How to Customise the Quad in BricsCAD

Quick answer: Customizing the Quad involves two tabs of the Customize dialog: the Quad tab (defines Quad Tabs and their content) and the Workspaces tab (defines which Quad Tabs appear, in what order, in each workspace).

Opening the Customization Tabs

Workspaces tab: run CUSTOMIZE and select the Workspaces tab.

Quad tab: right-click the QUAD field in the Status Bar and choose Customize Quad items…, or run CUSTOMIZE and select the Quad tab.

How the Quad Layout Works

The Quad’s layout depends on the current workspace, the entity type under the cursor or your current selection, and geometric events like intersection or tangency. Hovering over an entity highlights it, and the Quad shows the most recently used command for that entity type; with multiple entities under the cursor, press Tab to cycle through highlighting each one.

Rollover tips display specifically when SELECTIONPREVIEW is set to 1 or 3, and ROLLOVERTIPS is on, the same behaviour covered on this hub’s Rollover Tips page. Which properties display per entity type is configured in the Properties tab of the Customize dialog, select an entity type on the left, then check its properties in the Rollover pane.

Hovering over the first button expands the Quad’s menu; clicking an icon launches its command; clicking the Quad’s title bar minimizes it and shows Rollover tips instead.

The Quad Section vs the Workspaces Section

The Quad section defines the name and content of every Quad Tab, much like how Ribbon Tabs are customized. Tabs can be created, copied, renamed, and deleted here, and their contents managed by dragging buttons from the dialog’s right side, or via the right-click context menu. That right side lists every available button: tools defined in the CUI file, plus all internally defined Quad Buttons under the Built-in branch, which are read-only and can’t have their name, icon, or command string edited.

The Workspaces section instead defines which Quad Tabs appear, in what order, within each workspace; you can add, move, or remove entire tabs here, but their actual content isn’t editable in this section. A newly created Quad Tab automatically becomes available in every workspace by default.

Editing a Workspace’s Quad Tabs List

To access it: open the Customize dialog, click the Workspaces tab, expand the workspace you want, then expand its Quad Tabs list (tabs currently switched off display in grey).

To show or hide a tab: select it, click the Display field in its properties at the bottom of the dialog, and choose Yes or No.

To add a tab: right-click the Quad Tabs node and choose Append quad tab (adds it at the bottom), or select a tab, right-click, and choose Insert (adds it above the selected one). Choose the tab you want in the Select Quad Tab dialog and click OK.

To remove a tab: select it, right-click, and choose Delete.

To reorder tabs: drag and drop them within the list.

Creating a Quad Tab

1. Open the Quad tab of the Customize dialog.
2. Either right-click the BRICSCAD menu group and choose Append quad tab (adds it below the last existing one in that group), or right-click an existing quad tab and choose Insert quad tab (adds it above the selected one). The Add Quad Tab dialog opens.
3. Type a name in the Label field, this is what shows in the Quad cursor menu itself.
4. Type a name in the Title field, which must be unique within the menu group.
5. Click OK.
6. Add tools to the tab.

A newly created tab displays in every workspace by default. To exclude it from a specific workspace, go to the Workspaces tab, select the tab within that workspace’s Quad Tabs list, and choose Delete from its context menu, this only removes it from that workspace, not the tab definition itself.

Copying a Quad Tab

Within the same menu group: select the tab, right-click, and choose Insert Copy; specify a label and title in the Add Quad Tab dialog, then click OK.

Into a different menu group: drag and drop the tab onto the target menu group.

Adding a Tool to a Quad Tab

Worked example: adding the Gradient… tool to the Draw (Drafting) Quad Tab in the Drafting workspace.

1. Open the Quad tab of the Customize dialog.
2. Find the Draw (Drafting) Quad Tab within the BRICSCAD menu group.
3. Either right-click the tab and choose Append quad button, or expand the tab, right-click an existing tool, and choose Insert. The Add quad button dialog opens.
4. Select the tool (Draw > Gradient…) and click OK; it’s added to the tab’s tool list and will appear in the No Selection Quad.
5. Optionally drag and drop to reposition it within the list.

You can also search for a tool in the Available tools list on the right side of the Quad tab and drag it directly onto the tab you want.

Deleting a Tool from a Quad Tab

Worked example: removing the Line tool from the Draw (Drafting) Quad Tab.

1. Open the Quad tab of the Customize dialog.
2. Expand the Draw (Drafting) Quad Tab within the BRICSCAD menu group.
3. Right-click the Line tool and choose Delete; a confirmation dialog appears.
4. Click Yes; the tool is removed from that tab.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a built-in Quad Button’s icon or command? No, built-in buttons are read-only, their name, icon, and command string can’t be changed, though their entity filter can be configured (see Creating Custom Quad Filters, covered separately in this hub).

If I create a new Quad Tab, does it show up in every workspace automatically? Yes, by default. Remove it from a specific workspace’s Quad Tabs list if you don’t want it there.

What’s the difference between the Quad section and the Workspaces section of the Customize dialog? The Quad section defines a tab’s name and content. The Workspaces section defines which tabs appear, and in what order, within each specific workspace, without touching their content.

Can I copy an existing Quad Tab into a completely different menu group? Yes, drag and drop it directly onto the target menu group.