AutoCAD: Scriptable objects/methods documentation

[t_fischer]

Dear all,

I have some years of experience scripting Rhino3D in both VBA and Python.
Now I am beginning a project scripting AutoCAD in Python (via pywin32).

Rhino3D comes with a great help file (under Help/Plugins/RhinoScript)
that documents scriptable Rhino objects and methods. Is there a similar
resource (digital or print) for scriptable objects and methods in
AutoCAD?

Thanks a lot!
Tom

[hgasty1001]

Hi,

Autocad and all the verticals based on has the following way to "script objects":

1.- Autolisp/VisualLisp

It's integrated into the Autocad enviroment, has an IDE (command VLIDE), and it's widley supported and documented, it has been since version 2.1 or so, it has a massive developer base, a lot of shared code to browse to, from one liner examples to complete solutions , many for free.

To me, Autolisp/VisualLisp it's the minimun cost path, as Autolisp it's not difficult to learn, and very, very powerful, the main drawback of Autolisp it's  application's GUI, it's almost an antique, it has no changes since Autocad 12 (20+ years old).

2.-VBA ActiveX/COM

You can programm Autocad in VBA as an in process application just as MS Office products, it was almost killed in 64 bits platform, but succesfully reanimated in Autocad 2014 using VBA 7 engine. It has a well documented object model, it has it's own forum VBA

3.- ARX .NET

It's a .NET based API, and permit to program Autocad in any language supported by .NET development, usually C# and VB .NET, but not limited to (there are good examples in F# and even Python). It's very powerful (more than Autolisp), but you will *need* basic and not so basic understanding of OOP and .NET framework programming, and requires a capable editor/debugger/compiler, usually MS Visual Studio. The .NET forum it's here

4.- ARX C++

It's the most powerful API to program Autocad, but you must be proficient in C++ prior to even thinking to program using this API, it permit almost anything you can imagine, and it's the only API that give you access to create custom objects. The typical trade off in difficulty vs power is very explicit in this API.

Some resources:

Python example

The Swamp

Kean's Blog

Autocad DevBlog

Gaston Nunez