Advance Steel custom commands-share your ideas

[acbsdesign]

Hello,

It will be nice to learn more about custom commands / combination of Autocad and Advance Steel commands improving productivity. 

To colleagues willing to share-Thank you.

Here is a tiny example:

"Hide parts with identical numbers"-used when parts are detailed using drawings styles.

^C^C_AstM5equalpartsMarkSame \;AstM4CommSelectMarkedObjects ;_AstM4SwitchReprMode off

And another one:

"Hide Similar Advance Steel Objects":

^C^C_SelectSimilar \;_AstM4SwitchReprMode off

Regards, 

Ilko Dimitrov

ACBS

[acbsdesign]

@sdonohoedesign 

Great! I added it to the default and edit shortcut menu-IMO- this is a huge help.

How come we have never used this command for AS members...

List of AS member properties 

Thank you very much.

Stay safe.

[sdonohoedesign]

Hi Ilko,

I don't know if the double clicking of dimensions can be customised.  The earlier idea of a LISP to create similar item would be a nice commend to have, but unfortunately I don't know how to write this.  Hopefully someone will come along who can!

Not sure if you use a marko / programmable / gaming keyboard.  I have programmed this command to a keyboard shortcut, along with a few of my other most frequently used dimensioning shortcuts.

_astm16commdetadducslineardim

_astm4commdetaddslopelineardim

_astm4commdetmoddimremove

_astm4commdetmoddimadd

Steve

[sdonohoedesign]

I wonder if any AS / AutoCAD experts on here could assist.  There is a command available in PDMS where you could select an item and move it along an axis until it meets the co-ordinate of another item.  I am looking for an equivalent AutoCAD / AS command that can be operated from the command line if possible.

In PDMS the commands were MOVE N TO ID@ / MOVE E TO ID@ / MOVE U TO ID@

The command does the following:

1. Select item
2. Specify if the move is on the X or Y or Z axis
3. Click on the item that has the correct X or Y or Z co-ordinate you require
4. Item moves along axis to specified co-ordinate.

Any assistance greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Steve

[acbsdesign]

@sdonohoedesign 

I have seen a similar Lisp- reads the coordinate of the second object and executes align of the first, but no Autocad command that I am aware of.

@SanjoyNath - Maybe you could help? I only see "Dear experts this", "Dear experts that", and "We, The Smart"....

[bigcarl5000kg]

post the task in the Autocad Lisp forum, there are super specialists 😉☺️

[acbsdesign]

@bigcarl5000kg Just trying to get the guy involved, he will chime in soon or later. 

[bigcarl5000kg]

then I keep my fingers crossed for you😉

[Jonathan3891 · Accepted solution]

I use the attached lisp to accomplish something similar to what your asking.

I created a sub menu under a few shortcut menu's.

[AleckGiles]

Hi,
There is no need for lisp. Try using the standard AutoCAD point filters. For example

* Move
* Select objects: = Select beam
* Specify Base Point = Select End Point of beam.
* Select Second Point = Type ".X" (literally dot X) then pick point on other object to line up with. The X result of your move is now set.
* (need YZ) = move around and click until the part is moving in the desired direction and click.
The X coordinates of the start and end points will now be aligned. You can do this with any of the three axis. There are also icons o the UCS palette for .X, .Y, .Z ands .XY that automatically feed zeros for the other directions. Some plain AutoCAD commands do not play nice with those buttons though but give them a try instead of typing it.

Regards,
Aleck Giles
Structures Consultant
Graitec UK

[SanjoyNath]

Dear Experts,

Qselect cannot work on AST... Objects and Filters fail for the mdf mapped objects. AST... Objects and GRX... objects have some conflicts so filtering need complete list of things which are AST... types and which are GRX... types

We have seen that Lisp works with GRX... types through Graitek version of LispAPI

Autodesk version of lisp dont work on GRX... objects

c# API works fine for both the cases through Interop and we could develop Fabsuite EPM from the advance steel also through c# systems which we tried to do with lisp first but several isssues were there

[Jonathan3891]

Some people have a hard time with point filters. They can be tricky!

[iwafb · Accepted solution]

Simple lisp can achieve this.

sample to copy using Y coordinate...

(prompt "\nPick objects to copy: ")
(setq OB (ssget))
(setq BP (getpoint "\nSelect base point..."))
(setq BP1 (getpoint BP "\nSelect point on the desired Y axis..."))
(while (/= BP1 nil)
(setvar "osmode" 0)
(command "copy" OB "" BP ".xz" BP BP1)
(setvar "osmode" snapv)
(setq BP1 (getpoint BP "\nSelect point on the desired Y axis (or press enter to exit)..."))
)

sample to move using Y coordinate... (allows point or value)

(prompt "\nPick objects to move...")
(setq OB (ssget))
(setq BP (getpoint "\nSelect base point..."))
(initget 128)
(setq BP1 (getpoint BP "\nSelect point on the desired Y axis..."))
(setvar "osmode" 0)
(if (= (type BP1) 'LIST)
(command "move" OB "" BP ".xz" BP BP1)
(progn
(setq BP1 (list (car BP) (+ (cadr BP) (read BP1)) (caddr BP)))
(command "move" OB "" BP BP1)
)
)

[acbsdesign · Accepted solution]

With the last 2 versions of Autocad rev. cloud does not have a default value set as parameter we can modify.

This is a link to my inital post and request:

Revcloud - Change system variable in the registry for Autocad 2021 

We modified the arc length in all prototypes, but for some reason after dwg update (only randomly) values get back to much larger than necessary.

Below is a modified command that will fix arc length, we used 1/8":

Rectangular rev. cloud with pre-defined arc length

^C^C_^Rrevcloud _R;a;0.125;

Screencast 

I will accept this as a solution, this would help others having the same issue, unless there is a new variable available this year so we can set up the default arc length globally.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[bigcarl5000kg]

I'd like to give you all my 4 👍 , unfortunately Autodesk hasn't got that far yet

[acbsdesign]

Isolate Welds not connecting beams, plates, or special parts (ghost welds):

^C^C_AstM4SelectObjectByName;ASTBEAM,ASTPLATE,ASTSPECIALPART,ASTWELD;_AstM10ViewSelObjects;OBJECTS;_AstM4SelectObjectByName;ASTBEAM,ASTPLATE,ASTSPECIALPART,ASTWELD;_AstM4SwitchReprMode;STRUCTURE;_AstM4CommSelectMarkedObjects;_AstM4SwitchReprMode off;_AstM4CommUnmarkObjects;graphscr;redraw;

Screencast 

[bigcarl5000kg]

Hi Ilko,

it has not happened to me that I would create a ghost object in AS myself, vice versa AS will try it randomly for us 😁

[acbsdesign]

@bigcarl5000kg 

Hi,

How are you.

Copy and paste may create spaces in command text. It should work.

Try welding two members, delete them and run the command.

I will check how Windows + V works in Windows 11 when I get to work.

[bigcarl5000kg]

Hi @acbsdesign,

thank you, I'm fine. Hopefully you too 😎. The water temperature has dropped significantly, only neoprene helps now.

Your ghost weld termination works, but only if no part is joined to the searched weld.

Basic model:

 

After deleting of the front profile - no weld will be isolated (black screen). Now there are illogical welds.

  

After deleting of all profiles for one welding connection - the remaining weld without connection will be isolated:

  

Such weld remains can also occur, unfortunately I did not find a filter in Project Explorer, which would be able to filter such welds according to whether they have a min. 2 connected parts (basic condition for any connection)

Have a nice day... and stay tuned for more 😊

[Sebastian_Eiche · Accepted solution]

I found a forum thread for moving objects in lisp forum here:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/adapts-old-lisp-to-move-selected-obj...

I copy and paste a bit and the result is this:

(defun c:MX ( / idx ss pnt)
  
  (setq idx 0)
  (setq #PntM (getpoint "\nSpecify point for x value: "))
  (while (and (princ (strcat "Select items " (itoa (setq idx (1+ idx))) "! <done>"))
              (setq ss (ssget "_:L"))
              (setq pnt (getpoint (strcat "\Selects the point of moving elements " (itoa idx) ": ")))
              )
    			 
			 (command "_.move" ss "" "_none" pnt ".x" "_none" #PntM "_non" pnt)
			  
 )
  (princ)
  )

So if you copy this, save the text in an editor as MX.lsp and load it in your Advance Steel. 
You could select a point, and then elements which are move to the X-coordinate of the selected point.
Maybe it's a bit dirty how i create it, because in general, I have no idea of lisp...it's always a try and error =).
title text in Advance has no picpoint so it will be "nearest" option

 

If you want to have this for Y just replace the X with it

[acbsdesign]

@Sebastian_Eiche 

Great.

Thank you very much.