Back

Hacking Around Nuisances

Let’s face it—we all know and love the hallmark staple of Autodesk’s CAD platform for trades  (AutoCAD® MEP, of course), but though things have changed drastically over the years, there are some things that will simply not fulfill our Wish List when new versions are being released. With that being said, in this issue I am going to walk you through some of the tricks that I have gathered over the years, without using ADN (the Autodesk Developer Network) and even without getting dirty within the API of the software itself. The following ‘hacks’ are meant to save time and make your user environment more comfortable. I felt that sharing them might help some who are in need of a bit of change, yet don’t have the time or resources for ADN or API configuration.

As AutoCAD MEP continues to move forward while adding features at an accelerated rate, some of the more seasoned users get accustomed to the same old tricks and techniques.  As CAD users, we develop habits, many of which were passed down by our predecessors or SOPS/Standards. Working with AutoCAD MEP over the years, we’ve become comfortable working with particular ribbons, certain toolbars, and limited palettes (usually trade-specific.) Within my personal system and company, I use an alternative method to ensure that the appearance of my user interface remains unchanged with each annual Autodesk update. In theory, you could modify settings and options on your own, or you could simply follow the steps outlined below to implement some of the practices I have put into use.

Maintaining Your User Interface

Start with any version of AutoCAD. Go through the Options menu in the Tools pull-down and change the settings to your preference. After this, add all the usual toolbars you may need or like to use. You can place/position them where you want them. Open any tool palette or ribbon you use and position or dock it on the screen. I personally turn ribbons off because I prefer toolbars, and I have Properties, External References, Electrical Tool Palette, and Design Center docked to the sides. When you have the screen and settings to your liking, go to the Workspace tree or the little gear (  ) in the bottom right of your AutoCAD screen (see Figure 3). Within that menu, select “Select Current As” and name your workspace. The name you assign will be transferred from one version to the next, so use something you are comfortable with because this will be permanent.

With that saved, now you can take the steps to make your interface transferable.

• Begin by locating the CUIX file. You can find out where your CUIX file is located by opening the Options menu, and under the Files tab expand “Main Customization File” (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Locating the root of the CUIX file within the Options menu

• Go to the “Main Customization File” folder location within Windows Explorer.
• Locate the two files named acad.cuix and MEP.cuix, and copy these to a central location. Mine are located in a standards folder within our corporate server.

As new AutoCAD MEP releases are installed and the previous versions are deleted, use Windows Explorer to expedite your CUIX conversions.

• Navigate to the most recent AutoCAD release’s “Main Customization File” path, which should be similar except the MEP version year will change.
• In this folder take the two CUIX files and change them to acadbak.cuix and MEPbak.cuix (see Figure 2). Adding the “bak” to the original CUIX files will give you a form of back-up.

Figure 2: Example of new and backed-up CUIX files within the CUIX folder location

• Take the two files you copied into the “central location” folder and paste them into the “Main Customization File” location.
• Open up the new version of AutoCAD and click on the gear icon ( ), locate the profile name you created (I used Greg as mine) and select that profile (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Workspace selection menu example

The screen will automatically refresh. Notice that all the settings and your screen looks the same as they did in the previous AutoCAD releases. This trick can be repeated as you upgrade AutoCAD yearly.

Removing Your Splash Screen

Another trick to accelerate the opening of AutoCAD is removing the splash screen upon startup. To do this:

• Right-click on the AutoCAD MEP icon on your desktop and select Properties.
• When the Properties dialog box opens, notice the target location (Figure 4), which currently points to:

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\acad.exe" /ld "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\AecBase.dbx" /p "" /product "MEP" /language "en-US"

All you have to do to this is add the text /nologo after the full location path like this:

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\acad.exe" /ld "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\AecBase.dbx" /p "" /product "MEP" /language "en-US" /nologo

Figure 4: Target location in Properties menu

*Notice the space between the quotation and the /nologo —don’t forget that or it will not work.

• Click “Apply” then “OK” and you should be all set to open AutoCAD MEP.
• Double-click the AutoCAD MEP icon that was used to alter properties and notice that it now opens more efficiently without the splash screen.

To return to the default splash screen, just remove the /nologo from the target location. Close and open AutoCAD MEP a few times to ensure it works.

Converting PDF to DWG

I saved the best hack for last. If you have worked in the AutoCAD industry a while then you have probably encountered the problem of wanting to import PDF files into your drawings, or being asked to convert a PDF to a DWG file. Here is an alternate “hacky” way to convert vector graphics from PDF to DWG without having to purchase additional software.

• First open the PDF file. I prefer using BlueBeam, but any PDF program will work. When the file opens, go to print it. You can select your default printer to print, too, but before you print the file make sure to check the “Print to File” box (see Figure 5).

Figure 5: Preview location of plot to file

• After you press “Print” you will be greeted by a “Save As” screen (see Figure 6). Here you will need to find a location to place the file, as well as a name to use for this file. I used “New Image” as an example. When entering the file name make sure to place an “*.eps” after the file name—i.e., “New Image.eps”.

Figure 6: Changing extension at “Save As” screen

When you have the file name and location set, press “Save.”

• A blank document in Microsoft Word will now need to be opened.
• Drag and drop the EPS file into the blank document window or go to insert>picture and search for the file (be sure to change file type to .eps).
• After inserting, it will appear as an image file in the word document.  
• Save the document to a known location in “*.docx” format and close Microsoft Word.
• Within Windows Explorer locate the saved file and rename the extension from “.docx” to “.zip”.
• Open the newly created ZIP file and locate the file “image1.wmf.” This will be located in the \word\media\ file (see Figure 7).

Figure 7: Locate the “image1.wmf file

• Copy and paste this file to your desktop or a known file.
• Open a blank drawing in AutoCAD MEP then drag and drop the “image1.wmf” file into the drawing. It will show up as an image. Unfortunately, the proper scale is lost in this procedure.
• Rescale the drawing to the proper size. I recommend finding a comparable measurement and using the method scale by reference. Or you could draw a line at a known length and rescale the image to that line (i.e., a door at 3’-0” or a typical window).
• When the drawing is to scale or as close as possible, simply Explode the image, and you will now have lines within AutoCAD.

Although these steps have helped me simplify my personal system, what works best for me may not work for you.  Everyone works with the program differently and we all create different habits. However, finding options and alternatives for your common processes without compromising the program’s stability is reasonable and actionable.  Therein lies the beauty of AutoCAD—it is fully customizable.