User Preferences

The first section of the Preferences > User Preferences menu is a list of profiles.

Alias installs with two default profiles:

• User Profile : You can use this profile to save a snapshot of your interface layout and preferences, to use as a restore point at any time.

• Guest Profile : Provides a standard working interface for users who switch between different Alias installations. Changes to the interface can be made when in this profile, but they will not be saved when you switch to another profile.

This list is updated when new profiles are added or saved. The currently active profile is indicated by a blue check mark in the list.

Remove a preference profile from the list by clicking the icon beside it. If the profile has been exported to a named .json file on disk, this will not be affected by deleting the profile from the list in the application.

The list can be accessed for switching profiles from the Preferences Bar at the bottom-left corner of the viewport.

Add Profile

Loads a profile that was saved on disk using Export Profile.

The profile is added to the Profile list in the menu, but not made active. Select the added profile from the list to make it the current active profile.

The default location for Add Profile is the C:/Users/username/Autodesk/Alias/Profiles directory, but you can choose any location.

Preferences saved as .json files or .aps files (Preference Sets from previous versions) can be added.

Save Profile

Saves any changes made the User Preferences on-screen to the currently selected profile. Changes include tools added to Shelves or Marking Menus, color themes, docked editors and toolboxes. Tool settings are also saved.

As further changes are made to the interface, these can either be saved again to update the profile, or cleared by using Restore Profile to return to the last saved version.

The Profile is saved internally as part of the User Preferences on exit. To create a backup copy on disk use Export Profile.

Save as New Profile

Saves the User Preferences on-screen to a new Profile with a different name.

• The new profile is added to the Preference Profiles list.

• The User Preferences switch to the newly created profile. No change will be seen on screen because the current layout is now the new profile.

• You will be prompted to manage the original profile:

  

Export Profile

Saves the current state of the screen (the User Preferences) to a .json file on disk. Note that it is not the last saved Profile that is exported, but the current User Preferences you see on screen.

The default location for Export Profile is the C:/Users/username/Autodesk/Alias/Profiles directory.

An exported profile does not appear in the Preferences > User Preferences > Profiles list unless it is loaded using Add Profile.

Restore Profile

The currently active Profile holds your stored preferences from the last time you used Save Profile.

If you have made changes since then, Restore Profile clears those changes and returns to the last saved state of the current Profile.

You are warned that any changes you made to your preference during the current session since you saved the current profile will be lost:

Import and Merge

Loads all or some preferences from the selected file (.json or .aps) into your current User Preferences.

It's recommended that you select the icon to open the Import Preferences Options window. Here, you can specify which preferences you want to replace with the incoming preferences. Otherwise, all your current preferences will be replaced by the incoming preferences.

For information about importing preferences from previous versions of Alias, see Add preference sets from previous versions of Alias.

Factory Reset

Restores the User Preferences to their minimal state:

• One workspace, no editors or tool boxes open.
• Light Color Theme.
• Default, Classic and SubD Marking Menus.
• No shelves except Shelf Extras, Dynamo Toolbox, and What's New 2024.
• Default Hotkey assignments

This will not affect the current Profile unless Save Profile is used.

A profile called 'User Profile' is supplied on launch for you to optionally save versions of your user preferences.

To save the user preferences to the User Profile:

1. Check that 'User Profile' is the active profile - shown with a blue checkmark in the Profile list in the Preferences menu or the quick access bar at the bottom-left of the screen.
2. Make any interface changes that you want, for example adding tools to shelves or marking menus, setting hotkeys etc., until you have version of your preferences you want to capture.
3. Use Save Profile to store these user preferences to the User Profile.

As you continue to work in Alias you will make work-in-progress changes to the interface. You then have two choices:

• To go back to your saved version of the interface by using Restore Profile, and lose any work-in-progress changes you made.
• Update the saved profile to the include the work-in-progress changes by using Save Profile.

Using additional or alternative Profiles

Additional profiles can be created and added to the Profiles list. Additional profiles can be created in two ways:

• Use Save As New Profile to copy the active profile to a new named profile, and switch it to being the current Profile.
• Use Add Profile to import a saved (Exported) Profile file. The profile is only added to list and not made active automatically.

Additional profiles can be useful for the following:

• If you want to give your Profile a different name. There is no rename function for Profiles.
• Enable other users to easily work on your machine and be able to use their own preferences.
• Create versions of your own preferences as you develop them. You may also want to use Export Profile to create backups on disk.

Many of the tools in Alias have a settings window, and these values are typically modified during the normal workflow.

When a Profile is saved, the values of the tool settings at that moment are also saved, and become the reset values for the following functions:

• Alias launch. When you start Alias the tool settings are restored to the values last saved in the Profile.

• Using the Reset function in individual tool settings window.

  

• Utilities > Tool Resets, when using Reset rather than Factory Reset for Palettes and Menus.

  

To save default tool settings to a Profile

As soon as you start working in Alias, some tool settings are likely to get changed.

If you want to save interface changes to a Profile, but not save any of the tool settings changes, first use Utilities > Tool Resets and select one of:

• Reset - to return to the last saved settings for that Profile
• Factory Reset - to return to the launch default tool settings.

Then, save your Profile.

When you switch to a different profile, you need to make a decision about the profile you are replacing:

• If you have done a Save Profile then there will be no difference between your User Preferences on screen and the saved Profile, and so nothing will be lost when you switch.
• If you have made changes to the interface since the last Save Profile, then you will be asked if you want to save those changes to the Profile before switching, or discard them.

Before a switch is made a warning message will appear about the current profile being replaced:

• Yes to update the profile before switching. This is the same function as Save Profile.
• No to discard any changes to the current user profile since the last time Save Profile was used for that profile.
• Export Active As to create a backup copy of the current User Preferences on screen to a named .json file. Note, this file will save the current User Preferences on screen and not the saved Profile version of the User Preferences.
• Cancel to not switch profiles.

When importing Preference Sets (.aps files) from Alias version 2023 or earlier, nearly all of your custom UI settings can be transferred to Alias 2024. Some minor edits may be required, such as setting up some custom UI colors, to completely match your Alias 2024 preferences with previous versions.

Export from previous versions

In Alias 2023 or earlier, use Preferences > User Preferences > Export Preference Set and save to a named .aps file.

Import and Merge to Alias 2024 or later

1. In Alias 2024, select Preferences > User Preferences > Import and Merge > .

2. In the Import Preferences Options window, ensure only the preferences you want to import are selected.

   

   Tip: To keep the new Alias 2024 Control Panel, Panel shelf and Diagnostic Shade docked group, and the four new Workspaces, don't select Workspaces in the Import and Merge options.

3. Because the import will modify elements of your current screen, you are prompted whether you want to save your current arrangement to the active Profile before the changes are made:

   

4. In the file lister, browse to the .aps preference set file and click OK. The Preference Set gets converted to Alias 2024 format and updates your current User Preferences.

5. Make any further modifications to the interface that are required, and then use Save Profile or Save As New Profile. Optionally, use Export Profile to make a backup on disk.

When the Preference Set elements have been imported, they will not appear on screen. Open, position and dock them as required:

• The main shelf used in previous versions is loaded into the Windows > Shelves > Default Shelves.

• The Control Panel shelves are available loaded into Windows > Shelves .

• Marking menu sets are loaded into Preferences > Marking Menus.

  

As with previous versions of Alias the User Preferences are created in the following directory on your local machine:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Alias\UserPrefs2024.0

The User Preferences directory is managed entirely by the application and there is no user requirement to access it. In fact it is strongly recommended that it is not modified in any way as it could lead to unexpected results.

Any requirement to backup user preferences can be done using Export Profile, with the file being saved at a user selected location on disk.

If you have access to different versions of Alias - Autostudio, Surface, Concept or Learning Edition, then preferences are stored separately for each version.

This means that you can have the same name for a profile, but with a different set-up for each version launched.

Use Export Profile and Add Profile to copy preferences from one version to another.