One thing that’s regularly asked whenever a new AutoCAD release hits the streets is how to make it work like the last release. I think you should give any new features a fighting chance before turning them off or ignoring them, but that’s entirely your choice. Let’s assume you’ve made the decision to go back to the future; how do you do it?
- Menus and Ribbon. You can turn menus on with MENUBAR 1, close the Ribbon with RIBBONCLOSE, and so on. However, there’s an easier way; just switch workspaces. In the bottom right corner there is a little button that looks like a gearwheel. This is the Workspace control. Click on it and pick the item called AutoCAD Classic.
- Dashboard. The Dashboard is gone, but you can have a vertical Ribbon instead. If the Ribbon is not visible (it won’t be if you just selected the AutoCAD Classic workspace), enter RIBBON to bring it back. In the tab title row (the bar with the word Home in it), right-click and pick Undock. Now you can place and size your Dashboard-like thing as you see fit. As before, you can right-click on things to change the various settings. However, getting the contents exactly the way you want it usually involves using CUI, and that’s well outside the scope of this post.
- Background. Many of you will want a black background, of course. Right-click on the drawing area and pick Options…, then pick the Display tab. Don’t be tempted to choose Color Scheme and set it to Dark, because that just changes the appearance of various user interface elements. Instead, pick the Colors… button. On the left, choose a context you want to change (e.g. 2D model space), choose the appropriate background element (e.g. Uniform background) and choose the particular shade that takes your fancy. There is a Restore Classic Colors button, but that only takes you back to AutoCAD 2008. When you’re done, pick Apply & Close, then OK.
- Status bar. Right-click on a status bar button, turn off Use Icons and your text-based status bar buttons will return.
- Classic commands. If you prefer not to leave the various new palettes on screen all the time, old versions of various commands are still available: ClassicLayer, ClassicXref and ClassicImage. Going back further, there are command-line methods of doing the same thing: -Layer, -Xref, XAttach, -Image and ImageAttach.
If you’ve allowed AutoCAD to migrate your settings (I never do), some of the above will already be done for you, but by no means all of it.
One of the great things about AutoCAD is that we can still do this sort of thing. Microsoft has a lot to learn from Autodesk in this regard. If you’re using Word 2007, you are going to have a Ribbon and that’s the end of it, so be a good little user and learn to love it. Oh, and don’t even think about trying to modify it. Whatever you might think about Autodesk’s development priorities, design decisions and feature implementation, at least in most cases Autodesk leaves us with a choice.
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hi…
great post, but i want to go “more back” with the “restore” the old autocad interface, so is an option to quit the new dark/light color scheme (this with gradients like web 2.0 butons) and put like before?¿
greets
No, there’s no option for doing that. I noticed Ralph Grabowski suggested that the Dark/Light thing might open the door for developers to provide AutoCAD “skins”. In any case, I suspect a crafty hacker could find and modify the resources involved. Right now there’s nothing to do what you are after, though.
great post Steve. i think it would be wonderful if Autodesk shipped a document that explained how to get the latest release looking/behaving like the last one for those who are truly focused on productivity and who don’t have the time (maybe later they will) to mess around with new features and interfaces. love your blog so far. -dave
ok thanks, and keep the good job with that blog!!
greets
Thanks for that. Just upgraded from 2008 today and was about to put my boot through the screen. The Ribbon is a headwrecker
Wonderful stuff!Why is it deemed necessary to change the look of a programme with every new release? I would be happier if they sorted out the bugs in the current release before even thinking about a new one.
I bought a new laptop with Vista and Office with ribbons.
Hated it.
Had the OS changed to XP and went back to my old version of office. Perfect.
I’m wondering if there is any chance to change the interface with the old one. I’m more familiar with the old look (skin, icons). If you copy the Acad 2008 icons and rewrite the new 2009 ones maybe most of the toolbar comands will look same as ‘08. I’m not a specialist but I think this coud be possible…and now the questions: how to do that and where the comand icons can be found ? 10x
I’ve never tried messing with AutoCAD’s built-in button definitions, which I understand are stored in acadbtn.xmx. Just copying over the 2008 file into 2009 will definitely not work.
Hi I’m Trying to bring back AUTOCAD Classic workspace but when I click on the gear at the bottom right hand corner there is no option for the AutoCAD Classic only: Design, Document, Detail, and Visualization Any help would be great thanks!
It sounds like you may be using one of the vertical products such as AutoCAD Architecture, and that team hasn’t provided you with a Classic workspace. In that case, you’ll have to make your own. Start with MENUBAR 1 and RIBBONCLOSE, then right-click on the QAT (the little toolbar near the red A) to turn on the toolbars you want.