As you know, AutoCAD by default has sets of blocks that the developers have inserted as an example. They are located on the tool palette, which is located on the “View” tab → “Palettes” panel ().

We also previously discussed with you what it is block library for AutoCAD and how to create your own collection of frequently used items.

In this article we will touch on a current topic regarding the export/import of tool palettes. Let me remind you that the AutoCAD tool palette has an undeniable advantage: objects added to it do not disappear after closing the drawing. Your own palettes will open even in new files. That is why adaptation of AutoCAD can significantly simplify and speed up the process of creating drawings.

AutoCAD palettes can be exported for use on another computer or as backup copy. The result of export is an XML file that has the *xtp extension. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's go in order.

How to export a tool palette

To export a palette you need:

1. Open the tool palette itself (Ctrl+3).

2. Click RMB in empty space and select “Adapt Palettes...”. Open the Customize dialog box.

3. Select the desired palette that you want to export tools and click RMB --> Export.

4. Specify the location to save the file. AutoCAD will automatically create a folder with the same name to store the image files used in the palette.

How to import (paste) a tool palette

This process is similar. Except that in the Customize Dialog box, right-click on the left side and select Import, as shown in Fig.

You will be prompted to specify a file with the xtp extension. Select the desired file and your palettes are loaded into the AutoCAD Tool Palette.

Note. By default, AutoCAD tool palettes are located in the C: Documents and Settings%username%Application Data Autodesk AutoCAD 2007R17.0enu folder

1) Where to download?

Path: Products / Network cameras(or Analog cameras) / Network video camera VCI-113(or any other camera), tab Download, chapter Schemes and settings.

2) How to load into AutoCAD?

The first thing to do is download the zip archive Bolid-autocad-ver.002.zip, which contains a number of files and folders:
• Bolid cameras.dwg- file with dynamic blocks of "Bolid" cameras
• Bolid-autocad-ver.002.xtp- a tool palette file that references a dwg file with blocks
• folder Bolid-autocad-ver.002 with image files (preview images of blocks - in the form of photos of real cameras)
• ReadMe.txt- description of the palette version, installation method, supported camera models

Select the path to save the file:

If possible, save the archive to the root directory of drive C. Next, unpack the archive - for example, using the free 7-Zip program.

3) How to use?

The first thing we need to do is load the tool palette file into AutoCAD. Open the tool palettes window ( Ctrl+3):

Right-click (R.K.M.) to call up the context menu, call Adaptation of palettes:

Select the file Bolid-autocad-ver.002 from the unpacked folder Bolid-autocad-ver.002.xtp

Add a palette if necessary Cameras Bolide ver.002 to your palette group:

If the archive Bolid-autocad-ver.002.zip was not unpacked to the root of drive C, then you need to specify the path to the file with dynamic blocks of "Bolid" cameras Bolid cameras.dwg. To do this, on the tool palettes panel, click Ctrl+A(select all), P.K.M. on the camera in the drop-down context menu select Object properties...

In the block Insert line Original file select the rectangle on the right - a window will appear Selecting a Linked Drawing- indicate the path to Bolid cameras.dwg

This completes the setup.

Let's deal with functionality and limitations of the tool palette. The palette is a panel that includes icons with images real photos cameras and designation (name) of models. All models are divided into network and analog (multi-format), as well as by form factor:

We find the desired model in the tool palette and insert it into the model space.

After specifying the block insertion point in the window Editing attributes we can change a number of values:
• Camera name
• Model name
• Focal length
• Permission

As a rule, it makes sense to change only the name of the camera. The remaining parameters have already been set and correspond to the passport of the real model:

A tool palette of dynamic camera blocks with viewing angles and translucent filling of spatial resolution areas has been created in accordance with the criteria adopted in the recommendations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs R 78.36.008 - 99 (Identification, Recognition, Detection) for the AutoCAD CAD system from Autodesk.

Tool palette dynamic blocks is a standard AutoCAD tool that allows you to conveniently store and use dynamic AutoCAD blocks. In this case, this is a set of dynamic blocks of all Bolid brand video surveillance cameras, which allows AutoCAD to implement camera viewing areas taking into account spatial resolution (pixel density), lens focal length and matrix size.

The tool palette of dynamic CAD blocks AutoCAD from Autodesk allows you to automate a number of routine operations of the designer of video surveillance systems, including justifying the number of video cameras and their type according to the criteria adopted in the recommendations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs R 78.36.008 - 99 (Identification, Recognition, Detection)

AutoCAD CAD from Autodesk - standard software for preparation of design and working documentation. A survey on our website showed that almost 83% of designers use CAD data. With the camera block tool palette you get free program for designing video surveillance using Bolid equipment.

In order to load the AutoCAD tool palette, you need to download the zip archive from the Bolid company website and launch AutoCAD. Next, you need to open the “Tool Palettes Window” of AutoCAD using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+3” or through “Tools - Palettes - Tool Palettes”. Right-click (RMB) on an empty space in the “Tool Palettes” window, select “Adaptation Palettes” from the drop-down menu, right-click in the “Adaptation” window on the left side and select “Import...” from the drop-down menu. Next, you need to select the downloaded file Bolid-autocad-ver.001.xtp. Now in the “Adaptation” window on the left, find the “Car Cameras” palette and drag it into the “Palette Group” you are using, click “Close”.

Despite the fact that AutoCAD is a fairly functional program, and it develops very complex models, after all, during work you have to perform many routine operations. For example, when working with a drawing of a building, each time you have to draw the same blocks - plumbing, doors, windows, etc. It would be more convenient to save them and install them on the drawing by simply dragging them. And there is such a function - tool palettes are used for this.

Despite the fact that AutoCAD is a fairly functional program, and very complex models are developed in it, you still have to perform a lot of routine operations when working. For example, when working with a drawing of a building, each time you have to draw the same blocks - plumbing, doors, windows, etc. It would be more convenient to save them and install them on the drawing by simply dragging them. And there is such a function - tool palettes are used for this.

By default, they appear in the workspace when you first launch AutoCAD, but many people simply close them so as not to interfere.

Tool palettes are a window with many tabs where you can collect different instruments and functions. The beauty is that all these functions can be simply dragged and dropped from tabs to working window and vice versa. All tabs can be edited, deleted or added, and new elements can be saved in them. For example, you can save a drawing of a part in a panel and then simply drag it out to the desired location in another project.

Our free video course shows you how to use tool palettes and how you can benefit from them.

Tool palettes are a very convenient tool for placing frequently used common components. For example, blocks.

A small lyrical digression. I'm not diminishing the importance of palettes in any way. The only problem that, in my opinion, has not yet been completely resolved is the problem of updating palettes in a corporate network and a decent number of users. In vertical solutions, this was implemented very conveniently (I’m talking about AutoCAD Architecture). Whether it came with ACAD2019 or not, I don’t know, I haven’t checked.
/kpblc/

You can also add frequently used commands to the palettes:

To enable palettes use the button Tool palettes from the group Palettes bookmarks View:


Palettes can also be called up using a keyboard shortcut
Ctrl + 3 .

Creating Enterprise Tool Palettes

To create a palette we will perform a number of steps

	Create a special user profile for creating tool palettes. To do this, go to the AutoCAD settings dialog. Right-click on the AutoCAD command line and select the command from the menu that appears Settings.
	On the bookmark Profiles click the button Add and enter a profile name. For example Profile for creating palettes. Click the button Accept.
	Make this profile current. To do this, select Profile for creating palettes and press the button Install.
	Now go to the bookmark Files, select . Delete using the button Delete existing path. Now click the button Review and specify the path to the folder . Click OK and close the window.
	Window Tool palettes will take the form as in the figure, because AutoCAD will not be able to find palettes in the user folder - it is still empty.
	Now let's create 3 palettes. The first one has already been created. Click on the shortcut New Palette right mouse button and select Rename. Name Stamp Blocks.
	Right-click on the palette shortcut again and select Create a palette. Enter the name of the second palette - Work blocks. In the same way we create the third palette - Teams.
	Result in the picture
	Now let's move on to filling the palettes. To do this, open the file T:\Test drive settings\ToolPalettes\File blocks for test drive. dwg .
	The first way to add a block to the palette is to drag it directly from the drawing onto the palette. Select the frame block (this is the top block) from the Palette No. 1 group and drag it onto the palette Die blocks. The result is in the figure.
	The second way is to drag and drop from Control Center. Turn on Control center ( Ctrl + 2), go to the bookmark Open drawings, expand the file structure and go to Blocks. Select a block Archival and approval stamp. Drag it onto the palette. You can drag a group of blocks at once by first selecting several blocks by holding down the key Shift or Ctrl(as in Explorer).
	Finally, you can based on selected or all drawing blocks in Control Center make a new palette right away. To do this, select the required blocks. If you want to add everything, then don't select anything. After that, on a free field in the window with a list of blocks, right-click and select Create Tool Palette.
	Transfer all the blocks with stamps to the palette Die blocks, and the Height Mark and the Pile - to the palette Work blocks.
	You can also add separators and explanatory text to the created palette. To do this, in the required place in the palette, click the right mouse button and select Add text or Add separator.
	You can also change and customize general form icons on the palette. To do this, right-click on the palette shortcut and select Display options.
	Now fill your palette Teams frequently used AutoCAD commands. To do this, go to the palette Teams and right-click on the tool palettes panel title. In the window that appears, select Team adaptation.
	Now in dialogue User interface adaptation Find the commands you are interested in and drag them onto the palette.
	Format the palette, divide it into groups, label
	Now use Windows Explorer to navigate to the folder T:\Test Drive Settings\ToolPalettes . You may notice that palette files have appeared in the folder.

Palette files are created experienced users. In a real enterprise, after creation, these files on the server are recommended to be protected by means of the operating system from unauthorized modification.

Connecting enterprise tool palettes to user desktops

Since the local computer on which the test drive is being carried out is not an enterprise network, to demonstrate the process of setting up user workstations to work with corporate palettes, we will apply a number of conventions.
First, the disk
T: in the test drive it is a network folder of the server connected by a disk, as agreed.
Secondly, we created and configured the palettes in the profile we created Profile for creating palettes. Thus, if we switch to the original profile, we will have to configure the palettes again. Thus, we will demonstrate how to configure palettes at the user’s workplace.

	Go to the AutoCAD settings dialog, select the tab Profiles, select the source profile, click Install. Click OK.
	The palettes returned to their original, unadjusted form.
	Return to the settings dialog, open the tab Files, select group Tool palette file folders. However, now we will not delete the paths to the palettes supplied with AutoCAD, because the user may need them. Click the button Add and an empty line will appear. Then click Review and specify the path to the folder with the previously created corporate palettes: T:\Test Drive Settings\ToolPalettes. The result is in the figure. Click the button OK and close the dialog.
	Right-click in the Tool Palettes header and select Palette adaptation.
	In the window that appears Adaptation in the right half of the window, in the Palette group, right-click in an arbitrary place and select the command A new group.
	Give the new group a name Custom Palettes and move to the level with all other groups
	In the left half of the window, in Palettes, find the previously created palettes that were found by AutoCAD in the folder T:\Test Drive Settings\ToolPalettes, and drag them into the created palette group Custom Palettes. Click Close.
	Right click on the header Tool Palettes and from the list of palette groups select Custom Palettes.
	The screen shows previously created palettes, but already configured at the user’s workplace.