp. For example, you might want to start the BLOCK command by entering b.

■ Create custom linetypes, hatch patterns, shapes, and text fonts.

You can create linetypes, hatch patterns, shapes, and text fonts that conform to your company standards and working methods.

■ Customize the user interface. You can control many aspects of the

user interface, including the functionality and appearance of the Workflow palette and menu bar. You use the CUI command to create and edit commands, and assign them to a menu on the menu bar or a tab on the Workflow palette.

■ Customize the status line. You can toggle the display of the controls

on the status bar. Right-click an empty area of the status bar and choose which controls to turn on or off.

■ Automate repetitive tasks by writing scripts. A script is an ASCII

text file containing commands that are processed like a batch file when you run the script. For example, if a set of drawings needs to be plotted a certain way, you can write a script that opens each drawing, hides and displays various layers, and issues PLOT commands.

■ Redefine or disable selected AutoCAD for Mac commands, either

at the command prompt or as part of an AutoLISP or ObjectARX program. You can redefine certain AutoCAD for Mac commands to issue

supplementary messages and instructions or, for example, to create a drawing management system in which the QUIT command is redefined to write billing information to a log file before ending the editing session.

In addition to the methods described in the Customization Guide, there are application programming interfaces (APIs) available for customizing AutoCAD for Mac. Introduction to Programming Interfaces (page 77) briefly describes these APIs and provides cross-references to more information.

Organize Program and Support Files

You can change the default directory structure for the program and support files to suit your needs.

2 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

Overview of File Organization

AutoCAD for Mac uses support files for purposes such as storing customization definitions, loading AutoLISP and ObjectARX applications, and describing text fonts.

The default directory structure for the AutoCAD for Mac program and support files is designed to efficiently organize those files into logical groups. If this organization does not suit your needs, you can change it. However, some applications look for certain files in specific locations, and you should verify that your modifications do not conflict with the requirements of those applications. Without the full path, including drive and directory, AutoCAD for Mac can locate only those files that are found in the library search path.

The location of local customizable files is stored in the LOCALROOTPREFIX system variable. The location of roamable customizable files is stored in the ROAMABLEROOTPREFIX system variable. If a network supports roaming, customizable files in the user's roaming profile are available on the machine the user is logged onto.

Library Search Path

The library search path specifies where the program searches for files when you do not specify a full path name, as follows:

■ Current directory.

■ Directory that contains the current drawing file.

■ Directories listed in the search path specified on the Applications tab in

OPTIONS. (See Specify Search Paths and File Locations in the User's Guide.)

■ Directory that contains the AutoCAD for Mac program files.

Depending on the current environment, two or more directories may be the same.

If a file is not in this search path, you must specify both its path name and file name before AutoCAD for Mac can find it. For example, if you want to insert the part5.dwg drawing into your current drawing and it is not in the library search path, you must specify its full path name, as shown here:

Command: insert Enter block name or [?]: /files2/olddwgs/part5

If the drawing exists in that location, AutoCAD for Mac prompts you to finish the INSERT command in the usual manner.

Organize Program and Support Files | 3

Directory Structure

AutoCAD for Mac uses tree-structured directories and subdirectories. It is recommended that you keep supplemental files (such as AutoLISP applications and customization files) separate from the AutoCAD for Mac program and support files. This makes it easier to track possible conflicts and to upgrade each application without affecting the others.

The default location for AutoCAD for Mac is in the Applications folder. You can create a new directory on the same level (for example, /AcadApps) and store your custom AutoLISP and ObjectARX application files, custom linetypes and hatch pattern files, and other third-party applications in subdirectories on the next level. If you want to maintain multiple drawing directories (for separate job files), you can create a directory such as /AcadJobs with subdirectories for each job.

Command Search Procedure

When you enter a command, AutoCAD for Mac goes through a series of steps to evaluate the validity of the command name. A command can be a built-in command or system variable, an external command or alias defined in the acad.pgp file, or a user-defined AutoLISP command. Commands can also be defined by ObjectARX applications or a device driver command. You can enter a command on the command prompt or choose a command from the appropriate menu. Commands can also be entered from a script file or by an AutoLISP or ObjectARX application.

The following list describes the search order AutoCAD for Mac uses to validate a command name.

1 If the input is a null response (Spacebar or Enter), AutoCAD for Mac uses

the name of the last command issued.

2 AutoCAD for Mac checks the command name against the list of built-in

commands. If the command is in the list and is not preceded by a period (.), AutoCAD for Mac then checks the command against a list of undefined commands. If the command is undefined, the search continues. Otherwise, the command is run, unless another reason prevents it from doing so. Running it transparently or in Perspective mode might be impossible.

3 AutoCAD for Mac checks the command name against the names of

commands defined by a device driver, and then by those defined by the display driver.

4 AutoCAD for Mac checks the command name against the external

commands defined in the program parameters file (acad.pgp). If the

4 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

command name corresponds to a defined external command, that command runs, and the search is complete.

5 AutoCAD for Mac checks the command name against the list of

commands defined by AutoLISP or ObjectARX applications. At this point, an autoloaded command is loaded.

6 AutoCAD for Mac checks the command name against the list of system

variables. If the command name is in the list, AutoCAD for Mac executes the SETVAR command, using the input as the variable name.

7 If the command name corresponds to a command alias defined in the

program parameters file, AutoCAD for Mac uses the expanded command name and continues the search, starting a new search against the list of built-in commands.

8 If all the preceding steps fail, the search terminates with a warning

message about illegal command names.

Multiple Drawing Folders

Keeping your drawing and other associated files in separate directories makes it easier to perform basic file maintenance.

Keeping your drawing files and other associated files in separate directories makes it easier to perform basic file maintenance. The scenario described in this topic is based on the sample directory structure described in Overview of

File Organization (page 3), but you can expand or alter it to meet your needs.

You can set up the /AcadJobs directory to contain your drawing subdirectories. The drawing subdirectories can contain other subdirectories that hold related support files for a particular drawing type or job. The /AcadJobs/Job1/Support directory can contain blocks and AutoLISP files specific to the drawing files in /AcadJobs/Job1. Specifying support (with no path prefix) in the Support path adds the support directory within the current directory to the Support path.

To make sure that the required drawing directory is the current directory when you start AutoCAD for Mac, and that all files and subdirectories in that directory are easily accessible, you can create a program icon or a Start menu item that specifies the correct working directory for each job. This functionality

Organize Program and Support Files | 5

works only if you set the AutoCAD for Mac system variable REMEMBERFOLDERS to 0.

You can use a batch program to create new job directories automatically. The following batch program verifies that a specified directory exists, sets that directory to be current, and then runs AutoCAD for Mac.

#!/bin/sh prj="$1" #Switch to the project folder and start AutoCAD function startACAD() {

cd /AcadJobs/Jobs/$prj echo "Starting AutoCAD"

"/Applications/Autodesk/AutoCAD 2012/AutoCAD.app/Contents/MacOS/AutoCAD" } #Clear Terminal and check for the existence of the folder clear cd . if [ -d /AcadJobs/Jobs/$prj ] then

startACAD fi #Prompt to create folder echo . echo Creating /AcadJobs/Jobs/$prj echo 'Press Y to continue (or A to abort)' echo . cont="True" answer=""while [ "$cont" = "True" ] do

read -n1 -t10 answer

echo

if [ "$answer" = "y" ] || [ "$answer" = "Y" ] || [ "$answer" = "a" ] || [ "$answer" = "A" ]

then

cont="False"

fi done #Check to see if the user requested to abort or continue if [ "$answer" = "a" ] || [ "$answer" = "A" ] then

exit 1 else

6 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

mkdir -p /AcadJobs/Jobs/$prj fi #Switch to the project folder and start AutoCAD startACAD

Using an ASCII text editor (such as TextEdit), save the batch program to a file named acad.sh. Be sure to change the drive and directory names to match those on your system.

Place this file in your home directory or a shared location that is on your system. You can run this shell script program using the Terminal window in /Applications/Utilities on the drive the operating system is installed. If you saved the file as acad.sh, use the following syntax:

./acad.sh jobname

where jobname is the name of the job directory to make current.

Locate Customized Files

AutoCAD for Mac supports a wide range of files that can be customized. The program stores files that can be customized by user profile, as well as allow you to add your own customized file locations. The following locations are defined by the program:

■ Local profiles. Local profiles are used to log on a computer and they

store settings and files that are not available when roaming. Some files, such as materials and drawing templates are stored under your local profile because of their size, they do not follow you from computer to computer.

■ Roaming profiles. Roaming profiles allow you to log on to any computer

within a network and retain your user settings. Some files, such as your personal settings and documents, follow you from computer to computer.

If roaming profiles are allowed on your network, your “roamable” files are located in the <user>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Roaming/<Product

Version> folder, and your “nonroamable” files are located in the <user>/Application Support/Autodesk/Local/<Product Version> folder.

Locate Plot Style Files

The location AutoCAD for Mac uses for plot style files defines on how the program was installed and configured. You can use the OPTIONS command to locate which folder is being used to store your plot styles.

Organize Program and Support Files | 7

To locate your plot style files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Printer Support File Path.

5 Click the arrow to the left of the Plot Style Table Search Path file.

6 Under Plot Style Table Search Path, click the path name to view the

location of your plot style files.

NOTE You can also locate your plot style files by entering stylesmanager on the AutoCAD for Mac command line.

Locate Plotter Files

The location AutoCAD for Mac looks in for custom printer settings is stored in the Application Preferences dialog box. You can use the OPTIONS command to locate which folder is being used to store your plot configuration files.

To locate your plotter files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Printer Support File Path.

5 Click the arrow to the left of Printer Configuration Search Path.

8 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

6 Under Printer Configuration Search Path, click the path name to view

the location of your plotter files.

NOTE You can also locate your plotter files by entering plottermanager on the AutoCAD for Mac command line.

Locate Support Files

Support files include the following:

■ Configuration file (acad.cfg)

■ Custom icon files

■ Help and miscellaneous files

■ Font mapping file (acad.fmp)

■ Alternate font file (simplex.shx)

■ Support path files (acad.lin, acad.mln, acad.mnl,acad.pat, acad.pgp, acad.psf,

acad.unt, acadiso.lin, acadiso.pat, gdt.shx, inches.pss, and mm.pss)

Locate Support Files

To find the default location of the configuration file

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Help and Miscellaneous File Names.

5 Click the arrow to the left of Configuration File.

6 Under Configuration File, click the path name to view the location of

your configuration file.

Organize Program and Support Files | 9

To find the default location of the customization files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Customization Files.

5 Click the arrow to the left of Main Customization File.

6 Under Main Customization File, click the path name to view the location

of your main customization file.

To find the default location of the custom icon files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Customization Files.

5 Under Custom Icon Location, click the path name to view the location

for the custom button image files used with your customization files.

To find the default location of the Help and miscellaneous files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

10 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Help and Miscellaneous File Names.

5 Click the arrow to the left of the file you want to locate, and then click

the path name to view the location of the files.

To find the default location of the font mapping file

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Text Editor, Dictionary, and Font File Names.

5 Click the arrow to the left of Font Mapping File.

6 Under Font Mapping File, click the path name to view the location of

your font mapping file.

To find the default location of the alternate font file

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Text Editor, Dictionary, and Font File Names.

5 Click the arrow to the left of Alternate Font File.

6 Under Alternate Font File, click the path name to view the location of

your alternate font file.

Organize Program and Support Files | 11

To find the default location of the support path files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Support File Search Path.

5 Under Support File Search Path, click a path name to view the location

of your support files.

Locate Drawing Template Files

The location AutoCAD for Mac looks in for drawing templates is stored in the Application Preferences dialog box. You can use the OPTIONS command to locate which folder is being used to store your drawing templates.

Locate Drawing Template Files

To locate your drawing template files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Template Settings.

5 Under Template Settings, click the arrow sign (+) to the left of Drawing

Template File Location.

12 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

6 Under Drawing Template File Location, click the path name to view the

location of your drawing template files.

Locate Texture Files

The locations AutoCAD for Mac looks in for material texture files are stored in the Application Preferences dialog box. You can use the OPTIONS command to locate which folders are being used to store your material texture files.

Locate Texture Files

To locate your texture files

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Applications. 2 In the Applications window, double-click Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD

2012 ➤ AutoCAD.

3 From the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD ➤ Preferences.

NOTE

A drawing must be open to see the Preferences menu item.

4 In the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, click the

arrow to the left of Texture Maps Search Path.

5 Under Texture Maps Search Path, click the path name to view the location

of your texture files.

Create Command Aliases

A command alias is an abbreviation that you enter at the command prompt instead of entering the entire command name.

For example, you can enter c instead of circle to start the CIRCLE command. An alias is not the same as a keyboard shortcut, which is a combination of keystrokes, such as Ctrl-S for SAVE.

The acad.pgp file defines command aliases. You can change existing aliases or add new ones by editing acad.pgp in an ASCII text editor. In addition to command aliases in acad.pgp, you will also find comment lines which are

Create Command Aliases | 13

preceded by a semicolon (;). Comment lines allow you to add textual information to acad.pgp, such as when or who revised the file last.

NOTE Before you edit acad.pgp, create a backup so that you can restore it later, if necessary.

To define a command alias, add a line to the acad.pgp file using the following syntax:

abbreviation,*command

abbreviation is the command alias that you enter at the command prompt and command is the command being abbreviated. You must enter an asterisk (*)

before the command name to identify the line as a command alias definition.

If you can enter a command transparently, you can also enter its alias transparently. When you enter the command alias, the full command name is displayed at the command prompt and the command is executed.

You can create command aliases that include the special hyphen (-) prefix, such as those listed here, that accesses the version of a command that displays command prompts instead of a dialog box.

BH, *-BHATCH BD, *-BOUNDARY

NOTE You cannot use command aliases in command scripts. Using command aliases in custom commands is not recommended.

Restarting AutoCAD for Mac automatically reloads the file.

Create Command Aliases

To open the program parameters file (acad.pgp)

1 From the Finder menu bar, click Go ➤ Home.

2 In the Finder window, double-click Library. Continue to navigate to

Application Support/Autodesk/Roaming/AutoCAD 2012/<version>/<language>/Support and double-click acad.pgp. If prompted

for an application to use, select TextEdit.

14 | Chapter 1 Basic Customization

Custom Linetypes

Overview of Linetype Definitions

Linetypes are defined in one or more linetype definition files that have a .lin file extension.

The linetype name and definition determine the particular dash-dot sequence, the relative lengths of dashes and blank spaces, and the characteristics of any included text or shapes. You can use any of the standard linetypes that AutoCAD for Mac provides, or you can create your own linetypes.

Examples of linetypes

A LIN file can contain definitions of many simple and complex linetypes. You can add new linetypes to an existing LIN file, or you can create your own LIN file. To create or modify linetype definitions, edit the LIN file using a text editor or word processor or use LINETYPE at the command prompt.

When you create a linetype, you must load the linetype before you can use it.

The LIN files included in AutoCAD for Mac are acad.lin and acadiso.lin. You can display or print these text files to better understand how to construct linetypes.

Simple Custom Linetypes

Each linetype is defined on two lines in a linetype definition file. The first line contains the linetype name and an optional description. The second line is the code that defines the actual linetype pattern.

The second line must begin with the letter A (alignment), followed by a list of pattern descriptors that define pen-up lengths (spaces), pen-down lengths (dashes), and dots. You can include comments in an LIN file by beginning the line with a semicolon (;).

Linetype Definition Format

The format of the linetype definition is

*linetype_name,description A,descriptor1,descriptor2, ...

For example, a linetype called DASHDOT is defined as

*DASHDOT,Dash dot __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ A,.5,-.25,0,-.25

This indicates a repeating pattern starting with a dash 0.5 drawing units long, a space 0.25 drawing units long, a dot, and another space 0.25 drawing units long. This pattern continues for the length of the line, ending with a dash 0.5 drawing units long. The linetype would be displayed as shown below.

__ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __

LIN files must be saved in ASCII format and use an .lin file extension. Additional information about each field in a linetype definition follows.

Linetype Name

The linetype name field begins with an asterisk (*) and should provide a unique, descriptive name for the linetype.

Description

The description of the linetype should help you visualize the linetype when you edit the LIN file. The description is also displayed in the Linetype Manager and in the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box.

The description is optional and can include

■ A simple representation of the linetype pattern using ASCII text

16 | Chapter 2 Custom Linetypes

■ An expanded description of the linetype

■ A comment such as "Use this linetype for hidden lines"

If you omit the description, do not insert a comma after the linetype name. A description cannot exceed 47 characters.

Alignment Field (A)

The alignment field specifies the action for pattern alignment at the ends of individual lines, circles, and arcs. Currently, AutoCAD for Mac supports only A-type alignment, which guarantees that the endpoints of lines and arcs start and stop with a dash.

For example, suppose you create a linetype called CENTRAL that displays the repeating dash-dot sequence commonly used as a centerline. AutoCAD for Mac adjusts the dash-dot sequence on an individual line so that dashes and line endpoints coincide. The pattern fits the line so that at least half of the first dash begins and ends the line. If necessary, the first and last dashes are lengthened. If a line is too short to hold even one dash-dot sequence, AutoCAD for Mac draws a continuous line between the endpoints. For arcs also, the pattern is adjusted so that dashes are drawn at the endpoints. Circles do not have endpoints, but AutoCAD for Mac adjusts the dash-dot sequence to provide a reasonable display.

You must specify A-type alignment by entering a in the alignment field.

Pattern Descriptors

Each pattern descriptor field specifies the length of segments making up the linetype, separated by commas (no spaces are allowed):

■ A positive decimal number denotes a pen-down (dash) segment of that

length.

■ A negative decimal number denotes a pen-up (space) segment of that

length.

■ A dash length of 0 draws a dot.

You can enter up to 12 dash-length specifications per linetype, provided they fit on one 80-character line in the LIN file. You need to include only one complete repetition of the linetype pattern defined by pattern descriptors. When the linetype is drawn, AutoCAD for Mac uses the first pattern descriptor for the starting and ending dashes. Between the starting and ending dashes, the pattern dash specifications are drawn sequentially, beginning with the

Simple Custom Linetypes | 17

second dash specification and restarting the pattern with the first dash specification when required.

A-type alignment requires that the first dash length be 0 or greater (a pen-down segment). The second dash length should be less than 0 if you need a pen-up segment and more than 0 if you are creating a continuous linetype. You must have at least two dash specifications for A-type alignment.

Simple Custom Linetypes

To create a simple linetype from the Command prompt

1 At the command prompt, enter -linetype.

2 Enter c (Create).

3 Enter a name for the linetype and press Enter.

The linetype name can include up to 255 characters. Linetype names can contain letters, digits, and the special characters dollar sign ($), hyphen (-), and underscore (_). Linetype names cannot include blank spaces.

4 In the Create or Append Linetype File dialog box, select a location from

the Where drop-down list and specify a LIN linetype library file. Click Save.

If you select an existing file, the new linetype name is added to the linetype names in the file.

5 Enter text that describes the new linetype (optional).

6 At the Enter Pattern prompt, specify the pattern of the line. Follow these

guidelines:

■ All linetypes must begin with a dash.

■ Enter zeros for dots.

■ Enter negative real numbers for spaces. The value defines the length

of the space in drawing units.

■ Enter positive real numbers for dashes. The value defines the length

of the dash in drawing units.

■ Separate each dot, dash, or space value from the next with a comma.

■ Use a space between a dot and a dash.

7 Press Enter to end the command.

18 | Chapter 2 Custom Linetypes

NOTE

When you create a linetype, it is not loaded into your drawing automatically. Use the Load option of LINETYPE.

To add a simple linetype to a LIN file

1 Open the acad.lin or acadiso.lin file in a text editor that saves in ASCII

format.

2 Create a header line that includes an asterisk and a linetype pattern

name. The name of the linetype pattern is limited to 31 characters.

3 (Optional) To include a description in the header line, follow the linetype

pattern name with a comma and description text.

4 Create a descriptor line that includes:

■ All linetypes must begin with a dash.

■ Enter zeros for dots.

■ Enter negative real numbers for spaces. The value defines the length

of the space in drawing units.

■ Enter positive real numbers for dashes. The value defines the length

of the dash in drawing units.

■ Separate each dot, dash, or space value from the next with a comma.

■ Use a space between a dot and a dash.

Text in Custom Linetypes

Characters from text fonts can be included in linetypes.

Characters from text fonts can be included in linetypes. Linetypes with embedded characters can denote utilities, boundaries, contours, and so on. As with simple linetypes, lines are dynamically drawn as you specify the vertices. Characters embedded in lines are always displayed completely; they are never trimmed.

Embedded text characters are associated with a text style in the drawing. Any text styles associated with a linetype must exist in the drawing before you load the linetype.

The format for linetypes that include embedded characters is similar to that for simple linetypes in that it is a list of pattern descriptors separated by commas.

Text in Custom Linetypes | 19

Character Descriptor Format

The format for adding text characters in a linetype description is as follows:

["text",textstylename,scale,rotation,xoffset,yoffset]

This format is added as a descriptor to a simple linetype. For example, a linetype called HOT_WATER_SUPPLY is defined as

*HOT_WATER_SUPPLY,---- HW ---- HW ---- HW ---- HW ---- HW

----

A,.5,-.2,["HW",STANDARD,S=.1,U=0.0,X=-0.1,Y=-.05],-.2

This indicates a repeating pattern starting with a dash 0.5 drawing units long, a space 0.2 drawing units long, the characters HW with some scale and placement parameters, and another space 0.2 drawing units long. The text characters come from the text font assigned to the STANDARD text style at a scale of 0.1, an upright rotation of 0 degrees, an X offset of -0.1, and a Y offset of -0.05. This pattern continues for the length of the line, ending with a dash

0.5 drawing units long. The linetype would be displayed as shown below.

Notice that the total upstroke length is 0.2 + 0.2 = 0.4 and that the text origin is offset -.01 units in the X direction from the end of the first upstroke. An equivalent linetype would be

*HOT_WATER_SUPPLY,---- HW ---- HW ---- HW ---- HW ---- HW

----

A,.5,-.1,["HW",STANDARD,S=.1,U=0.0,X=0.0,Y=-.05],-.3

The total upstroke is still 0.1 + 0.3 = 0.4, but the text origin is not offset in the X direction.

Additional information about each field in the character descriptor follows. The values to be used are signed decimal numbers such as 1, -17, and 0.01.

20 | Chapter 2 Custom Linetypes

text The characters to be used in the linetype.

text style name The name of the text style to be used. If no text style is

specified, AutoCAD for Mac uses the currently defined style.

scale S=value. The scale factor to be used for the text style relative to the scale of the linetype. The height of the text style is multiplied by the scale factor. If the height is 0, the value for S=value alone is used as the height.

rotation U=value, R=value, or A=value. U= specifies upright or easy-to-read text. R= specifies relative or tangential rotation with respect to the line. A= specifies absolute rotation of the text with respect to the origin; that is, all text has the same rotation regardless of its position relative to the line. The value can be appended with a d for degrees (degrees is the default value), r for radians, or g for grads. If rotation is omitted, 0 relative rotation is used.

Rotation is centered between the baseline and the nominal cap height.

NOTE Drawings containing legacy linetypes that do not use the U (upright) rotation flag can be updated to the latest linetype definition by reloading the linetype from the LIN files. Custom linetypes can be updated by changing the R (rotation) flag to the U (upright) flag prior to reloading a linetype definition. For information on loading a linetype, see Load Linetypes.

xoffset X=value. The shift of the text on the X axis of the linetype, which is along the line. If xoffset is omitted or is 0, the text is elaborated with no offset. Use this field to control the distance between the text and the previous pen-up or pen-down stroke. This value is not scaled by the scale factor defined by S=value, but it is scaled to the linetype.

yoffset Y=value. The shift of the text in the Y axis of the linetype, which is at a 90-degree angle to the line. If yoffset is omitted or is 0, the text is elaborated with no offset. Use this field to control the vertical alignment of the text with respect to the line. This value is not scaled by the scale factor defined by S=value, but it is scaled to the linetype.

Text in Custom Linetypes

To include text characters in linetypes

1 Create a simple linetype, as described in To add a simple linetype to a

LIN file (page 19).

2 Add the text character descriptor within the linetype pattern, using the

following format:

Text in Custom Linetypes | 21

["text",textstylename,scale,rotation,xoffset,yoffset]

Shapes in Custom Linetypes

A complex linetype can contain embedded shapes that are saved in shape files. Complex linetypes can denote utilities, boundaries, contours, and so on.

As with simple linetypes, complex lines are dynamically drawn as the user specifies vertices. Shapes and text objects embedded in lines are always displayed completely; they are never trimmed.

The syntax for complex linetypes is similar to that of simple linetypes in that it is a comma-delimited list of pattern descriptors. Complex linetypes can include shape and text objects as pattern descriptors, as well as dash-dot descriptors.

The syntax for shape object descriptors in a linetype description is as follows:

[shapename,shxfilename] or [shapename,shxfilename,transform]

where transform is optional and can be any series of the following (each preceded by a comma):

R=## Relative rotation

A=## Absolute rotation

U=## Upright rotation

S=## Scale

X=## X offset

Y=## Y offset

In this syntax, ## is a signed decimal number (1, -17, 0.01, and so on), the rotation is in degrees, and the remaining options are in linetype-scaled drawing units. The preceding transform letters, if they are used, must be followed by an equal sign and a number.

The following linetype definition defines a linetype named CON1LINE that is composed of a repeating pattern of a line segment, a space, and the embedded shape CON1 from the ep.shx file. (Note that the ep.shx file must be in the support path for the following example to work properly.)

*CON1LINE, --- [CON1] --- [CON1] --- [CON1] A,1.0,-0.25,[CON1,ep.shx],-1.0

22 | Chapter 2 Custom Linetypes

Except for the code enclosed in square brackets, everything is consistent with the definition of a simple linetype.

As previously described, a total of six fields can be used to define a shape as part of a linetype. The first two are mandatory and position-dependent; the next four are optional and can be ordered arbitrarily. The following two examples demonstrate various entries in the shape definition field.

[CAP,ep.shx,S=2,R=10,X=0.5]

The code above draws the CAP shape defined in the ep.shx shape file with a scale of two times the unit scale of the linetype, a tangential rotation of 10 degrees in a counterclockwise direction, and an X offset of 0.5 drawing units before shape elaboration takes place.

[DIP8,pd.shx,X=0.5,Y=1,R=0,S=1]

The code above draws the DIP8 shape defined in the pd.shx shape file with an X offset of 0.5 drawing units before shape drawing takes place, and a Y offset

of one drawing unit above the linetype, with 0 rotation and a scale equal to the unit scale of the linetype.

The following syntax defines a shape as part of a complex linetype.

[shapename,shapefilename,scale,rotate,xoffset,yoffset]

The definitions of the fields in the syntax follow.

shapename The name of the shape to be drawn. This field must be included. If it is omitted, linetype definition fails. If shapename does not exist in the specified shape file, continue drawing the linetype but without the embedded shape.

shapefilename The name of a compiled shape definition file (SHX). If it is omitted, linetype definition fails. If shapefilename is unqualified (that is, no path is specified), search the library path for the file. If shapefilename is fully qualified and not found at that location, remove the prefix and search the library path for the file. If it is not found, continue drawing the linetype but without the embedded shape.

scale S=value. The scale of the shape is used as a scale factor by which the shape's internally defined scale is multiplied. If the shape's internally defined scale is 0, the S=value alone is used as the scale.

rotate U=value, R=value or A=value. R= signifies relative or tangential rotation with respect to the line's elaboration. A= signifies absolute rotation of the shape with respect to the origin; all shapes have the same rotation regardless of their relative position to the line. The value can be appended with a d for

Shapes in Custom Linetypes | 23

degrees (if omitted, degree is the default), r for radians, or g for grads. If rotation is omitted, 0 relative rotation is used.

xoffset X=value. The shift of the shape in the X axis of the linetype computed from the end of the linetype definition vertex. If xoffset is omitted or is 0, the shape is elaborated with no offset. Include this field if you want a continuous

line with shapes. This value is not scaled by the scale factor defined by S=.

yoffset Y=value. The shift of the shape in the Y axis of the linetype computed from the end of the linetype definition vertex. If yoffset is omitted or 0, the shape is elaborated with no offset. This value is not scaled by the scale factor

defined by S=.