Jumping between Macs and PCs constantly. Tips?

[Richard Morrison]

I have been using AC since the 90's on a PC. Most of the keyboard commands are in my bones. I am now in a situation where I have to use AC on a Mac for part of the day and then I will be back on my own PC for another part. The translations from CTRL key to Cmd key, etc. are killing me. Not sure if I should just try to keep plugging on making Mac sort of like a second language, or try to remap keys to make the keyboards more similar.

Is there anyone in this situation who can offer some tips or advice? Any type of keyboard that works exactly in the Mac as a PC? (Or software that might do the same?) TIA.

[Erwin Edel]

If you happen to have a windows USB keyboard, that should work on the MAC (that's what I use at home, logitech USB keyboard on iMAC). The windows key functions like the MAC/COMMAND key on that one.

You can export your keybindings as XML. Maybe you can text replace COMMAND with the control key for MAC. Just apply the shortcuts profile when you are working on the MAC.

I feel your pain. I'm terribly clumsy on our macbook pro workspots as well, 10+ years of working in ArchiCAD on windows.

An ex-colleague actually made a custom keybind for CTRL W to draw walls. He moved away and his new office used MACs, he told me he spend many months accidentally closing his projects with COMMAND W

[Erwin Edel]

Oh and I think you can remap the keys in preferences, if you use a windows keyboard that is.

[Ralph Wessel]

Richard wrote:
Is there anyone in this situation who can offer some tips or advice? Any type of keyboard that works exactly in the Mac as a PC? (Or software that might do the same?)

I run both operating systems on the same computer simultaneously using Parallels Desktop. It can remap the ctrl/cmd keys so you can use the same combo on both platforms, and you have the added bonus of using the same keyboard and screen(s) all the time too.

[Richard Morrison]

Thanks, Erwin. I'll try a new keyboard with remapping.

Ralph, I would use Parallels in a heartbeat if it were my own system, but I think it's going to be tough to sell in a small corporate environment where fonts are a big issue, and where I'd have the only Parallels machine. If I could get the Helvetica font available in Windows without purchasing a fairly expensive font (they don't like Arial), I might have a better shot. But I'm guessing the Windows side requires its own fonts, and doesn't have access to the Mac fonts, does it?

[Ralph Wessel]

Richard wrote:
If I could get the Helvetica font available in Windows without purchasing a fairly expensive font (they don't like Arial), I might have a better shot. But I'm guessing the Windows side requires its own fonts, and doesn't have access to the Mac fonts, does it?

Parallels has a support page for this, with guidelines for using your Mac fonts in the guest OS.

[Richard Morrison]

Ralph wrote:

Richard wrote:
If I could get the Helvetica font available in Windows without purchasing a fairly expensive font (they don't like Arial), I might have a better shot. But I'm guessing the Windows side requires its own fonts, and doesn't have access to the Mac fonts, does it?

Parallels has a support page for this, with guidelines for using your Mac fonts in the guest OS.

Thanks, Ralph! I'll proposed this to see if it would work for them. Just curious, though, have you found much performance difference between running AC through a guest OS vs. natively on the Mac?