where to start to learn ObjectArx?

[sovby]

i want to learn object arx, object dbx, .net but im not sure where to start. what tutorials, etc are aviliable. Im familiar with autolisp & visual lisp but my level of knowledge is limited. How can i get started with other programiming because it appears that i need to learn this other stuff to be really good at it. Should i start with amything in particular & work my way through it? How can i get started?

[owenwengerd]

As a general rule, you should first have a strong foundation of experience with the underlying programming language and the software you'll use during development. ObjectARX is C++ based. In my experience, you need a minimum of one year training and experience in pure C++ before you can be productive with the ObjectARX API. You'll also need to be familiar with the Visual Studio IDE and build tools. The Express version of Visual Studio is available as a free download from Microsoft and there are many C++ based training materials and tutorials available for free over the internet, so it's just a matter of investing the time to learn.

The .NET Managed API for AutoCAD is not as powerful as ObjectARX, but it is easier to learn for beginners and the managed languages (most commonly C# and Visual Basic) are garbage collected languages that insulate programmers from memory management that is often the most difficult part of C++. There is another group for the .NET API.

[sovby]

Thanks. that will get me started. i wasnt sure if i should start with object arx & graduate to .net or what. i want to be able to access & manipulate the autocad drawing dastabase among other things. I want to be able to understand object arx, object dbx, .net, etc. so that i can use it along with autolisp, & visual lisp to automate tasks & create applications to use alongside autocad & various microsoft progrms.

[sovby]

Well, my c++ career is getting off to a rocky start. I found a visual studio express tutorial on youtube to get me started & it seems like i followed the instructions pretty good but im having trouble running the program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rydtxg8gQz0

its giving me some error messages that seem to be a path issue. It seems like the program should be doing this automatically but for some reason its not set. I googled this error & i found something on it but the solution doesnt seem to work for me. 

[owenwengerd]

Hopefully someone here can offer some suggestions, but you're more likely to get help with Visual Studio and C++ questions if you post in groups specifically for those topics.

[sovby]

Thanks for the response i did get some help on this. It was a syntax error on my part. i had isostream instead of iostream.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

@sovby, I don't know if you have sovled your complier problems yet, but I will try to help a bit.

1.  "isostream" should be "iostream".

2.   unless you are using " namespace std" you need to identify the class "std::cin" or "std::cout".

3.   The can not find error is due to your output path config.

These are relatively simple errors.  The proper question you should be asking right now is "Where can I learn C++?". I respect your endeavor but, I suggest reading one of Bjarne Stroustrup's books on C++ and getting somewhat of a handle on coding some simple console apps before jumping off in ObjectARX.  The .NET framework is definately an easier place to start and it may do everything you need it to.

[sovby]

yeah thanks. I have started with some tutorials. I did have the syntax wrong. I have downloaded some pdf tutorials. i will look into what you have suggested. The reason that i want to learn object arx is that i was told by someone that i needed to learn it in order to be really good with some of the visual lisp commands. I was also told that object arx is based on c++. I want to learn how to get into the database of an autocad drawing & manipulate the information for use in lisp programs. Eventually i want to learn visual basic so that i can write programs that will do what lisp will not since there seems to be some limitations with lisp.

[Anonymous]

VisualLisp and ObjectARX or two different animals, being good at one really doesn't mean you'll be good at another.  If I may suggest, look into the .Net managed code.  Autodesk has a .Net Developer's Guide that is a really good place to start.  You can use C# or VB to code most of what you may need to do.  Also, I would get away from the thought that "I need to use it in a LISP routine”, you could write code to do just about everything you need to do.  Leaning ObjectARX is not as easy as just learning "ObjectARX"; you also need to be proficient at coding in C++.   Unless you are really good at C++, go with .Net development, it will prove to be a bit easier and you will have working routines in no time (and possibly save you some frustration along the way).  Good luck and Happy Coding.

One more thing, if you don't know VB then just learn C# instead.  I may prove to be more beneficial in the long run. (Just my opinion.)