Create Object Sensitive Right Click Menu

Given the state of the economy over the course of the past several months, many firms have opted to shy away from software upgrades. Financially, it’s hard to fault an organization that’s opted to remain in a holding pattern while the tables turn toward a brighter future.

There’s no denying that the context sensitive Ribbon in Civil 3D 2010 is an incredible addition. But back in the day (not even a year ago, yet I’m comfortable saying “back in the day” out loud?) we customized our right click menus in Civil 3D to include object sensitive commands. It’s surprisingly simple.

Here’s a little love for my friends using “back in the day” versions of Civil 3D:

Each object in Civil 3D has a name. By using the AutoCAD LIST command, each object can be identified. For example, use the LIST command to identify an alignment yields the following:

Using the CUI command, the Civil 3D menu can be modified to add right click commands to the existing shortcut menus.

Right click on Shortcut menus and select New Shortcut Menu as shown below:

Type the name of the object you wish to enable right click commands on. In this case, we’ve chosen AECC_ALIGNMENT:

Place your cursor in the cell next to the command Aliases on the right, next to the POP* and select (left mouse button).

Select the Ellipsis to open the “Enter aliases” dialog. Note the title of the dialog says (one per line)

Place your cursor to the right of the alias listed, select with the left mouse button, and hit the key on the command line to begin typing on a second line. Type OBJECTS_ followed by the name of the object. In this case, OBJECTS_AECC_ALIGNMENT

Search for Alignment commands using the “Find command or text” button as shown:

Search for the type of object, in this case “Profile” The commands can be easily identified as shown:

Drag and drop the command(s) under the menu item as shown:

Apply the changes to the menu, select the ok button, and OK the dialog.

Select the object, in this case the alignment, Right Click, and notice the changes to the menu (Create From Surface):

The menu can be modified to change descriptions, etc. as needed (Create Profile From Surface).

Scott McEachron
www.121pcs.net

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