Image Tile menus are special types of dialog boxes that show a list of options to the left and a set of relevant slides to the right [Figure 1]. You can assign any valid menu macro to the slides/text options. In this tutorial you will learn how to insert a block, show a slideshow, invoke an AutoCAD command, and invoke an AutoLISP command with an Image Tile menu.

Figure 1

If you are not familiar with menu files please read the following tutorials first:

► AutoCAD Menus: The Base Menu
► AutoCAD Menus: Partial Menus
► Building a Menu Template, Part 1
► Building a Menu Template, Part 2
► Building a Menu Template, Part 3
► Building a Menu Template, Part 4
► Building a Menu Template, Part 5

Note: This tutorial is designed for AutoCAD 2004 though might be applicable for other releases.

1. Download the following files

► sample.mnu
► sample.mnl
► Singleln.bmp
► 3dflower.dwg
► slideshow.scr
► sampleslides.slb

2. Copy the files to AutoCAD search path.

Note: Refer to the following tutorial for more information on AutoCAD search path:

► AutoCAD 2004 Customization Tutorial: Search Paths

3. Open sample.mnu in Notepad.

4. Add an Image section [Figure 1].

Figure 2 - Click on image to enlarge

Notes:

• ***IMAGE shows the beginning of the Image section. In image section you define Image Tile menus.
• **THETOOLS is the alias for the following menu. You could define more than one menu.
• [Useful Tools] is the title for the menu. It will appear on title bar of the dialog box.
• [sampleslides(3dflower,Insert a 3D Flower)] loads the 3dflower slide from sampleslides.slb slide library into the image slot. The rest of the code is used for showing the relevant text option.
• [blank] Inserts a separator line in text section and an empty slide in slide slots.

5. Add a proper option to the drop down menu [Figure 3].

Figure 3 - Click on image to enlarge

Notes:

• $I=sample.thetools will load the Image Tile menu thetools from sample menu group.
• $I=sample.* will enable the Image Tile menu.

6. Save the file.

7. Load the partial menu.

Notes:

• If you have already installed the menu group, on Main menu click Reload Menu.
• To learn how to load partial menus read the following tutorial:

► AutoCAD Menus: Partial Menus

8. On main menu click Useful Tools [Figure 4]. The Image Tile menu appears [Figure 5].

Figure 4

Figure 5
 

About the Author

Alireza Parsai is the founder of cadpanel.com. He is a mechanical engineer with more than 12 years experience with AutoCAD. Alireza is an Autodesk Authorized Author, the AutoCAD consultant for Al Khawarizmi Institute, a contributing editor for Augiworld magazine, a writer for CAD Digest, an instructor for AUGI Training Program, and an elected speaker for Autodesk University 2002. He has written 7 books in Farsi, 3 booklets in English, and more than 30 articles for different magazines and newsletters. You can reach him at alireza.parsai@cadpanel.com or visit his website www.cadpanel.com. 

More CAD Corner tutorials >>