Conversion of desktop to web application

[Anonymous]

Our Current system:

A desktop windows application. The Autocad commands are implemented in c#. Netload is used to load the commands to make them available to Autocad

A simple use case to understand our system’s Autocad interaction scope: Users import a drawing file. They interact with the Autocad and mark a boundary. Inside the boundary they place objects. We run the Commands(from c# lib) and generate the final drawing representation on the Autocad

We have a roadmap to migrate our desktop application to a web application.  So, I am trying to understand how the web portion of Autocad will need to be designed. I have gone through the below materials regarding the Autocad web integration.

• https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-web-app/overview?plc=ACDIST&term=1-YEAR&support=ADVANCED&q... 
• https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-web-app/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/ENU/Au... 
• https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Connect-AutoCAD-Web-HTML5-and-JavaScript-2014 
• https://www.keanw.com/2015/11/au-2015-handout-integrating-net-code-with-autocad-io-to-add-design-int... 
• https://www.keanw.com/2012/04/exposing-a-restful-web-service-for-use-inside-autocad-using-the-aspnet... 
• https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Integrating-NET-Code-AutoCAD-IO-Add-Design-Intell... 

Here is what I have in mind. Is my understanding correct?

Here are few questions

• To replace the AutoCAD Desktop App with the AutoCAD Web App - Does AutoCAD web app provide a single sign on feature?
• Convert the existing C# lib commands to core modules that can be packaged to AutoCAD I/O as an activity
• Does AutoCAD Web integrate with AutoCAD I/O?
• Instead of going for AutoCAD Web or AutoCAD I/O, is it possible to host these services  inhouse?

Please let me know if there are other reference links that can be of help related to this. 

[norman.yuan · Accepted solution]

You did not say who the primary users are/would be for your existing desktop solution and future web-based solution, which might play significant role while making decision. But since you use a stand-alone desktop to somehow automate/control AutoCAD (or at least to get AutoCAD starts), it seems to me the users are not real CAD users who do the heavy drafting/designing work rather than light task, such as reviewing drawing details, minor modifications, marking up some notes...

AutoCAD web app is mainly for viewing and limited, lighter content editing, and it does not expose API for you to control/automate it to run custom app/code that can interact with backend services (i.e. you cannot let AutoCAD Web to interact with Forge services) or do complicated user-interactive drafting tasks. So, you web based app has to interact with Forge services from your web client. In my view, the system would look somewhat showing in following picture:

As the picture show, instead of using Forge I/O services, you can host your own "backend" AutoCAD processing services by using AutoCAD coreconsole.exe (an AutoCAD without UI. This is what Forge services uses). But if I wanted to go web based, I'd choose Forge services instead of hosting my own Acad console as services.

[Anonymous]

is AutoCAD I/O still being developed?

[norman.yuan]

AutoCAD I/O is now Forge AutoCAD Design Automation (Version 3, now).

[Anonymous]

Thanks @norman.yuan for the detail. This helps a lot!

[Anonymous]

good to know, thank you

[Anonymous]

Nice one, thank you for sharing