Configuration

· 3 min read

Customize Acme Design Studio to match your workflow.

Preferences

Access preferences via Acme → Preferences or Cmd+,

General Settings

Canvas Settings

  • Grid Size - Set the spacing for the grid (default: 8px)
  • Show Grid - Toggle grid visibility
  • Snap to Grid - Enable snapping objects to grid points
  • Canvas Color - Set the default canvas background color

Auto-Save

Acme automatically saves your work every 30 seconds. Configure this in preferences:

Auto-save interval: 30 seconds (adjustable from 10-300 seconds)

To disable auto-save:

  1. Open Preferences
  2. Go to General tab
  3. Uncheck “Enable auto-save”

Interface

Theme

Choose between Light, Dark, or System theme:

  • Light - Clean, bright interface
  • Dark - Easier on the eyes in low light
  • System - Follows your OS theme

UI Density

Adjust the spacing of interface elements:

  • Compact - More content on screen
  • Default - Balanced spacing
  • Comfortable - More breathing room

Panel Layout

Customize which panels are visible and where they’re positioned.

Right-click any panel header to:

  • Show/hide panels
  • Reset to default layout
  • Save custom layouts

Tools & Shortcuts

Customize Keyboard Shortcuts

  1. Go to Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts
  2. Search for the command you want to customize
  3. Click the shortcut field
  4. Press your desired key combination
  5. Click Save

Tool Settings

Configure default settings for each tool:

Rectangle Tool:

  • Default fill color
  • Default stroke width
  • Corner radius

Text Tool:

  • Default font family
  • Default font size
  • Default line height

Pen Tool:

  • Handle length
  • Snap to angles (45°, 90°, etc.)

Plugins

Acme supports plugins to extend functionality.

Installing Plugins

  1. Go to Plugins → Browse Plugins
  2. Search for the plugin you want
  3. Click Install
  4. Restart Acme if required

Managing Plugins

View installed plugins in Plugins → Manage Plugins

  • Enable/disable plugins
  • Check for updates
  • Configure plugin settings
  • Uninstall plugins
  • Icons8 - Access thousands of icons
  • Unsplash - Free stock photos
  • Lorem Ipsum - Generate placeholder text
  • Export Kit - Advanced export options
  • Chart Wizard - Create data visualizations

File Management

Auto-Backup

Enable automatic backups:

Backup location: ~/Acme/Backups
Backup frequency: Daily
Keep backups for: 30 days

Version History

Acme tracks version history automatically. Access previous versions:

  1. Click File → Version History
  2. Browse timeline
  3. Preview older versions
  4. Restore if needed

Collaboration Settings

Default Permissions

Set default sharing permissions for new projects:

  • Private - Only you can access
  • Team - All team members can view
  • Public - Anyone with link can view

Notifications

Control what notifications you receive:

  • Comments on your designs
  • @mentions
  • Design updates from team members
  • New team invitations

Performance

Graphics Settings

For better performance on older machines:

  • Render Quality - Standard, High, or Ultra
  • Hardware Acceleration - Enable/disable GPU rendering
  • Max Artboards - Limit concurrent artboards (reduces memory usage)

Cache Settings

Cache size: 2GB (adjustable from 500MB - 10GB)
Clear cache: Clears temporary files

Cloud Sync

Sync Settings

  • Auto Sync - Sync changes automatically
  • Sync Interval - How often to check for updates (real-time, every 5min, manual)
  • Storage - View cloud storage usage

Offline Mode

Work offline and sync when you reconnect:

  1. Changes are saved locally
  2. Automatic sync when online
  3. Conflict resolution if needed

Advanced

Developer Mode

Enable developer tools for plugin development:

  1. Go to Preferences → Advanced
  2. Check “Enable Developer Mode”
  3. Access Console via Cmd+Option+C

Custom Scripts

Automate tasks with custom scripts:

// Example: Create 100 circles
for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
  acme.createCircle({
    x: Math.random() * 800,
    y: Math.random() * 600,
    radius: 20,
    fill: '#' + Math.floor(Math.random()*16777215).toString(16)
  })
}

Configuration Files

Acme stores configuration in:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Acme/
  • Windows: %APPDATA%/Acme/
  • Linux: ~/.config/acme/

config.json

{
  "theme": "dark",
  "gridSize": 8,
  "autoSave": true,
  "autoSaveInterval": 30,
  "snapToGrid": true,
  "defaultFont": "Inter",
  "uiDensity": "default"
}

You can manually edit this file, but restart Acme for changes to take effect.