by John Flanagan
Introduction
Creating tools on tool palettes provides significant increases in efficiency for other types of content, including:
- Hatches and fills
- Dimensions and leaders
- Tables
- Geometric objects
By creating tools from existing geometry, you can ensure CAD standards are applied consistently and reduce steps in existing workflows.
Add a Tool based on an Existing Hatch Object
1. Open or create a drawing file that contains a hatch object.
2. Click View tab > Palettes panel > Tool Palettes (or enter TOOLPALETTES at the Command prompt) to display the Tool Palettes window.
3. Right-click one of the tabs on the Tool Palettes window and choose New Palette. Give the new palette a meaningful name, such as the name of a drafting discipline, client, or project.
4. In the drawing area, select a hatch object.
5. Press and hold the right mouse button, drag the hatch object onto the tool palette.
That is all there is to it, you just created a tool based on the selected hatch object.
Tip: Right-click on a hatch tool and choose Properties to display the Tool Properties dialog box and edit the tool's properties.
Add and Customise a Tool Based on an Existing Dimension
A dimension tool can be created by dragging a dimension object onto a tool palette. When a new dimension tool is created, the tool contains a flyout button.
1. Open or create a drawing that contains a dimension object. Make sure the Tool Palettes window is displayed, and on the tab, you want to customise.
2. In the drawing area, select a dimension object.
3. Press and hold the right mouse button and drag the dimension object onto the tool palette.
Right-click the new dimension tool on the tool palette and choose Properties to edit its properties and behaviour.
a. In the Tool Properties dialog box, under the Command section, you can edit the properties that control the behaviour of the dimension tool.
Add a Command Tool
You learned how tools can be created from existing drawing objects. Tools can also be created from your favourite commands. For example, the Rectangular Revision Cloud command can be added to a tool palette and customised to set a layer current when the tool is used. Using this technique, you can quickly create custom versions of your favourite tools.
The following steps explain how to add the Rectangular Revision Cloud command to a tool palette:
1. With the Tool Palettes window displayed, right-click its title bar or in an empty area near a tool and choose Customise Commands.
2. In the Customise User Interface (CUI) Editor, under the Command List pane, click in
the Search Command List text box and type revision.
3. In the Commands List, drag the Rectangular Revision Cloud command onto the tool palette.
4. Close the CUI Editor.
5. On the Tool Palettes window, right-click the Rectangular Revision Cloud tool and choose Properties.
6. In the Tool Properties dialog box, under the General section, click the Layer property and choose the layer to be set current when you use the tool.
Note: The layer must already exist in the current drawing before it can be assigned to the tool. When the tool is used in a drawing that does not contain the assigned layer, the layer is automatically created before it runs the command.
7. Click OK to apply the change.
8. Click the Rectangular Revision Cloud tool and follow the prompts.
Note: You can create custom commands with the Customise User Interface (CUI) Editor and add them to a tool palette or even the ribbon.
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