If you use the Limits command to define a plotting area, you may encounter problems when the TARGET system variable is set to a value other than 0,0,0, the default value. When this happens, drawings don’t plot correctly (the problem is also evident in plot previews). The TARGET system variable value can change when you use the Dview command; you can also change it accidentally by holding down Shift and pressing the middle mouse button.

TARGET is a read-only variable, so you can’t just reset it to the default value. Instead, use the Dview command as follows:

Profiles and workspaces both give you control over your drawing environment. Profiles (AutoCAD 2000 onward) save environmental settings such as user options, drafting settings, default search paths, template file locations, and printer defaults. They also include user interface elements such as menus, palettes, and toolbars. Workspaces, introduced in AutoCAD 2007, control the display of menus, toolbars, and palettes in the drawing area. Workspaces are intended to be task specific, so, for example, you might create one workspace for drawing and another for dimensioning.

Profiles
If you haven’t ever created a new profile, you are probably using the default AutoCAD profile: UNNAMEDPROFILE. If your workspace is already set up the way you like it and you have no need for additional profiles, you can continue to use the default profile rather than create a new one.

To create a new profile, select Options from the Tools menu and display the Profiles tab. The current profile appears at the top of the tab. Select Add to List and assign a name and description, if desired.

Caption: Select the Add to List button to create a new profile.

Once you’ve created a profile, set up AutoCAD the way you want it. Open the toolbars you most often use, set pickbox size, colors, etc.

Note also that any changes you make to AutoCAD settings, options, etc. are automatically saved to the profile that is current.

You can export your profile to a secure storage location not on your workstation (flash drive, CD, etc). Select Options from the Tools menu, then select the Profiles tab. The Export button at right creates an ARG file.

Caption: Remember to export your profiles so you have them handy in case you need to reinstall AutoCAD or move to a new workstation.

If anything happens to your workstation or you need to reinstall AutoCAD, you can restore your work environment easily. Return to the Profiles tab of the Options command and select Import Profile.

The Reset button resets the values in the selected profile to the system default settings.

If you use more than one profile, you can create desktop shortcuts that open AutoCAD with a specific profile current. Right-click on an AutoCAD desktop icon and select Properties from the shortcut menu that appears. In the Shortcut tab under Properties, add /p currentprofile (where currentprofile is the name of the profile you want to use) after the directoryspecified in the Target window. For example, the following makes a profile called newuser current:

Workspaces
Workspaces are screen layouts. They specify the placement of toolbars, menus, and palettes. AutoCAD stores workspaces inside CUI files. To create a new workspace, type Workspace at the command prompt. If you want to save the current desktop configuration to the current Workspace, use the Save Current As button in the Workspaces toolbar.

Caption: The Workspace toolbar provides a pull-down list of available workspaces. The two buttons on right are Workspace Settings and My Workspace (click this to make current the workspace set as My Workspace in the Workspace Settings).

For more elaborate Workspace creation, start the CUI (Customization User Interface) by typing CUI at the command prompt. Select Workspaces in the upper left window. You’ll see a list of existing Workspaces. To create a new one, right-click on Workspaces and select New. A new Workspace is added to the list in the left pane.

Caption: Right-click on Workspaces in the upper left pane to create new workspaces.

To configure the workspace, select the Customize Workspace button at the top of the Workspace Contents pane at upper right. In the left panel, expand Toolbars and Menus, then check those you want to appear in your new workspace. They will automatically appear in the upper right pane as you select them.

Caption: On the left, check the menus and toolbars that you want to appear in your new workspace at right.

Use the Workspace Settings dialog box to control the order in which Workspaces appear in the Workspace list. You can also specify whether interface changes you’ve made are saved automatically when you switch workspaces.

Caption: Workspace Settings dialog box. Note that you have the option to save or discard any changes you’ve made to the workspace.

Fill in the Properties tab for each of your drawings, and you’ll be able to access drawing information without opening it. In the File menu, select Drawing Properties. Fill in the Summary and Custom tabs as you see fit.

When you’re done, save and close the drawing. Now, you or anyone else can highlight the drawing in Windows Explorer, right-click, and view the information entered on the Summary and Custom tabs (the information is read only). Unfortunately, properties you enter in AutoCAD don’t carry over to DWF or PDF files you generate from the drawing with properties.

If you need to view an xref while working in a drawing, but don’t want it to plot, insert the xref on its own layer and set that layer to No Plot. If you want to see an xref in one viewport but not another, insert it on its own layer and freeze it as needed in viewports.

If you lose a window, open the CUI (customization user interface) by typing CUI at the command prompt. Expand the Workspaces list in the upper left corner and select the active workspace. In the Workspace Contents pane at upper right, expand the Dockable Windows list. Select your missing window. Under Properties in the lower right, look for an Orientation option. Change it to anything other than Do Not Change. Once you exit the CUI command, you should see your lost window. Reposition it as needed.