Docker-machine and cert

Docker Desktop for Windows
1

trying to connect to my localhost docker-machine after installing docker-for-windows

There are two things I need to make a connection (from maven plugin that creates images and run containers directly from maven)

  1. the IP address of the local docker host (localhost, 127.0.0.1 10.0.75.x, all options fail)
  2. the cert file to authenticate (its not in the traditional .docker folder under my user account)

this used to work with docker-machine but now when I run docker machine there are no local docker hosts to connect to.
what is the local host machine (docker for windows) and how do I generate a cert (regenerate-certs)