What is an AutoCAD ?

A is a sidebar are in the AutoCAD which allows you to an , commands, and custom routines. allow you to your most frequently used tools and commands quickly.

An are already available when you first the . such as commands to create , various block libraries and even a few , just to name a few. These can be easily accessed from the with a mouse click.

As shown in my video above, using the CUI editor, can be customized to include favorite tools and commands you use on a typical project.

You can even share your with others,. Customized palettes can also be saved as a , which can be stored on a and accessed by other if needed.

In the video above we are using an AutoCAD alternative called AViCAD. Find out how AutoCAD-like, AViCAD realy is.

How to activate the t

The quickest way to activate the in AutoCAD (or AViCAD) is with a keyboard shortcut – pressing CTRL 3. This shortcut will both open and close the window.

Another shortcut you can type is TP or TOOLPALETTES command directly into the , and this will also open the in the same way.

Once the is open, you can dock the palette to the left or right side of the drawing window by dragging the title bar to the .

How to create a new, blank palette

In AutoCAD, creating a new, blank palette is quick and easy process that allows you to customize your own set. Here’s how to do it:

First, activate the using the shortcuts mentioned above. Once the palette is open, right-click on any tab on the left side and select “New Palette”. This will bring up a box where you can enter a name for your new palette. After you’ve entered the name, press Enter.

You will now see a within the window that you can customize to your liking. With your new blank palette, you can simply click and , or commands that you need, directly onto your palette.

To the CUI (Customize ) in AutoCAD type CUI. This will bring up the CUI editor, which will contain a tree of panels, toolbars and commands.

Tip: Another way to the CUI window is to simply right-click on the in the and select “Customize Commands” from the menu.

As shown the video, with your mouse, you simply drag a or other item into the palette. Make sure expand the tree and then drag an item and not the entire .

Congrats, now you have to the tools you use most often!

How to organize your using a palette group

By creating a palette group, you can keep similar palettes all in one place for easy . You can also load the CUI editor and drag and drop existing palette items you have already made into a group.

To create a palette group, make sure you are in the Customize Palette dialog. Then on right group pane, minimize the bottom group and right-click on the blank space. Then from the drop-down menu that appears, select “New Palette Group”.

Next you’ll be prompted to give your new group a name. Choose a name that describes the group, then click OK.

Lastly you can drag and drop the palettes you need into to the group. Working from the left pane, drag the palette to the right side and into the group you want the palette to be a part of.

How to further customize your palette

If you prefer to have your tools in a specific order, you can rearrange them by dragging and dropping them to their desired locations on your . This way, the tools you use most often will be easy to find and quickly accessible.

You can also use to organize the tools within your . This way, you can group related tools together and make it even easier to find what you need. To add separators just right click on the palette on a blank space and select separator from drop down.

What items can you drag into your ?

As mentioned in the demo above, most items from CUI can be dragged into commands, toolbars, menus, and .

Other items that can be dragged into an AutoCAD include commonly used drawing tools such as text, dimension, , circle, arc, and the polygon for example. Instead of dragging objects you can also copy and paste (CTRL-C and CTRL-V) objects from your drawing into your palette.

In addition to basic tools, the AutoCAD can also contain more complex tools such as blocks, hatches and even .

For example, you might have a saved block of a dimension with attached. First drag your block into the from a central block folder – then after exploding the block, you will see a .

Tip: To auto explode the block from the palette you can also right click on the of the item and set Explode to Yes.

Saving and sharing our palettes

As you create, customize and arrange your in AutoCAD, you might want to save a copy of your palette for backup or install it to another workstation. Fortunately both AutoCAD and AViCAD provide features that allow you to save and share your custom palettes with ease.

To your , first right-click on any in the and select “Customize Palette” from the menu.

From the you Customize you can right click on the palette to save and choose the . Choose a preferred to save the and give it a name and click “Save”. I recommend saving the each palette and not the group so you can very each saved.

Once you’ve saved the palette file, it can be backed up to a folder and then shared via email. If on a network, stored it in a shared , making it easy for others to and import the palette.

To import a from a file, open repeat same the above but choose from the Customize box and navigate to the where you saved the file. Click on the file to select it and click “Open” to import the . Once the palette is imported, it will be available in the window for use.

Note: When sharing , it is important to ensure that your blocks are in one so that they can easily be accessed by everyone. Having a central for blocks also allows easier maintenance, as changes can be made in one place and immediately reflected across all projects that use those blocks.

Important Note: It is also important backed-up both and block folder locations to an external hard drive or cloud storage service like G Drive, OneDrive or similar.

Other related video about Tool Palettes