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Get the AutoCAD "Properties" Panel into the ACA2012 Ribbon.

14 REPLIES 14
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Message 1 of 15
jking
9036 Views, 14 Replies

Get the AutoCAD "Properties" Panel into the ACA2012 Ribbon.

How can I modify the line type/weight? How can I change the color?  Where are my object properties?

 

I have seen a few threads with variations of these questions.  I had the same ones, until now.  I did some serious messing around and came up with this, I thought it may be useful:

 

To get the AutoCAD 2012 "Properties" panel in ACA 2012:

Disclaimer:  This procedure involves modifying your software's configuration file(s).  If you choose to follow it, you do so at your own risk.

1.   Open the "Customize User Interface" dialog by a familiar method (I like the keyboard, the command is "CUI").

 

CUIdialog.png

 

2.   Switch to the "Transfer" tab.

    a. If you can't see it, expand the dialog to 2-columns by clicking the ">" button in the lower right corner.

 

 

3.   Set the left-hand column to "acad.cuix", I'll call this the "source file".

  a.  If you can not see the file, click the "Open" button and navigate to your "Application Data" folder.

    i.  Win7:  {userProfile}\AppData\Roaming

    ii. WinXP:  {userProfile}\Application Data

  b. Navigate further to the Autodesk Support folder:

    i. {Application Data}\Autodesk\ACA 2012\enu\Support

 

4.   Set the right-hand column to "Main Customization File", or another customization file you intend to use, the "destination file".

 

Transfer Tab

 

5.   Expand both files' "Ribbon->Panels" nodes

6.   Locate the "Home - Properties" panel in the source file.

7.   Right-click the panel and select "Copy" from the context menu

8.   Right-click the destination file's "Panels" node and select "Paste" from the context menu, it will be added to the end of the panel list.

  a.  NOTE: You may get a warning that the panel already exists. If you do, click the "Rename" button.  The new panel will most likely show up as "Copy Of Home - Properties"

 

Duplicate Warning

 

 

  b.  Right-Click the new panel and select "Rename".  Set the name to "Home - ACADProperties"

9.   Click the destination file's "Save" button.

10. Switch back to the dialog's "Customize" tab.

 

Customize Tab

 

11. Using the drop-down, select your destination file as the file to customize.

12. Expand the (a) "Ribbon -> Tabs -> Home-ACA"  and (b) "Ribbon -> Panels" nodes in the "Customizations…" (top-left) section.

13. Select the "Ribbon -> Panels -> Home-ACADProperties" panel, a preview will appear and the "Properties" section will populate.

14. Edit the panel's "Display Text" property, change it to "Properties"  (this is the name that will appear on the panel once it's added to the UI).

 

Edit Properties

 

15. Right-click the "Home-ACADProperties" panel in the "Customizations…" section and select "Copy" from the context menu.

16. Right-click the "Ribbon -> Tabs -> Home-ACA" node and select "Paste" from the context menu.

17. Click the "Save" button.

18. Click the "OK" button.

19. Observe your UI, the new Properties panel will appear at the right end of the "Home" tab.

20. Drag the panel to the location you would like it.

  a.  NOTE: Adding this panel to the tab causes the other panels to resize so the ribbon fits the screen/UI width.  If there are any panels that you aren't using, turn them off to allow more room for the other panels.  (I turned off the "Transparency" panel, the new "Properties" panel includes those commands in the slide-out, making it redundant.)

  b.  To turn a panel off, right-click a panel title, select Show Panels, then uncheck any panel you don't want displayed.

 

Now, my ribbon looks like this:

 

New Ribbon

 

I'm sure there must be an easier way to do this, but I'm okay with this for now.

14 REPLIES 14
Message 2 of 15
sgrinavi
in reply to: jking

OUT FREAKIN STANDING

 

Thanks for taking the time to make the lucid explaintion too

Message 3 of 15
jad8721
in reply to: jking

THANK YOU!!

 

This one panel, which I always use, disappeared when I installed AutoCAD Architecture 2012. It even disappeared off of my 2011 version too! I wasted 45 minutes going through help files and this useless website till I finally found an answer. I don't understand why Autodesk does not want us to have this feature or why they have to make it so difficult to get back.

Message 4 of 15
mazikhelela
in reply to: jking

This has been very clear and helpful, thanks!!!  Man Happy

Message 5 of 15
jking
in reply to: jking

Thanks!  I'm glad people are finding it useful. 🙂

Message 6 of 15
ericrogers
in reply to: jking

I just uploaded ACAD 2012 on an new Win Vista 7 64 bit machine and the properties panel does not show up on the ribbon as it did on the Win XP version. When I try your tutorial to change the Users interface I dont get a "Home - Properties" in the source file (Main Customization File (aca.cuix) to copy. I only see:

Home 2D- Modify

Home 2D- Modeling

Home 3D- Section

Home 3D- Solid editing

Home 3D- Subobject

 

What else could I look for?

Message 7 of 15
David_W_Koch
in reply to: ericrogers

In the tutorial provided, jking was using the ACAD.cuix file as the source file for the Home - Properties panel, and copying it to the Main Customization file (which may be ACA.cuix, or your firm's custom CUIX file).


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
EESignature

Message 8 of 15
mazikhelela
in reply to: jking

You may have to reload acad.cuix as shown on step 3.

If the path shown on step 3a  is different from what you have got, you can find the path by searching for acad.cuix in windows explorer

Message 9 of 15
ericrogers
in reply to: mazikhelela

When I right to bring up the panels available I only get available panels called:

 

Layers

Draw

Modify

View

Annotation

Transparency

Inquiry

Section and Elevation

Details

Build

 

With the installation on my other computer I have:

 

Layers

Properties

Draw

Modify

Annotation

Block

Groups

Utilities

Clipboard

 

I don’t understand why they are different….

 

AutoCAD 2012 vs. AutoCAD Architecture 2012????

Message 10 of 15
ericrogers
in reply to: ericrogers

Here is a video of what i want to see...

http://screencast.com/t/r4aWSgp9CtS

Message 11 of 15
mazikhelela
in reply to: ericrogers

have you located acad.cuix?

 

The reason you can not see "Home - Properties" in (Main Customization File (aca.cuix)  is because that is the destination file (where you are copying the missing panel to). Your source file should be set to acad.cuix, that is where you are copying the missing panel from. You should see the "Home - Properties" panel there.

 

ericrogers

 

I just uploaded ACAD 2012 on an new Win Vista 7 64 bit machine and the properties panel does not show up on the ribbon as it did on the Win XP version. When I try your tutorial to change the Users interface I dont get a "Home - Properties" in the source file (Main Customization File (aca.cuix) to copy. I only see:

 

Home 2D- Modify

Home 2D- Modeling

Home 3D- Section

Home 3D- Solid editing

Home 3D- Subobject

What else could I look for?

Message 12 of 15
jking
in reply to: ericrogers

Quote=ericrogers:

"I just uploaded ACAD 2012 on an new Win Vista 7 64 bit machine and the properties panel does not show up on the ribbon as it did on the Win XP version. When I try your tutorial to change the Users interface I dont get a "Home - Properties" in the source file (Main Customization File (aca.cuix) to copy. I only see:



Home 2D- Modify
Home 2D- Modeling
Home 3D- Section
Home 3D- Solid editing
Home 3D- Subobject


What else could I look for?"

 

I haven't used it on Vista because I skipped it.  I went straight from XP to Win7.

 

As I understand it though, the Vista and Win7 file structures are very similar.  You should be able to use the Win7 version(s) of the instructions.

 

In the tutorial, the Source and Destination file names are very similar, they are "ACAD.cuix" (notice the 'D') and "ACA.cuix", respectively.  Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do about it, I didn't pick the names and I had to work with what I was given.

 

What you need to do is first locate your "ACAD.cuix" (again, notice the 'D') file and open it.

 

Then, you can copy the panel from "ACAD.cuix" (the source file) to your main customization file which by default is "ACA.cuix" (the destination file).  Depending on how your firm's CAD Manager has set things up though, your customization file may have a different name.

 

Based on how I'm reading your information, you're trying to copy the panel from the destination file to the destination file.  You need to find the proper source file.

Message 13 of 15
ericrogers
in reply to: jking

Ahhh. I was using the profile AutoCAD Architecture (US Imperial) instead of AutoCAD. What the heck the other profile is for, I'm not sure. But everything is back to normal now.

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=18818586&linkID=9240657

Message 14 of 15
David_W_Koch
in reply to: ericrogers

The "other" profile is for using AutoCAD Architecture.  If you have that program, but only intend to use it "as AutoCAD", then you would want to be using the AutoCAD profile, as you have discovered.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
EESignature

Message 15 of 15
GubianiA
in reply to: jking

Thank you very much for this solution!Smiley Happy

 

I've installed AutoCAD Mechanical 2014 few months ago, and I immediately noticed that this panel is missed. I tried different ways to make it appear again but with no results, loosing a lot of time.

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