PROFILES

A "profile" is a personalized file (*.arg) that contains information about how you want the screen to look while you are working in AutoCAD. The file can be loaded when you begin an AutoCAD session - this will restore your personel settings.

How to make a profile:

1. Right-click in Command: Line & select "Options..." from right-click menu

2. Click on the "Files" Tab

Click on the + sign to the left of "Support File Search Path" on the list. This will open the list of folders which are on the path of searching for files that will be inserted or externally referenced into the drawing. You can add your folder - select the "Browse" button and find your folder on the M:\ drive.

The "Move Up" button will allow you to reposition the folders to make the ones at the top of the list be searched first - therefore if you have the same file name in two folders, the one in the folder at the top of the list will be found first

Click on the + sign to the left of the "Template Settings" on the list. Then click on the + sign to the left of the "Drawing Template File Location." Click the Browse button and find the folder where your template file is located.

Click on the + sign to the left of the "Automatic Save File Location." Click on the "Browse" button and browse for the folder where you want to save your temporary save files. An automatic save will have the filename extension of ___.sv$ which is created automatically by AutoCAD and by default is saved to the folder C:\Documents and Settings\AT150\Local Settings\Temp\. These files are automatically deleted after you turn the computer off and on again, so it would be better to save them to your folder on the network drive (drive M:). Then you can keep them and always go back to them later.

 

3. Click on the "Display" tab.

Click on the "Colors..." button. Select "Layout Tabs Background (paper). Pick Black for the color. Click Apply and Close button.

Under the section labelled "Layout Elements" uncheck "Display printable area " and "Display paper background"

Slide "Crosshair size" bar to 100%

Note that most of the choices on the right side of this tab "Display resolution" and "Display performance" have an AutoCAD blue icon to the left side of the choices. This means that you can change these variables for this session, but the permanent values are contained within the drawing you are working with. Therefore, you should make these changes in your template drawing, not in the profile.

4. Click on the "Open and Save" tab.

Under the section labelled "File safety precautions" change the Automatic Save to 10 minutes between saves. This will create an automatic save with the filename extension of ___.sv$ which is created automatically by AutoCAD at 10 minute intervals and saved to your folder that you set in step 2 above.

Under the File Open section, change the number of recently-used files to list to 9 and check box labelled "Display full path in title."

 

5. Click on the "Plot and Publish" tab.

Under the section "Default plot settings for new drawings" select the radio button "Use last successful plot settings."

Click on "Plot Style Table Settings..." button in lower right hand corner.Select the radio button "Use color dependent plot styles." Select the monochrome.ctb plot style from "Default plot style table" drop-down list. Click OK.

6. Click on the "User Preferences" tab.

Under the "Windows Standard Behavior" section, check box labelled "Windows standard accellerator keys" and "Shortcut menus in drawing area." Click the button "Right-Click Customization" and check box labelled "Turn on time-sensitive right click:"

Click "Apply and Close."

Click OK.

7. Click on the "Drafting" tab.

Under the "AutoSnap Settings" section, check boxes labelled "Marker," "Display Autosnap Tooltip," and "Display Autosnap Aperture box."

Slide Autosnap marker size slightly to the right to increase its size.

8. Click on the "Selection" tab.

Slide the Pickbox size slightly to the right to increase its size.

9. Click on the "Profiles" tab.

Select the "Add to List..." button. Type in a profile name that you want to create in the "Add Profile" dialogue box. Type in a description.

The name of that new profile will appear in the "Available Profiles" list.

Click on the newly added profile on the list and select the button "Set Current." This will make your new profile the current one.

Select the "Export" button. Browse for your folder on the M:\ drive and type in the name you want to give to your profile. It should be the same name you gave it when you added it to the list of available profiles (although it does not have to be). AutoCAD will automatically append the filename extension *.arg to whatever name you give it when you export it. The purpose of exporting the profile is to be able to use it at another computer and at a future drawing session.

When you want to use this profile again in the future, right-click in Command Line & select "Options..." Select the "Profiles" tab. Select the "Import" button and find your profile (the .arg file). Double-click on its name. This will insert the name of the profile in the "Import Profile" dialogue box. Select "Apply and Close" button.

The imported profile name will now appear in the "Available Profiles" list. Click on it and then click the Set Current" button. Click OK.