import custom settings for menus

[M_c3d]

why is there no function to import custom settings for the menus and settings etc that vanilla autocad has?

@BushW has edited your subject line for clarity: Answer Day - import custom settings 

[rkmcswain]

What custom settings are you referring to, that are specific to Civil 3D?

[M_c3d]

So i set up all the settings on my machine, xdwgfadectl etc, parts list locations, template paths etc

at the moment i need to export the registry and run it on the other pc

in vanilla autocad you can export all these type of settings to a zip file and import it on another pc with menu customisations etc

[rkmcswain]

Okay. "xdwgfadectl" is a standard AutoCAD sysvar. I would simply include this in my "acad.lsp", which would be in my own folder (i.e. C:\CADSTUFF) and then it's easy to copy that folder to another PC. The same applies for the template path(s).

If the PCs are on a common network, then files like this can be located in a central location and all machines pointed to one copy of the file(s).

For parts list location, it is possible to use autolisp to set this path also. Once again, this could be in your startup file.

Use caution when swapping registry settings. You could be grabbing bad stuff from one PC and introducing it to another.

[M_c3d]

I completley accept what you are saying, but as it is a vanilla autocad function (even LT has it!) why can civil 3d not have it, its already created.

Its every customisation you have in autocad, scales, (which can be drawing specific) all settings etc

At the moment I write a batch file to deploy the registry, custom menus and icons etc to new computers

its just a pain, especially in 2018 with the enu to eng change.

Importing registry can be a pain if something goes wrong as you say, but it saves hours of work!

[rkmcswain]

Unfortunately, it looks like we have totally different philosophies on this.

I never try to migrate settings from one PC to another.

I always have my settings pushed to the PC at startup, via lisp or other customization. This allows me to do it quickly, have a predictable outcome, and be able to control 2 to 20,000 CAD setups from one central location.

To address your question, IMO, the Civil 3D team has enough to do (there are unfixed bugs going back several years) - so they are not going to focus on things that can be done with workarounds and/or customization.

What do you mean by "enu to eng change"? Thanks.

[neilyj666]

enu to eng has always been the case to differentiate between US English and real English....station ---> chainage, elevation ---> level, Parcel--->Plot etc

[M_c3d]

agreed, its a minimal issue, but thought it was worthwhile trying to get an answer from autodesk on it.

If they would fix even 20% of the other bugs i would be willing to let this slip...

Yea i think it is a different approach on it, i prefer to just run it when i feel its ready rather than trying to get it to run at start up

Normally the Civil 3d English UK version was coded with the enu that the american english has, but this year it went to eng annoyingly meaning all the batch files etc had to change

[M_c3d]

agreed, but the folder has never been eng, that only changed in 2018

[neilyj666]

I stand corrected - I've only used the US English versions for 2016 and 2017 and have also had to amend my batch files used for backing up settings etc with the eng folders appearing now

[M_c3d]

I used it in 2018 & 2017, struggled to download it in 2016

[M_c3d]

also just to say my philosophy is to get it working on mine, fix any problems before deploying the same working settings to everyone else

[BlackBox_]

Got here via link from @M_c3d's reply in one of my threads.

I am somewhere between both @M_c3d and @rkmcswain on this - I strive for a simple (not simplistic) and scaleable deployment, but it also needs to be something all inclusive when needed.

Just today, I tried to install Civil 3D 2018.1 update (which failed miserably), and knowing that the original update destroyed some customizations, all I wanted to do was backup what I have so far (I'm still setting up 2018 before we formally adopt for production), and I couldn't... Because Migrate Custom Settings is only available with vanilla AutoCAD install despite Civil 3D being built on AutoCAD, and Map 3D (as a generalization).

At the end of the day, I simply feel that we should have the option to choose, and as this is available to vanilla AutoCAD it should be made available to Civil 3D - being able to export a .ZIP file of all customizations, pipe networks, etc would be useful.

Cheers

[M_c3d]

Completely agree with @BlackBox_ this is a standard vanilla autocad feature, we should have this in civil 3d.

This is something that works, I have previously used it extensively to deploy vanilla autocad.

There needs to be an easy to deploy custom settings, having to rely upon users accross a company of hundreds of users to set the correct template paths, part catalogs etc would be so easy to go wrong and for them to use the wrong ones

[rkmcswain]

No offense to anyone at Autodesk, but this is one of the last things I want them working on.

I have a long list of more important, more time saving things. Not to mention all iterations of "profile migrating" tools fail in one sense or another.

I'll take care of pushing settings to our users, please just make tools easier to use, more of them, and fix the issues that persist.

[andrewpuller3811]

The migration tool is still part of the install, but civil 3d installation does not create the start menu items.

Check out my post here for details -

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-civil-3d-customization/export-civil-3d-2017-settings-missing/...

It is in the root installation folder for Civil 3d 2016, 2017 and 2018 that I have found.

[M_c3d]

I think there is some confusion as to what we (or rather I) am wanting it for, I don't want to migrate from a previous version, I fully accept that migrating from a previous version is a disaster...what I want is the ability to import custom settings, i.e. set it up on one pc and deploy it to them all, settings, menus etc (without having to do it via batch files and registry files). I don't think the migrate tool allows this.

@rkmcswain we all have wishes for civil 3d, this just happens to be one of mine 🙂

[BlackBox_]

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@andrewpuller3811 wrote:

The migration tool is still part of the install, but civil 3d installation does not create the start menu items.

Check out my post here for details -

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-civil-3d-customization/export-civil-3d-2017-settings-missing/...

It is in the root installation folder for Civil 3d 2016, 2017 and 2018 that I have found.

---

You are correct, and I appreciate the link.

Despite adding the Export, Import, and Migrate shortcuts to the Windows 10 Start Menu, they still don't work properly just as was the case for me back in a previous version... As example: Export results in an invalid 27.5 MB .ZIP file that cannot be extracted (should be much larger than that).

[BlackBox_]

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@rkmcswain wrote:
No offense to anyone at Autodesk, but this is one of the last things I want them working on.

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We are in complete agreement -

I too want them to stop putting in extra work to remove something that was already included as part of the installer, when the AutoCAD team already done all of the work for them.

Less time breaking what's already done for them, and more time on schmancy new tools, or fixing the half-baked ones.

1+

[BlackBox_]

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@BlackBox_ wrote:

I am somewhere between both @M_c3d and @rkmcswain on this - I strive for a simple (not simplistic) and scaleable deployment, but it also needs to be something all inclusive when needed.

---

Correction:

As this thread has continued, I've come to realize that I was previously incorrect - I am not somewhere between @M_c3d and @rkmcswain.

In fact, quite the opposite, I'm much more demanding than that - I want it all - and it's actually less work (err... more specifically, more efficient & effective) for Autodesk, as described in my earlier post.

Cheers