BIMGrove Pixel Press turns normal AutoCAD drafting into a focused icon-authoring workflow. Work inside tagged 32×32 or 16×16 canvases, map layers by visual role, preview the selected canvas live, then export PNG or BMP icons individually or in a batch.
AutoCAD commandPIXELPRESSopens the dockable palette
BIMGrove Pixel PressAutoCAD · Dockable Palette
Selected CanvasPP-CANVAS · 32×32
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Properties⌃
Grid Major LinesDocument color
Grid Minor LinesDocument color
Icon Polyline Global Width1.00
Apply Template
Layer Mapping⌃
CanvasPP-CANVAS
IconPP-ICON
AccentPP-ACCENT
BackgroundPP-BACKGROUND
NamePP-NAME
IgnorePP-IGNORE
PreviewEnlarged ▾
32×32 · 1,024 pixelsActualPP
Canvas sizes
32 + 16
Author standard 32×32 and 16×16 icon canvases in the same drawing.
Preview
Live
Inspect the selected canvas enlarged or at actual size before export.
Layer roles
6
Canvas, Icon, Accent, Background, Name, and Ignore keep intent explicit.
Output
PNG + BMP
Export one selected icon or process multiple tagged canvases in a batch.
Canvas-first authoring
Draft the icon in AutoCAD. Let Pixel Press handle the pixel workflow.
Pixel Press does not replace AutoCAD drafting. It adds a clear canvas, role, preview, and export contract around the geometry you already know how to draw.
01 · Establish the canvas
Start from a known 32×32 or 16×16 work area.
Select an existing PP-CANVAS rectangle or use Apply Template to build the standard four-canvas drafting setup. Pixel Press tags canvas size explicitly so preview and export use the intended resolution.
Two 32×32 and two 16×16 template canvasesCanvas selector reports the active PP-CANVAS sizeTemplate labels give each canvas a Name role starting pointZoom and viewport setup make the template ready to draft
02 · Draw by role
Map layers to what each piece of geometry means.
Icon, Accent, and Background are output roles. Canvas defines the crop. Name supplies export naming. Ignore keeps construction information visible without sending it to the icon.
Editable mapping works with your layer naming standardPlot state remains authoritative for output eligibilityName and Ignore are non-output workflow rolesMapped colors make the drafting intent easy to scan
Layer mapping
Map drafting layers to what the icon means.
The drawing stays normal AutoCAD geometry. Pixel Press interprets it through six mapped roles and respects the active document's layer/Plot state during preview and export.
CanvasPP-CANVASboundary
IconPP-ICONoutput
AccentPP-ACCENToutput
BackgroundPP-BACKGROUNDoutput
NamePP-NAMEnaming
IgnorePP-IGNOREguide
Canvas
Crop and resolution
PP-CANVAS establishes the exact 32×32 or 16×16 work area. Geometry is evaluated against that selected boundary.
Icon + Accent
Primary and secondary pixels
Separate the main symbol from accent geometry while keeping both part of the rendered icon.
Background
Intentional fill layer
Use a mapped Background layer when the icon needs a deliberate background instead of transparent space.
Name
Filename from drawing text
Mapped TEXT or MTEXT that is inside or crosses the canvas can become the export base name. The size suffix is retained automatically.
Standard gray
TrueColor 130,130,130
The Name role uses a consistent gray workflow color and stays out of the rendered icon.
Ignore
Construction information stays visible
Ignore uses TrueColor 111,111,111 for instructions or construction content that should never be exported.
Selected canvas
Preview only what you are editing
The active PP-CANVAS drives the preview so a multi-canvas source drawing stays easy to reason about.
Enlarged / actual
Inspect pixels and real size
Switch between a large inspection view and native 32×32 or 16×16 scale before export.
Geometry
Polylines, hatches, and gradients
Preview processing follows the selected canvas through filled and outlined drafting geometry, including boundary-edge cases.
PNG / BMP
Icon-ready raster formats
Export the selected canvas in the format required by the downstream UI or deployment workflow.
Batch
Process multiple tagged canvases
Batch export turns a single AutoCAD source drawing into a repeatable icon-set authoring workspace.
Destination
Open Export Folder
Jump directly to the output folder after export instead of hunting through Explorer.
Preview + naming
See the selected canvas—and know exactly what file it will become.
Name-driven output
Keep icon identity in the DWG.
Place mapped Name text inside or across the selected canvas and Pixel Press uses that text as the base filename. The canvas size remains attached to the output name, so 32×32 and 16×16 variants stay distinct during single or batch export.
pixel-perfect-32.png
Name text is a workflow role, not rendered icon content. A Name entity can cross the canvas edge and still be processed when its text geometry intersects the selected canvas.
Drafting controls
Tune AutoCAD for icon work without changing everyone else's drafting setup.
Pixel Press keeps its specialized drafting controls document-aware and restores prior drawing-environment values when you switch documents or close the palette.
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Grid Major Lines
Choose the active document's major grid color through AutoCAD's native color picker for clearer pixel-scale drafting.
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Grid Minor Lines
Tune the minor grid independently. Previous document colors are captured and restored on switch or close.
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Icon Polyline Global Width
Set 0.00–10.00 for the mapped Icon role. Existing icon polylines update and future polylines inherit the working width.
PL
Live PLINEWID sync
When the mapped Icon layer is current, Pixel Press keeps AutoCAD PLINEWID and the document-wide Icon width in sync.
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Apply Template
Create the standard four-canvas starter layout, mapped role layers, naming labels, and drawing setup in one action.
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Theme-aware dockable UI
Compact Properties-like rows, dark/light-aware dropdowns, and thin auto-hide scrolling stay at home inside AutoCAD.
One-page guide
Pixel Press from blank drawing to exported icon.
The complete working loop stays on one page: open the palette, establish canvases, map roles, draft, preview, name, and export.
PIXELPRESSOpen the dockable Pixel Press palette.
PP-CANVASSelect/tag a 32×32 or 16×16 export boundary.
Apply TemplateBuild the standard four-canvas authoring setup.
ExportPNG/BMP, single canvas or batch workflow.
1 · Open Pixel Press and choose a canvas
Run PIXELPRESS in AutoCAD 2025, 2026, or 2027 to open the dockable palette.
Select a PP-CANVAS rectangle. Pixel Press reads its stored 32×32 or 16×16 identity and reports the selected size in the Preview area.
The same DWG can contain multiple tagged canvases; the selected one is the active preview/export context.
2 · Apply the standard template when starting fresh
Apply Template creates the standard four-canvas layout: two 32×32 work areas and two 16×16 work areas.
The template establishes PP-CANVAS identity, mapped role layers, and Name text starting points for the four icons.
The template prepares the view so you can begin drafting instead of manually rebuilding the authoring grid each time.
3 · Map layers by role
Map Canvas, Icon, Accent, Background, Name, and Ignore to the AutoCAD layers used by the current drawing.
Icon, Accent, and Background are output candidates; AutoCAD layer Plot state is authoritative for whether mapped output content can render.
Canvas, Name, and Ignore are workflow roles and are not rendered as icon pixels.
Name uses TrueColor 130,130,130 and Ignore uses TrueColor 111,111,111 as consistent drafting cues.
4 · Draft with polylines, hatches, and fills while Preview stays live
Draw normal AutoCAD geometry on the mapped output layers and keep it inside or intersecting the selected canvas where you want pixels generated.
Use the enlarged Preview to inspect edge coverage, then switch to actual size to judge the icon at 32×32 or 16×16.
The Preview information reports the selected canvas size and pixel count so the active export context is always visible.
5 · Use mapped Name text for filenames
Place TEXT or MTEXT on the mapped Name role. Name text is processed when its geometry is inside or crosses/intersects the selected canvas.
The processed Name text becomes the export base filename, followed by the canvas-size suffix—for example pixel-perfect-32.png.
Batch export keeps the same size suffix so paired 32×32 and 16×16 outputs do not collide.
6 · Export one canvas or a batch
Export the active canvas to PNG or BMP according to the selected output workflow.
Use batch export when one DWG contains several tagged canvases that should be processed together.
Use Open Export Folder after processing to reveal the destination immediately.
7 · Set document-aware grid colors and Icon polyline width
Grid Major Lines and Grid Minor Lines open AutoCAD's native color selector and affect the active document only.
Pixel Press captures the previous colors and restores them when the document changes, closes, or the palette is disposed.
Icon Polyline Global Width accepts 0.00–10.00, applies to mapped Icon polylines, and synchronizes with PLINEWID while the Icon layer is current.
8 · Keep output clean with Plot state, Name, and Ignore
Only mapped output roles are eligible for rendered pixels; unmapped and workflow-only layers stay out of export.
If a mapped output layer has Plot turned off in AutoCAD, Pixel Press treats it as non-output.
Use Ignore for drawing notes/instructions and Name for file identity instead of deleting useful authoring information from the DWG.
AutoCAD remains the drawing surface.
Pixel Press adds a disciplined icon-authoring layer around standard AutoCAD drafting: canvas identity, role mapping, live preview, document-aware drawing controls, file naming, and predictable raster export. Your source stays a DWG that can be edited with familiar AutoCAD tools.
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