topic Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP in Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization Forum

Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

christian_paulsen98V29 — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 18:28:57 GMT

I work at a company that uses both AutoCAD and Inventor. I am primarily an AutoCAD user, and so is most everyone else. There are a select few people who use Inventor. Eventually we would like to completely stop the use of Inventor completely, and have everyone working solely in AutoCAD. Just because the constant switching back and forth between programs, and importing and exporting all the time has created tons of issues in the past.

All that being said, Inventor does have its pros. One of them being the simplicity it has when it comes to creating section views. I haven't found a easy way to create section views in AutoCAD yet and I've been using the program for years. Typically what i will do is isolate my objects, draw a section plane, create a block from that section plane, paste that block into my paperspace, then scale it to fit on my page.

This workflow has worked for me in the past, but it is a bit tedious. I'm hoping to sort of condense it a bit into one command so that its not such a labor intensive thing to get a simple section view. That way when we eventually get rid of Inventor in my workplace, we have a tool for those users to use in AutoCAD.

I will paste my current code below. As of right now it is not functioning. I cant even get the objects isolated. I only worked on this for about 10 minutes so its not great, but i know even if i worked on it all day it probably still wouldn't function the way i want it to.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Id like to thank anyone who participates in advance. This forum is always such a great help.

Issues I've ran into so far-

When it prompts me to select object to isolate, i select it the first time and it doesn't work, but then i select it a second time and it works. I cannot figure out why.
Drawing the polyline first and then replacing it with the section plane. I thought this would be a good way to draw your line and have visible feedback, and then pass those coordinates to the section plane. Not sure if there is a better way to do this, maybe just skip the polyline completely and just draw from within the "sectionplane" command.
The "sectionplanetoblock" command is one of those commands where it pops up a little window, so i cant pass information the command line the same way that i do with other commands. I've had this issue before and cant remember how to fix it.
On the second command for scaling, when i try to create a list of options the special characters are creating issues. Id like to show the options using backslash, hyphen, and a quotation marks for the fractions " eg 1-1/2" "

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 19:30:05 GMT

@christian_paulsen98V29 wrote:

....

When it prompts me to select object to isolate, i select it the first time and it doesn't work, but then i select it a second time and it works. I cannot figure out why. ....

For that, doesn't line 13 just need completion of the selection?

(command "isolateobjects" SS1 "")

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 20:00:36 GMT

@christian_paulsen98V29 wrote:

....

On the second command for scaling, when i try to create a list of options the special characters are creating issues. Id like to show the options using backslash, hyphen, and a quotation marks for the fractions " eg 1-1/2" "

For that, unforunately, Help for (initget) is specific about the limitation:

You could accept typed-in input including a slash like that, without the (initget)/(getkword) approach [meaning you can't pick in the prompt, and should format it differently, such as with {} curly instead of square brackets], and (distof) will accept that kind of typed input and turn it into a real number:

Command: (distof "1-1/2")

returns
1.5

so you could extract your ratio, because:

Command: (/ 12 (distof "1-1/2"))

returns
8.0

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 20:01:39 GMT

@christian_paulsen98V29 wrote:
....

Drawing the polyline first and then replacing it with the section plane. I thought this would be a good way to draw your line and have visible feedback, and then pass those coordinates to the section plane. Not sure if there is a better way to do this, maybe just skip the polyline completely and just draw from within the "sectionplane" command. ....

For that, I would agree with the end of the paragraph -- you get as much visual feedback that way as with drawing a Polyline. But if you want to use the Polyline approach, at the very least you need to define your pt1 and pt2 variables before you use them in drawing one, and you need to conclude the Polyline command with Enter "".

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

christian_paulsen98V29 — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 21:42:07 GMT

Okay I've definitely made some improvements but I'm not quite there yet. Below is the error I've been getting.

Command: QSECT
QUICK SECTION - Select objects to section ..
Select objects: Specify opposite corner: 1 found
Select objects: Beginning of section plane:End of section plane:; error: bad argument type: VLA-OBJECT <Entity name: 284a840cb80>

Other issues ive noticed:

There is nothing keeping pt1 and p2 on the same axis, so when i draw the line it comes across crooked. There's also no visual feedback like when drawing a polyline.
When the "sectionplanetoblock" dialogue box pops up you have to manually hit select objects, and then it'll select the line automatically. Then you have to manually hit create, and then it'll place the block automatically.

;QUICK COMMAND TO CREATE SECTION BLOCK OF AN OBJECT (Defun c:QSECT (/ OS SS1) ;BEGIN UNDO AND ECHO AND SNAPS (command "undo" "be") (setvar "cmdecho" 0) (setq OS (getvar "osmode")) (setvar "osmode" 0) ;ISOLATE OBJECTS (prompt "\nQUICK SECTION - Select objects to section ..") (setq SS1 (ssget)) (command "isolateobjects" SS1 "") (setq pt1 (getpoint "Beginning of section plane:")) (setq pt2 (getpoint "End of section plane:")) (command "sectionplane" "type" "plane" pt1 pt2) ;CREATE SECTION BLOCK FROM SECTION LINE (setq lastobj (entlast)) (command "sectionplanetoblock" lastobj "0,0,0" "" "" "") (command ".erase" lastobj "") ;SHRINK AND COPY TO CLIPBOARD (setq lastobj (entlast)) (vlax-put-property lastobj 'XEffectiveScaleFactor "48") (vlax-put-property lastobj 'YEffectiveScaleFactor "48") (vlax-put-property lastobj 'ZEffectiveScaleFactor "48") (command "copyclip" lastobj "") ;ERASE SECTION LINE AND UNISOLATE (command "unisolateobjects") ;FINISH UNDO AND ECHO AND SNAPS (command "undo" "e") (setvar "cmdecho" 1) (setvar "osmode" OS) ;MESSAGE IF SUCCESSFUL (print "SECTION BLOCK CREATED AND COPIED TO CLIPBOARD") ) ;QUICK COMMAND TO SCALE BLOCKS IN PAPERSPACE (Defun c:PSCALE (/ setscale convscale newscale scalefactor) ;GET TARGET SIZE, CONVERT TO A STRING, CONVERT TO A DECIMAL, THEN CONVERT TO SCALE (initget "1-16 3-32 1-8 3-16 1-4 3-8 1-2 3-4 2-2 3-2 6-2") (setq setscale (getkword "[1-16,3-32,1-8,3-16,1-4,3-8,1-2,3-4,2-2,3-2,6-2]: <1-4>")) (setq convscale (vl-string-subst "/" "-" setscale)) (setq newscale (distof convscale 2)) (setq scalefactor (/ 12 newscale)) ;PUSH SCALE TO BLOCK BLK??? (vlax-put-property blk 'XEffectiveScaleFactor scalefactor) (vlax-put-property blk 'YEffectiveScaleFactor scalefactor) (vlax-put-property blk 'ZEffectiveScaleFactor scalefactor) )

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Sea-Haven — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 00:23:12 GMT

Re your setscale your welcome to use this it supports 3/16 as a display etc. Just need a cond that looks at ans, sets your scale value, the default button can be set also look at ahdef and replace with button number.

There is examples in the top of the code, it's like 3 line is all that is needed. Just save Multi radio buttons.lsp in a support path.

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Kent1Cooper — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 11:44:55 GMT

@christian_paulsen98V29 wrote:

....

There is nothing keeping pt1 and p2 on the same axis, so when i draw the line it comes across crooked. There's also no visual feedback like when drawing a polyline.

....

For that, don't get the points ahead of time, but within the command, where ORTHO and feedback will be in effect. Instead of this:

(setq pt1 (getpoint "Beginning of section plane:")) (setq pt2 (getpoint "End of section plane:")) (command "sectionplane" "type" "plane" pt1 pt2)

do this:

(setvar 'orthomode 1) (command "sectionplane" "type" "plane" pause pause)

....Select objects: Beginning of section plane:End of section plane:; error: bad argument type: VLA-OBJECT <Entity name: 284a840cb80>

....
.... (setq lastobj (entlast)) ....

You need to convert it to be able to apply (vl...) functions to it. But the COPYCLIP command is not going to want the VLA object, but the original entity name. So you need both versions, for example:

.... (setq lastent (entlast); entity name lastobj (vlax-ename->vla-object lastent); VLA object ) ....

Then give 'lastent' to the COPYCLIP selection.

You'll also need to do the VLA-object conversion with 'blk' later. Or, instead of doing that and using (vlax-put-property) functions, you may be able to use (setpropertyvalue) functions instead, which take the entity name.

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

christian_paulsen98V29 — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:26:34 GMT

So ive got the section command working. The only issue now is the scale command. I believe something is going wrong when selecting my objects, and somehow i have the wrong object type.

;QUICK COMMAND TO SCALE BLOCKS IN PAPERSPACE (Defun c:PSCALE (/ setscale convscale newscale) ;GET TARGET OBJECT (setq ss (ssget)) ;GET TARGET SIZE, CONVERT TO A STRING, CONVERT TO A DECIMAL, THEN CONVERT TO SCALE (initget "1-16 3-32 1-8 3-16 1-4 3-8 1-2 3-4 2-2 3-2 6-2") (setq setscale (getkword "[1-16,3-32,1-8,3-16,1-4,3-8,1-2,3-4,2-2,3-2,6-2]: <1-4>")) (setq convscale (vl-string-subst "/" "-" setscale)) (setq newscale (distof convscale 2)) (print newscale) ;PUSH SCALE TO BLOCK (setpropertyvalue ss "ScaleFactors/X" newscale) (setpropertyvalue ss "ScaleFactors/Y" newscale) (setpropertyvalue ss "ScaleFactors/Z" newscale) )

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Kent1Cooper — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 10:32:18 GMT

@christian_paulsen98V29 wrote:

.... The only issue now is the scale command. ....
.... (setq setscale (getkword "[1-16,3-32,1-8,3-16,1-4,3-8,1-2,3-4,2-2,3-2,6-2]: <1-4>")) ....

This may not be what you're really asking, but if you want to be able to pick the scale option in the prompt itself, rather than type it in, the separation between options needs to be a slash:

(setq setscale (getkword "[1-16/3-32/1-8/3-16/1-4/3-8/1-2/3-4/2-2/3-2/6-2]: <1-4>"))

[which is why slashes are not allowed in keywords].

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Kent1Cooper — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:37:10 GMT

@christian_paulsen98V29 wrote:

.... The only issue now is the scale command. ....
.... (setq newscale (distof convscale 2)) ....

The 'newscale' variable is the decimal equivalent of the fraction. So for 1/4" = 1'-0" scale, it's 0.25. But the scale factor is the ratio of reality to that scale on paper, or the ratio of a foot to that fraction. See the involvement of 12 in the end of Message 3. I think you want this:

.... (setq newscale (/ 12 (distof convscale 2))) ....

which for 1/4" scale will give you 48.

Re: Combine "sectionplane" and "sectionplanetoblock" using AutoLISP

Send2Yates — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:48:36 GMT

Hey There!

I'm wanting to automate the use of the sectionplanetoblock command and ran across this in my research...

Have to progressed any further?

Thanks.