.. index:: single: Application Settings single: settings.json single: Preferences Application Settings ==================== **File › Settings** opens the *Application Settings* dialog. These are **program** preferences — how IQcad looks and behaves — as distinct from **drawing** settings such as layers, styles and drawing variables, which live with the drawing and are covered in :doc:`11_format`. The dialog has eight tabs. **OK** applies and closes, **Apply** applies without closing, **Cancel** discards. .. index:: single: Settings — General General ------- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Theme** - Metro Dark - Ribbon and window colour scheme. Also on the **File › Theme** menu. * - **Show menu bar** - On - Shows the classic menu bar above the ribbon. **File › Toggle Menu Bar** does the same thing. .. index:: single: Settings — Display Display ------- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Background** - Black - Drawing-area background colour. Entities drawn in the "white/black" colour follow it so they stay visible. * - **Snap marker** - Yellow - Colour of the object-snap marker and its tooltip. * - **Grip size** - 5 px - Half-side of the square grip handles on a selected object. * - **Crosshair size** - 50 px - Arm length of the cursor crosshair. * - **Pick size** - 5 px - Half-side of the pick box. A larger box makes objects easier to click and overlapping ones easier to catch. * - **Snap aperture** - 15 px - Radius within which an object snap engages. .. index:: single: Settings — Grid Grid ---- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Show grid** - On - Draws the reference grid. ``GRID`` toggles it per drawing. * - **Grid spacing** - 10 - Minor grid interval, in drawing units. * - **Major every N** - 5 - Draws a heavier line every N minor intervals. * - **Show coordinate labels** - Off - Prints the coordinate value along the major grid lines. * - **Grid style** - Lines - **Lines**, **Dashed** or **Dots**. .. index:: single: Settings — Ruler Ruler ----- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Show rulers** - On - Rulers along the top and left edges of the drawing area. * - **Ruler width** - 28 px - * - **Ruler background** - System button face - * - **Ruler text** - Black - * - **Opacity** - 200 - ``0``–``255``. Lower values let the drawing show through the ruler. .. index:: single: Settings — UCS Gizmo UCS Gizmo --------- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Show UCS gizmo** - On - The axis indicator described in :doc:`03_navigation`. * - **Display at origin** - Off - Draws the gizmo at the world origin instead of in a screen corner. * - **Icon size** - 80 px - * - **Corner** - Bottom-left - Which corner the gizmo sits in when it is not at the origin. * - **Background opacity** - 80 - Opacity (``0``–``255``) of the gizmo's backing plate. .. index:: single: Settings — ViewCube ViewCube -------- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Visible** - On - The 3D orientation cube. Click a face, edge or corner to snap the view to it. * - **Corner** - Top-right - * - **Size** - 100 px - Cube size on screen. .. index:: single: Settings — Advanced single: GPU rendering single: Debug log Advanced -------- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 18 56 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Enable debug logging** - Off - Writes ``iqcad_debug.log`` next to the executable. Useful when reporting a problem. **Requires a restart.** * - **GPU rendering** - Auto - **Auto** uses the GPU when a usable OpenGL context is available and falls back to software rendering when it is not; **On** forces GPU rendering; **Off** forces software. GPU rendering is what makes large surfaces and point clouds usable — see :doc:`/parts/pointcloud/index`. ``GPUTEST`` reports what the machine actually supports. .. index:: single: Settings — DWG DWG --- .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 26 22 52 * - Setting - Default - Meaning * - **Reader Backend** - Native (in-process) - Which engine opens DWG files: **Native**, **LibreDWG CLI** or **ODA File Converter**. Native is fastest and needs no external install; the CLI converters remain in the fallback chain. * - **Save Version** - R2018 (AC1032) - Target version for the native writer: R2000, R2004, R2007, R2010, R2013 or R2018. Older versions are more widely compatible. * - **Survey objects** - Points + surface, with labels - How COGO points and TIN surfaces are exported — as genuine Civil 3D objects, as plain geometry with or without labels, or not at all. :doc:`14_dwg` covers all three in full, including which mode to send to whom. .. index:: single: Settings file location Where Settings Are Stored ------------------------- Settings are written to ``settings.json`` as soon as they are applied, and reloaded at startup: .. list-table:: :header-rows: 1 :widths: 20 80 * - Platform - Path * - **Windows** - ``%APPDATA%\IQcad\settings.json`` * - **Linux** - ``~/.config/IQcad/settings.json`` The same file carries state the dialog does not show: window geometry, panel widths, the recent-files list, custom map providers, plugin enable/disable state, and the Blade Runner editor's session. Deleting the file resets IQcad to factory defaults — the full list of which is in :doc:`/parts/command_reference/03_defaults`.