documentation on how to connect to autocad from an exe in vb.net

[Anonymous]

Where is the documentation on how to connect to autocad from an exe in vb.net?

The ObjectARX is not appropriate, and the standard VBA code doesn't works.

I had spent hours trying to find how to replace "ThisDrawing" (=autocad drawing on VBA) on a VB.NET project to create a new layer.

I cannot find the VB.NET way of doing ThisDrawing.Layers.Add(layerName)

[Anonymous]

Here it says

---

@StephenPreston wrote:

The .NET equivalent of ThisDrawing is Application.DocumentManager.mdiActiveDocument.Database. The Database class has a Filename property that returns the DWG filepath and name.

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but that's only available from ObjectARX, which cannot be accessed from an EXE

[norman.yuan]

Well, I am not a fan of using EXE to control AutoCAD, as I said in other post, here is the usual way to do it:

Dim cadApp As AcadApplciation = Nothing

Dim doc As AcadDocument = Nothing

Try

  '' Connect to existing AutoCAD session

  cadApp=GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")

Catch

  '' If no existing AutoCAD session, start one

  Try

    cadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application")

  Catch

    MsgBox("Cannot connect to AutoCAD!")

    Return

  End Try

End Try

doc=cadApp.Documents.Open("c:\....\myDrawingh.dwg"....)

Now you have the AcadDocument that is equivalent to ThisDrawing in VBA. Do whatever you want to, as you do in AutoCAD VBA, just be aware of the syntext different from VB.NET and VBA.

[Anonymous]

Ok, but where is the documentation?

[SENL1362 · Accepted solution]

Google: C# autocad connect to autocad

(I know yo want VB.NET but searching C# will not mix  VBA, VB, VB.NET results)

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2018/ENU/OARX-DevGuide-Managed...

http://through-the-interface.typepad.com/through_the_interface/2007/12/launching-autoc.html

https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/840798/AutoCAD-D-Drawing-using-Csharp-with-AutoCAD-COM-AP