Here is a macro combined with a couple of scripts that I wrote this week. What it does is import data from another drawing (containing street names in this case) with a Map 3D query based on a rectangular area.

The Macro:

^C^Cscript;P:/GIS/XREF-CITY-MAP.scr;(alert "Pick two diagonal points to define the import area.");(setq firstp (getpoint "Pick first point: "));\(setq secondp (getpoint "Pick second point: "));\script;P:/GIS/IMPORT-STREETNAMES.scr;

I’ll break it down for you. Read more »

Here is a site that helps you learn AutoLISP in plain English. You will be guided slowly to create your own AutoLISP program! Check it out…

Today was another full day at Autodesk University. Last night I went to bed early so I missed the Exhibit Hall Opening Reception. But after lunch I did get a chance to take a walk around it and look at some really neat displays. Read more »

There may be times when you would want to turn on/off the dialog box when inserting an attributed block into your drawings. For example, if you are creating a script or macro that inserts an attributed block you might want to set ATTDIA to 0 (zero) at the beginning so that the it will prompt for attributes on the command line only. Read more »

Murph has written an excellent post on creating contours from shape files with elevations. I have been using this method for a while now. In fact I have written scripts and macros to automate importation of contour data into my drawings. Read more »

There are quite a few ways to accomplish this and I am going to show you a little trick to find area in acres quickly. The reason I am writing this is to show you some of the capabilities AutoCAD has when it comes to doing calculations. Read more »

See what’s new in AutoCAD 2009…

It looks like there are a lot of great new features. I am especially excited about the new Action Recorder – probably because I’m so lazy. Read more »

I’ve noticed a bug in AutoCAD 2008 that causes annotative text to disappear or become unselectable. This is very annoying, but there is a temporary fix. Read more »

Have you ever wanted to import just a portion of another drawing into your current drawing? I know the civil engineering world frequently needs to import specific data from one map to another. Since I work in that world and because I’m lazy, I created a quick method for importing data from standard maps into new drawings using queries and macros. Read more »

I found out that installing Raster Design Object Enabler for Map 3D or Civil 3D allows MrSID images to be inserted directly into AutoCAD through Map 3D’s image insert command (MAPIINSERT). I use it to directly insert georeferenced ortho photos in MrSID format into my drawings. This is really nice because instead of using another piece of software to cut out the ortho to insert, I can directly insert the lightweight MrSID image directly and clip it to my desired area. Read more »

Did you know you can create your own toolbars with buttons that can run your own AutoCAD commands? You can, and it’s not very hard. Read more »