Enterprise CUI(x) in Civil 3D

[caddcop]

This may belong in a different forum, but I really need help from someone who has worked with Civil 3d and the CUI(x) files.

I have been keeping our Enterprise CUI(x) on a network server for a few years now. As we roll out newer versions I am finding a few things getting frustrating.

Does anyone have a well documented methodology that they use?

In the past, I made an Enterprise CUI and added the delivered CUI(x) files as partial CUI's.

But the result is too many ribbon tabs. And I do not fully understand the workings of the ribbon in a CUI. Through some trial and error, I have made some progress but I wave not used Civil 3D enough to know if my results have been a fully operational seat of Civil 3D.

Today, I thought, why not make the main CUI (C3D.CUIX) my enterprise CUI and just add my Enterprise CUI as a partial cui. Well, the results were the same - every ribbon tab was suddenly available in my workspace.

What is the best/proper/suggested way to do this?

[BlackBox]

Does anyone have a well documented methodology that they use?

 

When I first started out, I found R. Robert Bell's AU class to be very helpful:

 

AU222-1, A Working Enterprise CUI in Front of Your Eyes

 

Today, I thought, why not make the main CUI (C3D.CUIX) my enterprise CUI and just add my Enterprise CUI as a partial cui. Well, the results were the same - every ribbon tab was suddenly available in my workspace.

What is the best/proper/suggested way to do this?

 

For several reasons, I wouldn't do that... I would keep the Main CUI the OOTB CUI, so as to not duplicate CUI components, and then load a user 'Custom' as partial to the OOTB Main CUI. Leave your Enterprise as Enterprise (read-only), and make sure that you've started your Enterprise (and that Custom CUI) as new (i.e., empty) CUI files. This will preclude your accidentally duplicating items.

 

By leaving your Enterprise as Enterprise, the user can pull from there to create their own workspace, without any issue of accidentally mucking up your Enterprise CUI. Remember, the Main CUI is write-enabled, the only way you could safeguard it is to make it read-only, and that won't play nice with that user Custom CUI loaded as partial. My $0.02.

[caddcop]

As I understand all of this, the main CUI is where the user customizes his workspace. And it should be free of most of the product items, except as partials, so they can take it forward. If you leave them the C3D.CUIX to customize, the will not be able to easily bring only their customizations forward.

In 2008 and 2009 I was able to make both LD and C3D work with the main cui being the custom.cui(x) that comes with the program, and to make an enterprise CUI that included all of the other necessary cui(x) files. But the same approach in 2010, 2011 and 2012 is proving not so straight forward.

It's similar to how I tried to copy workspaces in the CUI editor but found that the new workspaces had copies of many menus and toolbars in them, instead of being linked to the originals from the various CUI(x) files.

I have read this and a few other AU handouts on CUI files, but no one seems to ever be working with verticals - just OOTB AutoCAD.

[BIGAL]

We have multiple workspaces but basicly 2 a modified Autocad and original CIV3D we make sure user only run their own named workspace this way if they screw something up we can start again.

 

We don't use ribbon !

 

I have copied the most common used Civ3d command into shorter pull down menu's that we would use on a day to day basis.

 

We run extra partials so never ruin the main CUI like guys comments above.