Managing Tool Palettes on users who are mobile

[Anonymous]

Hey Folks,

I'd like some advice.

My firm is an event production company that provides production services for corporate events and concerts... think lighting, audio, and video.  The majority of the users have basic knowledge of AutoCAD and its inner workings.  Also, there really isn't a "CAD Manager" position in our company.

Currently, we are using a reliable cloud based solution for sharing our block library with users who are mobile and often work in airplane mode.  It essentially creates a folder with a copy of the content that is stored in a folder on their local machines.  Each user then references those folders when creating their tool palettes.  Since the content is shared, we have permissions set so that only two of us have the ability to make edits to the content to help avoid wiping out everyones palettes.  We have back ups of the content on a server in our office.  The other advantage of this setup is that If i change a block the changes are pushed to everyone automatically.

Yes, I know our process is completely abnormal and unconventional.  It seems to be that everything in our firm operates on that wavelength.  However...

My questions are these:  How can I make it better and more streamlined?  Is there an easier way of managing palettes across users who can't reference a server at all times?  How do I incorporate big company standards into our small company workflow?

Any input is greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

That's pretty much how this big company works, using a cloud system that replicates the cloud directories to the local user directories (Dropbox).  The changed files are replicated at each login that has internet access, and the user pulls data locally during an AutoCAD session.  If there are many changes, the replication may take a bit of time at login, but functioning locally is fast.  We've set it up that changes made locally by users cannot be back-uploaded to the cloud server, and users know that any changes will be overwritten at next login unless they do something to protect those changes.

[Anonymous]

How do you guys go about creating tool palettes?  Are you responsible for creating your own or are the built palettes shared over the cloud network as well?

[Anonymous]

I just answered this on another thread:

I gave my users options with a lisp function:

(princ "\n                 ToolPalette Utilities...")
(defun c:tpcs () (command "*_toolpalettepath" "N:\\ACAD2015\\CS\\Palettes\\cs" "toolpalettes"))
(defun c:tpstd () (command "*_toolpalettepath" "C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%\\AppData\\Roaming\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2015\\R20.0\\enu\\Support\\ToolPalette"  "toolpalettes"))
(defun c:tpmy () (command "*_toolpalettepath" "C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%\\AppData\\Roaming\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2015\\R20.0\\enu\\Support\\ToolPalette_2"  "toolpalettes"))
(princ "   ... Loaded")
(princ "\n      Use TPSTD for Standard ACAD Palette")
(princ "\n      Use TPCS  for Civil-Structural Palette")
(princ "\n      Use TPMY  for Personal Palette")
(princ)

The above loads with AutoCAD via a custom MNL containing an autoload pickup.  "N:/" is our network directory where standard settings and functions reside.  The user can toggle between the standard OOTB AutoCAD tool palette, his own local custom palette, or the department specific palette.  Keeping things centrally located on a network (or a cloud for the cloud types) makes deployment easy; a one-stop-shop.