What does your workspace look like?

[m_kingdon]

Hi all,

Whenever I install a new version of Civil 3D (usually a few months after release) I spend some time updating the settings and adjusting my workspace.  I prefer to do this manually as it gives me time to review how I work and what tools are on my screen.  I am always trying to find ways of optimizing my workflow and workspace by adding tools I use and removing tools I don’t.

Before amending my workspace, I visit this thread and implement most of the commands mentioned.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/civil-3d-forum/settings-to-make-civil3d-faster/td-p/10333895

My 2024 Workspace:

Commands I add to the Quick toolbar.  Useful commands I either use often, or use sometimes but can never find.

• Sheetset Manager - I use sheetset manager for all my projects.
• Plot Preview - very useful for checking how my drawing is looking.
• Flatten
• Convert 3D Polyline to 2D - I use Flatten and Convert Poly often when processing exported architect drawings and trying to make them look less busy
• Rebuild All Corridor - Useful for later stages of advanced projects
• Reset Annotative Location - annotative text a mleaders can be absolute demons if you don't understand them.  I keep this command within reach to quell any rebellious leaders who decide to move.
• Station Tracking All Viewports - Very useful for corridor and drainage design, I can never find this command in the interface

I remove the SavetoMobile, Workspace switching commands here.  I would remove "Share" if I knew how to.

Lower corner.

• Docked Command Bar, who wants that thing floating?
• Coordinates - useful to know my drawing is located correctly.  I sometimes turn off.
• Dynamic Input - sometimes use.
• Ortho Mode - I use the keyboard command, but I leave this here.
• Object Snap Tracking - Not sure about this, I just leave on.
• 2D Object Snap - always useful.
• Lineweight - I often use Lineweights and usually keep on, but will turn off if drawing is getting busy.
• Selection Cycling - I use very often and mostly leave as on, but will turn off on simple drawings.
• Annotation Visibility
• AutoScale
• Annotation Scale - annotative objects can be unruly.  I keep these handy to know what is happening and to keep on top of annotative object and maintain scale discipline. 
• Adaptive Label Group
• Label Toggle - I don't know about these commands, maybe they are new.  I should try them.

OSNAPS I use.  I sometimes use Nearest and Node, but usually as an override.

If you have a moment, please share with me your workspace and what customizations you add, I am curious to know what I might be missing. 

I am considering using the Tool Palette more this year which I currently only use for subassemblies.  Maybe I will make a new post about it.

[MichaelH13]

My Workspace looks like this.....

 Its the default layout, with one small exception. Above the main Ribbon Bar there is another MenuBar. Type MENUBAR into the command line and change the value to 1 for it to appear. Very handy to access some shortcuts as they are grouped by Workflow. I also have the DesignCenter docked but hidden on the far left side. 

I started with a black background as you have and am currently trying out this pale green. It is quite soft on the eyes compared to white.

Having 2 large Dell 27" monitors is lovely. I wouldn't want to use a single.

I prefer to use default layouts as when it comes time to help other people, use another computer etc, you can forget where to find the buttons/shortcuts/menus etc.

What I am considering is a gaming keyboard with a scroll wheel and a mouse with Macro keys that can be programmed for shortcuts. If you draw a lot you can program the command "L" + "Enter" to start the line command for example. That becomes one click of the mouse.

[AllenJessup]

Normally like this.

This is an example of some of the Tool Pallets I have set up.

[m_kingdon]

Both very interesting, thanks for sharing!  You both seem to utilize the second monitor much more effectively and prioritize working space real-estate far more than I do.  This has given me some ideas.

[gbattinPH5TG]

Here is a snapshot of my workspace:

I use my second monitor for opened PDFs and only fill up half of my main screen with my working CAD interface.
I don't like hovering over a palette for it to expand into my working area, So I drag those off to the right of the working area and either keep them expanded if needed or minimize them if I need another document to display behind them. I try to split my main monitor into 2 if needed because it is so wide and dedicate the other monitor for working with PDFs which I use all the time.

I find it interesting how others work as well.

I changed my command line to yellow recently because of watching some videos of Seth Cohen who has his set to yellow and attaches it above the Ribbon so that when people are confused about what to do next, he says"What does the command line say?" which is so true no matter how long you have used the program.... So I changed mine to Yellow to remind myself to look at the dang command line.

[neaton]

@m_kingdon Definitely look into utilizing Tool Palettes. They can save a lot of time for accessing lisp, layers, blocks and commands.

~Nancy 

[Cadguru42]

I don't like spending time doing too many customizations. I used to do it a lot when Autodesk had the cloud method of storing your custom settings, but when Autodesk removed it I just stopped. The only thing I really do is have a Quick Access setup like below.

I keep the Toolspace docked on the left and the Properties docked to the right. Everything else is a floating window when needed.

[AllenJessup]

You can save your toolpalettes locally. The only pain is that when you bring them into the next release. The Civil 3D commands won't find the Icons while the AutoCAD command will. I still haven't figured out a way to get the Civil Icons to come in automatically.

I do find them a time saver though. Depending on what part of a project I'm working on. I can have that tool palette active and can grab what commands I want without having to go to the Ribbon.

[brian.strandberg]

The pull down menus are a frequent request from users when we change releases.  I try to educate them to use the Ribbon menus for the simple reason that Autodesk does not add new commands to the pull downs, they are basically frozen in time.  

If we compare the pull downs (left) and the Ribbon (right) you can see all the newer commands.  (3 ways to create surface vs 8 )

It took me a while to get used to the ribbon.  If you want to make the switch, one thing that can help is this search box in the ribbon.  It will show you were a command is in the ribbon.

[zshakir]

This is my workspace.

Xref and Layer properties pallet will display when I hover on the icon to the right.

Sheet set and tools pallet when hover on the icons on the left side

For most of the other functional commands, I use my command bar to type it.

[globalentert]

In conclusion, your expertise in utilizing the second monitor efficiently has not only enlightened me but also sparked my imagination for innovative approaches in my own endeavors. I am genuinely grateful for the insights you've provided, and I'm looking forward to implementing these ideas to enhance my productivity and creativity, particularly in the realm of developing a gaming website.

[Udo_Huebner]

I want to see the assigned coordinate system in the status bar. Therefore I show the status bar known from AutoCAD MAP with

Command: MAPSTATUSBAR ON

in Civil 3D.

[neilyj666]

Yes this is one of the first things I do